CS_AR

Ok I've been using GSP axles from Advance Auto for over 5 years. In that time the name has changed, but the part numbers have stayed the same. I guess I've been lucky that I didn't experience any vibration or noise issues that others have reported with GSP axles. The one area that has been a disappointment is with boot life.

So I knew I needed to replace the passenger side CV axle on the 99 SE 5-MT. I remember the car had one fairly new CV axle and one with a heavily torn boot that I quickly replaced after purchase. That replacement was in the winter of 2012. It turned out the one of the axle boots split open and started slinging grease.

Today I replaced anti-sway bar link bushings with some Whiteline Performance poly bushings and noticed the newer CV axle boot had the start of a tear near the clamp. It looked like one of the metal boot clamp rubbed against the boot and split it open. I think the boot material on the GSP axles is thin compared to the ancient boots that came with the 98 model GLE.

Since one of the axles came with a lifetime warranty, I thought about exchanging it for another one just like it. However, I've been looking for a better axle. So I stopped by O'Reilly Auto Supply and talked to them about their axles. They carry a brand named Master Pro that looks like the usual value line CV axles from China. I talked to the guy behind the counter and found they carry a slightly more expensive line named Import Direct.

They happened to have some in stock to fit the 5 MT so I took a look. I liked what I saw and noticed the boot material appeared to be thicker than the GSP axles.

So I bought a set for roughly $69 each. The is more than what I would pay for a GSP at Advance Auto. Now unless something goes wrong and I have noise or vibration problems, it will take close over 4 years for me to know if this new axle is better than the ones that I'm replacing. Let's see how it goes.

Here's are some pictures of the new CV axles below.

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

Best of luck Craig. Finding quality long lasting axles is becoming harder and harder as we all know.

... and you said you bought a "set", meaning a set of 2 for $140.00?

By-the-way ... Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too.

CS_AR

Thanks Ron. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family also.

Yep. The set was ~$140.00 + tax.

Johnny9595

iTrader: (1)

How easy was the install I need to get a set for my 96 I30.

Maximeltman

iTrader: (11)

they look nice but what about the rubber damper on the driver axle? Are they even needed?

CS_AR

The installation isn't hard provided you have the right sockets. I usually rent/borrow a kit that has 32 MM through 36 MM at Advance auto.

The hardest part on a manual transmission is to remove the transmission seal on the passenger side. I broke down and bought a seal removal tool today for the passenger side.

I think someone posted instructions or a video on how to change axles. I'll look for it.

CS_AR

Today's work took a strange turn of events. The driver side (short) axle was for a manual transmission with Limited Slip Differential (LSD). I need one for a transmission without LSD. No parts store in town had one or could get one on short order except Advance Auto. Well here I go again. O'Reilly refunded the cost for the drivers side axle on the spot.

The bright side is I think Advance has changed suppliers since I bought the GSPs. So they ordered a new Carquest axle to replace my old axle under warranty. This will be my first Carquest axle.

The picture I saw today looked really good and it shows the part actually has the damper. As a side note, none of my 4th gens had a damper when I bought them. I guess the CV axles had all been replaced with aftermarket parts long before I bought the cars.

I will pickup the driver side tomorrow morning and post pictures. This might have worked out for the best.

CS_AR

The stickies has a link to this instructional that shows how to remove the axles to replace the boots. It's a start. Though it doesn't cover a lot about removing the CV axle.

http://web.archive.org/web/200806151...ca/mvp.php/401

CS_AR

Two pictures of the old CV axles below. The axle in the center is the three year old GSP. I think the passenger side axle is somewhere between 4 to 5 years old. I picked a warranty replacement axle for passenger side that I will keep around in the workshop as a spare.

Tomorrow morning I pick up a replacement for the driver side axle with the boot tear by the clamp. It almost looks like the boot clamp rubbed against the boot and punctured it or it started to disintegrate just above the clamp location. Outside of the boot failures, the axles have been quiet and vibration free.

lux97Max

iTrader: (24)

Those parts look good, I hope they work for you, from my experience ive gone with only oem axels. Only reason, is they last!! And got tired of having to keep buying gear oil. That got old real quick. You drain your fluid out before taking out axels? You replace that seal and if you dont seat that sucker in right..guess what, you'll be draining that fresh fluid right back out lol. Here's a tip. When draining, save your old fluid. After your done fill the tranny back with the old fluid. Start your car and see if you see any leaks. If you do not, then re-drain it and re-fill it with new fluid.

