supergondi

the link in the how to's isnt working. i noticed a little play in the pass. axle and a small noise i think is associated with it. ive never done one on this car and am wondering if its easier to unbolt the lower arm from the body or undo the lower ball joint i have a pickle fork but dont want to damage the joint and do i need to know anything special about the axle seal? oh and what size the axle nut is would be nice. i llooked at the fsm and saw to unbolt the knuckle from the strut so i know that any help is welcome

kel456

36mm on the axle nut. you should replace the entire axle instead of replacing the boot if that is what you are talking about. if you have a place to deal with all the grease to replace the boot well then go for it. oem axle is the best. passenger side is easier than the driver side axle. you can't mess up. you don't need to deal with the lower ball joint with our max. good luck.

http://motorvate.ca/node/65

supergondi

thanks for the info kel at least someone here still does their own work i hear you on replace the whole axle easier that way and i get it for 36$ so thats a def, nice write up with good pics a def canidate for the how to's thank you for all your help buddy

JtzMax

iTrader: (5)

Naaahhhhh .... Raxles FTW!!!!! www.raxles.com Best around!

As for the pulling the axle, don't pop the ball joint out or any of that junk. There is a carrier bearing (held in with (3) 14mm bolts) behind the pass wheel, reach back up in there and you can get em. Drop the bracket and spin the strut 90º so the break line will let you slide the axle past and out of the hub. Not a bad job at all ... there are worse things in life.

You really trust a $36 axle? Wow .... I probably would not - personally.

raroz28

As others have said, get a decent axle from a reputable brand.

I would personally rather have a quality re-manufactured axle than a new Taiwan axle.

I did an axle a few months ago but it was on the drivers side so it's a bit different.

You should be able to do it with just a standard tool set and a good pry bar. I used a carpenter crow bar to break the axle away.

Not too bad of a job just dirty as hell. Good luck.

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Passenger side axle? Easy as hell to drop, Driver side.... ugh....

4 bolts/nuts hold that bad boy in, the main big bolt on the spindle/hub, the 3 holding the carrier assembly on the back of the motor, I pics on my blog if you need them.

J2FRESH

iTrader: (8)

good to know. so wheres everyone getting there axles from? napa? autozone? raxles? i need me a pass. side for my 5spd LSD

supergondi

the car was fixed on saturday no problems except where the strut smacked my hand when i removed the last strut to knuckle bolt and the napa axle is fine no noise, play or anything raxles are nice but this is a quick car by no means fast i have tfs foxbody so that kind of money on this car is out of the question.

supergondi

oh by the way jtz those 14mm bolts are 12mm just so you get it right when you go raxles FTW

nsnrider

iTrader: (59)

i don't know what you guys are complaining about driver side axle being a pita. I do them all the time in under 30 minutes for the whole job.

Passenger side it try to undo the three 12mm bolts and slide the axle out of the brackets but alot of times here in new england, these things are rusted in place and are a real pain to undo and most times involve removal of the bracket with the axle and then working on it on the bench.

raroz28

I too had no problem with the drivers side.

Guess it depends on your level of experience.

kel456

passenger side is a straightforward replacement. i hear you about the supporting bracket. but the driver side axle had to be pushed in while the axle is in sort of a bent position. had to go back and forward many times to get it in there. not difficult at all but a bit unpredictable.

how did you folks get the driver side axle in?

raroz28

I simply pushed the axle in and bolted it all back together. What exactly are you asking?

VQdriver

Wow, sorry to bump this thread. Anybody have tips on removing the driver side axle? I have the outboard splines off the knuckle, but I'm having trouble removing the inboard splines off the actual transmission. It's for my mom's automatic 95SE. The Haynes manual mentioned something about using a long screwdriver through the passenger side and hammering the axle out, but I don't have anything long enough and narrow enough to pass through the differential. I've also tried prying the cv joint from the transmission without success. Shall I just find something bigger to pry it with or try to find a narrow long piece of metal to hammer from the differential side. Looks kinda scare doing the latter lol. Well, thanks for any help. If anyone still checks these forums...

bobflood

Pry from the outside - it will come out eventually. You have to overcome the resistance of the snap ring. I would not like to push thru the differential.