CS_AR

Yep. I always replace seals with new axles. Its just not worth the headache. I have a similar approach for reusing the old fluid to verify leaks. I just changed the fluid a couple of months ago with a fresh round of Redline MT90.

I made a tool from PVC pipe and coupling that is a perfect fit over the outer rim area of the passenger side seal that I use for installation.

Over the past six years of owning four 4th gens, this makes CV axle replacement job #8. I know I have another coming up next year. It's starting to get old. LOL

Maximeltman

iTrader: (11)

cool beans on the carquest axle. Can u post a pic comparing the drivers axles (lsd vs non-lsd) where they connect to the transmission?

CS_AR

Here's a pic from RockAuto that shows the one with LSD. You can see the extra set of splines on the left side of the picture.



Here's a picture without LSD and only a single set of splines.

lux97Max

iTrader: (24)

Yes, passenger side axel seal is a real pain to get out. Could you share the tool your using to get it out? A normal seal puller did not work for me, or there was no room for angling, went ahead and removed y pipe and cross member it was a nightmare.

CS_AR

I picked it up at Advance Auto. Somehow I managed to slide it into the area and break the old seal loose.



This looks like a better tool because the head can be adjusted to an angle that will work in the tight space on the passenger side. I would have been done a couple of minutes faster if I had been using this tool.







Amazon Link

https://www.amazon.com/Performance-T...2oybYKEV48H_tt

lux97Max

iTrader: (24)

I dont like using those axels seal pullers. Those can be harsh on the casing where the seal sits. I used a bearing like puller. getting the passenger side seal was a piece of cake with this tool. To bad i did not find it my first time around

CS_AR

After a 30 mile test run this afternoon.

Zerodrag

iTrader: (1)

Looking forward to your results. Every aftermarket axle I used from Advanced Auto had low speed vibration on acceleration (but no noise when car was lowered). I ended up rebuilding my OEM units and raising the car up a bit. I still get a little noise from the passenger axle when that side is compressed (e.g. cornering to the left or hitting a dip) when under accelerator load.

CS_AR

So far no noise or vibration that I can tell. My son reports the car drives now drives smoother on the highway. I took the car out on Sunday afternoon for an aggressive highway drive. It did fine.

I'm running the O'Reilly axle on the passenger side and the Advance Auto Carquest on the left. What a strange combination.. I know..

The car sounds more like a P-47 Thunderbolt coming down the road to the point where the neighbors complain. The suspension is extremely tight with KYB AGX turned up. So I may not be able to hear any noise for a while. LOL

The complaint that I've had with the Advance Auto axles is the boot material is too thin and it just doesn't last. The O'Reilly axle seems to have a thicker boot material than the one from Advance Auto. Hopefully it will last more than 3 to 5 years.

nissan99

What I do before installing axles , I spray the boots with silicone spray it keeps them plyable and protects them from the elements .. Do it once a year and your good to go..

CS_AR

That's a good idea. I've used a product that I get a Napa named Ru-Glyde to soften aging CV boots. My 25 year old Q45 still has the original rear axle CV boots. Amazingly those are still in good shape after all of these years.

This just reminded me that I need to give them a good conditioning before winter.

The 98 Maxima has OEM CV axles from what I can tell. The boots are thick and still holding up well. However, I can tell the CV joint part has become dry over the years. I am seriously thinking about ordering some Nissan OEM replacement boots and re-lubricating those joints before the boots crack and the joints take in water or grit.

CS_AR

Just a quick update about Advance Auto CV axles. I snapped some I30 axle pictures this afternoon and found the same problem that I experienced with the Maxima a few weeks ago.

The Advance Auto CV axles in the next two pictures were purchased 8/27/2011. Both sides have the same boot failure problem. The third picture shows an Advance Auto CV axle that was purchased 10/03/2013 with a similar type of boot failure.

Do you see the pattern in the boot failure location?

Since these axles were installed on a 1999 model Infiniti I30 and a 1999 model Maxima with different drivers and usage patterns, I can only conclude that Advance Auto CV axles that are manufactured by GSP are prone to boot failure after 3 years of use.

Both vehicles were driven less than 35,000 miles before boot failure occurred.

Driver Side Outer Boot - Purchased 8/27/2011



Passenger Side Outer Boot - Purchased 8/27/2011



Driver Side Outer Boot - Purchased 10/03/2013



Should I return the Advance Auto axles to get another set that may fail in 3 years or should I take a loss and move on to another set from O'Reilly Auto Parts or another part supplier like AutoZone or RockAuto?

The axle that was replaced a few weeks ago under warranty is the same GSP model that you see in the pictures above. It appears nothing has changed with the product that replaced the failed part. I've noticed RockAuto appears to be dumping the GSP brand. RockAuto is now selling GSP axles for $30.59 on closeout.

The new Import Direct axle from O'Reilly is in the picture below. It looks like it is less likely to fail compared to the axles from Advance Auto. Though, it will take over 3 years for me to know how it performs compared to the GSP axles.

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

How about getting the $30.00 Rock Auto pieces and upgrading the boots?

CS_AR

Thank you Turbo. I'm actually thinking about doing just that. I can order a set of OEM outer boots for about 64.54 + shipping. The inner boots seem to have held up ok. I haven't noticed any vibration or noise concerns.

I already have one of the CV band installment tools that I haven't used. So I should have a tool for trying it.

Let me go order a set of outer OEM boots and see how far I get.

It's too cold to start the suspension refresh, so this could be a quick holiday project to make up some replacement axles that will last.

Thanks again for speaking up.

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

^^^ $96.00 seems pretty reasonable for a brand new axle with quality boots.

edwardh1

its a shame the consumer doesn't have a clearer more choosable (is that a word?) choice of the boot material.
my toyota oem boots are from 04 and at 138000 miles no tears yet

wonder where napa chinese boots stack up

CS_AR

Ok.. Today I received the new Nissan replacement CV boots. I also have the new GSP axles.

Here's a picture of the new Nissan replacement boots, with the tubes of grease and hardware (clamps and spring clips) that came with each. I'm not sure why, but the inner boot kits came with a white tube of yellow grease while the outer boots came with a clear tube of dark blue/green looking grease. The inner and outer boot grease appears to be very different.

Could the difference in grease between inner and outer boot kits be a reason the Nissan boots last longer?

CS_AR

Update: 12/24/2016

Yesterday I made up my new "Nissan OEM enhanced" CV axles. I have them ready to install along with a box of MOOG Problem Solver Lower Control Arms (LCA), end link, tie rod ends, poly bushings, National Seals, etc., most of which I purchased from www.rockauto.com.

Where should I start? The weather is not with me this time of year. I'm in for a few days of cold and rainy weather. Due to my garage being nearly full, it looks like I will need to do this outside. So I need to pick a portion of the suspension that that I can finish in roughly 6 hours.

Maybe I should replace CV axles, seals, LCAs, end links, and anti-sway bar bushings in one pass, then follow it up with rack bushings, rack boots, tie rod ends in another part that is followed by a trip to the alignment shop.

Thoughts on Enhanced CV Axles

Most of all enhancing the CV axles was a great learning experience.

1) Effort and Complexity

Enhancing a CV axle is no small amount of work. After multiple hours into the process I started thinking. "You could have swapped six CV axles in the time its taking to enhance these two." Earlier in the week I pulled two CV axles in about 1.5 hours or less. That was working at a somewhat relaxed pace. Any type of wheel, axle, and suspension work that I do is usually made easy air-impact tools and a couple of hydraulic floor jacks. I can usually move fast through any type of suspension or drive-train work. To a certain extent, CV axles and suspension work has become almost too routine around my house.

2) Impressions

The Nissan OEM boots left me with a great impression. The boot material is the best I've seen. The Nissan CV clamps are made for quick and easy replacement. No special tools are required to install the Nissan clamps. Due to a proprietary design of the subject CV axle's inner shaft, I had to use generic CV clamps on those parts. I have some pictures of this below. That part wasn't bad because I already had a CV clamp tool. It just took a trip to the parts store to get a generic clamp and to learn how to use the tool. If you are working with a CV axle that uses traditional OEM dimensions, this should not be a problem. My only regret as this point is by not learning how to replace OEM CV boots when I started with 4th gens back in 2010. Low cost CV axles made "no muss no fuss" replacement way too easy. Why repair something when you can just replace it?