VQdriver

Yea I figured prying would be the better choice. I couldn't get the light to shine too well through the passenger side differential so I have no idea where to strike exactly. I have been prying with a thick chisel and a cheater bar with no luck. I will try again with a real pry bar as soon as I can find one. Has anyone tapped through the differential side?

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

Drivers side is definitely easier than passenger side especially if the passenger side is rusted in the support bracket. Pulling on the axle using it like a slide hammer usually gets it out.

Best thing you can do to make either side much easier to work on is to remove the strut assembly completely from the vehicle so you have room to work.

And be very careful when installing the axle so you don't bump the axle seal and cause a leak.

max_dreamer

iTrader: (2)

slide hammer lol, who the heck has one of those laying around!

easiest way is a 12-16" pry bar or screwdriver that you wedge between the housing and axle... one hand keeping a constant pull on the axle and the other one just prying a little bit. pops that snap ring out with little to no effort... and be ready for the mess lol.

VQdriver

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm about to attempt this again today. The hardest part is contorting underneath the vehicle on front jackstands to get leverage. I'm gonna put my feet towards the rear of the vehicle and pry that way with my cheater bar and chisel. It took a great deal of effort yesterday without results. Is that normal? I'm not a power athlete but I work out in the gym and am able to do sets of weighted pullups (I only weigh 140lbs right now).

Lastly, I'm blown away with people's willing to chime in on things which are so "simple." You guys are certainly a lot nicer than the guys at MY350 or even G35driver. In '05 I moved onto a G coupe from my '97 GXE 5sp which I sorely miss. It's hard to believe my mother's 95 SE auto is 17 years old! Truly it's a sports car in family sedan clothing. Now if I can only get these axles and other maintenance chores out of the way...

max_dreamer

iTrader: (2)

lol, yeah its super hard to get out if that snap ring is doing its job. my second time i couldnt get it to budge at all. first time (original axles) it popped right out no problem! second time, im on the left side of the car, my feet in the fender well, pulling the axle and pushing off with my legs yelling at my car! all at the same time mind you! i managed to pick myself up off the ground just by trying to get it out!

then i went n bought pry bars and it was about as easy as opening a monster energry drink lol

VQdriver

Lol. You weren't kidding. I found a large 2ft crow bar and dug in underneath the car. After one good try it came off. I'm taking my good old time. My next free day I'll install both axles. Hopefully everything lines up right and I can take the car off jackstands!

VQdriver

Update: both axles went in this past Monday and the car is running smoothly. While I was under there I replaced the serpentine belt driving the alternator/AC which was starting to become frayed. It still needs an alignment. Happy holidays and Happy New Year to my fellow Maxima enthusiasts!

yippzter

Hey guys i have 99 maxima gle automatic. I just found out my cv boots got ripped when i bought it. I was thinking to replace axles instead of replace cv boots. Im trying to find spec on axles because i see some of list of axles with different size From oreilly.com. Also i am not sure if GLE auto has LSD or not.

I have read some and most of people like raxles. I cant see the list of axles unless i have to call them?

Thanks!

Derpington

Idk if they make raxle for our maxes anymore? Check the code on your trans. It should be stamped somewhere on the bell housing I believe (top?). Close to where the engine and trans meet.

Not sure if it is any different for automatics but manuals are open diff if the trans code ends in A and LSD if it ends in V.

yippzter

Ok its hard to see the codes but I found and its letter B in the end. But I am thinking normally for automatic cars usually don't have LSD right? or maybe I should call Nissan for more info from my VIN number.

Anyone who replaced axles before which axles did you guys get?

JvG

As I recall Canadian cars and InfinitI have limited slip. While most or all USA models do not have it.

Perhaps another member has a definite answer.
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CMax03

iTrader: (3)

Simple test is to rotate the front wheels if they rotate together same direction you have LSD! If they turn the opposite to each other you have an open (non-LSD) differential.