3) Looking Forward

Barring some extreme bearing wear issue, I will most likely overhaul the Nissan OEM axles that came with the 98 model. As a Nissan part hoarding pack rat, I would like to keep a set in reserve for a future need. Those 98 model axles will be available for me to overhaul after I install the new OEM enhanced versions. I can take my time with those overhauls and use it as filler over some weekend when the weather is bad. Should I see a wrecked or decent looking 5-speed in a salvage yard with an OEM looking driver side axle that still has good boots, I may snag it and overhaul it. Finding a decent used OEM axle to overhaul is easier said than done. I know to look for differences for LSD and automatic vs. manual trans.

Pictures below.

Removing the old axle was easy. No need to remove the caliper. Just remove the two upper knuckle bolts and swing the hub out of your way.



The old axle inner boots appeared to be holding up. That's good news because I could not replace the inner boots on the subject axles. I had to go with what I could make work.

Here's the old grease. I don't like it. Too much was stuffed into the boot bellow part and not enough around the actual bearings. What good does keeping a big glob of grease in the bellow part do other than shorten the life of the boot? In my opinion, I want grease that will stick to the bearing contact parts where the real work is being done.

Inside the subject CV axle inner shaft housing. What is that brown colored material around the edges?




Bearing shaft ring clip that must be removed to as one of the first step in boot removal. A good set of ring clip pliers really makes removal easy.



Disassembled parts before boot removal.



Here's a picture of the after removing the boots. Wrapping the spline end with duct tape and a small about of lubricant made sliding the boots on and off easier. This allows the boots to slide over the left hand side axle shaft's spline retainer ring without damage.



There is big difference in boot strength between the Nissan OEM and the subject CV axle's boot material. The boots feel very different. So how can I show you the difference?

I made a side-by-side comparison picture with the OEM boot on the left and the subject CV boot on the right. I used a level as a straight edge with the boot contact area 6 inches from each end. Then I needed something heavy to lay on the level to compress the boots so I used the CV shaft as a weight and positioned it at the center location.

Yea I know this is really scientific laboratory work. But without something to show I would only be providing you with comments like "The new OEM boots feel much thicker". I thought this would be a fun way to show it.



Here's a boot after I slide it over the duck tape end.



Here's an axle picture after I finished the enhancement.



Continued on the Next Page

CS_AR

Continued from the previous page.

Here's a picture of the "OEM enhanced boot" after replacement installation before I installed the OEM band. Yep - it's the real McCoy.



Here's a picture of the Nissan OEM clamp. These clamps are too easy to install. I love Nissan OEM clamps for their ease of installation design. No special clamp stretching tools are required. Sweet!



For the smaller clamps, I used a needle nose vice grips to hold the band down while I secured the clamp lock. I used the pliers so I could use both hands to tap down the clamp locks on the small ends that mount in the axle groove.



Here's a picture of the lock after I bent the ears into position before giving it a final tap to flatten it out to lock it down.



For the subject axle's inner boot that I could not replace with the OEM version, I had to use a generic CV boot band and the clamp tightening tool. If you are working with an axle that uses a true OEM shape, the Nissan clamp will work just fine and this step is unnecessary. No worries with using the subject axles inner boot because the aftermarket boots have held up well on the donor vehicle for over 5 years. I expect those to last for many years without incident. These parts store CV clamp tools are actually easy to use. You just need an extra clamp to waste on your first time through as a learning experience.



Here's the final picture of the finished product for the driver side.

My son and his neighbor buddy work as mechanics during the summer and also started doing work for neighbors when they are not going in school. Lately they've gotten into straightening out some very troubled BMWs, Volkswagens, and other Europeans to make some extra spending money. They both indicate these enhanced CV now axles feel (e.g joint movement and boots ) like some expensive OEM replacements. I think the improvement in feel may be related to using an expensive silicone water proof NLGI 2 grease that is extremely tacky and clings to metal parts. It also clings to you and your clothes and doesn't wash off or out. I had to soak my tools in kerosene and brake parts cleaner afterward. Gunk hand cleaner, Lava soap, and Dawn extra strength dish-washing detergent would barely cut it. I will need to soak my jeans in kerosene or throw them away after this project. You all know how I like to try new products. I think this one will be keeper. Though I want to run it for a while before I start talking about it.

Based on past experiences with the subject CV axle's mechanical quality coupled with the OEM boot enhancement, I expect these new axles to run a good 10 years, possibly longer. That's much better than the short 3 to 5 year service life that occurred due to the outer boot failure. I partially attribute short boot life to the low cost grease used for those axles. High quality grease comes at a high price. I'm sure it is cost prohibitive to use high quality synthetic grease on a product that is built to a specific price point.



Thank you Turbobink for the suggestion. It worked!

CS_AR

Well after all the work to build enhanced axles for a RE4F04A.

Once I pulled the axles and took a look, it turns out the transmission has VLSD. I'm happy and sad all at the same time. I know somebody had installed a different transmission, I would have never guessed it to be one with VLSD.

The passenger side is an OEM type axle, the driver side is another GSP. The OEM axle has a cracked outer boot. The GSP is ok but I know it will not last.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

If the GSP VLSD axle is still operating quietly, swap the new Nissan boots onto it and call it a day. I would have just rebooted your old axles if they are still quiet.

I have a rebooted OEM driver side axle, and a rebooted Rockauto APWI passenger side axle.

CS_AR

I think I will try to salvage the OEM looking axle and just hold on to it for the future. OEM boots will work on that one no problem. The OLD GSP axle really should get a new inner boot. GSP uses a proprietary outer boot design that will take some time to find if at all possible. I may pitch that one if I can't find a new inner boot. Both axles seem a little loose to me. I will need to do a full rebuild if I decide to keep them.

It turned out the noise I had been hearing was from wheel bearings. Those have been replaced and are ready for the knuckle to be installed.

Strangely, the outer boot on that old GSP axle held up. It looks like it may be approaching 8 years old. The boot material is weathered from many years of wear. That leads me to believe the outer boot split problem on GSPs may be more common with non-VLSD axles.

I can use the passenger side OEM enhanced axle on the other Maxima with 5MT. So it won't go to waste.

Also, I will be shelving the non-VLSD automatic from the I30 just to have a spare So if the VLSD gives me any trouble a few years from now, I can swap in a good non-VLSD from reserve stock.

I like the O'Reilly Import Direct line of CV axles. They appear to be following OEM specs on the shaft areas where the boots mate up on the inner shaft instead of using a proprietary design. Yesterday I got a couple of those axles for this installation. If they give any boot trouble, they also have a lifetime warranty. I can get new replacements usually same day. I can enhance the replacements at that time. I will keep a set of OEM boots in reserve to keep from having to wait 2 or 3 days when I need a set.

I'm running out of time to spend on this project due to being extremely busy at work. The weather is getting worse by the day and I need to get this one back on the road ASAP.

After replacing over 10 4th gen CV axles in the past six years, and keeping some good air powered impact drivers, I've learned a few tricks for making fast CV swaps. Waiting for ordered parts to arrive is my single biggest encumbrance.

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

Soo ... wait a minute.

Craig, do you have full info on the origin of that car or have I missed something?

How did you end up with a U.S. bound Gen4 with a LSD?

CS_AR

Yeaaaa.. No kidding. What a surprise indeed.. In October I ran a CarFax that revealed the car has not been involved in an accident. But it had three previous owners.

The strange thing is it had been originally licensed to an owner from a small farming community roughly 120 miles south of my location. It changed registration ownership two times between people from that little town until January of 2016 when a 3rd owner purchased the car. That owner lived in a neighboring farm community. The third owner traded in the car with a dealer on July 13, 2016. I bought the car from a local car wholesaler that usually buys cars from larger dealers later, in July..

I suspect the third owner ruined the transmission by driving it in the mud and purchased a used replacement. There was a lot of mud under the car, except on the transmission. Apparently, the previous owner stopped using the car as a mud buggy after having to replace the transmission. I see yellow numbers on the transmission case that tells me the transmission was most likely purchased from a salvage yard that that was located near the Air Force base.

When I bought the car, I thought it was odd that the transmission fluid was clean from a recent change. The transmission swap explains the clean fluid as it must have been changed sometime between January and July of 2016.

The front and rear motor mounts and CV axles also had yellow numbers indicating those items came along with the transmission purchase.

Whoever bought the used transmission, knew enough to get matching CV axles from the same car. The motor mounts that came along with the transmission looked almost too good for a car of 240,000 miles. The mounts look like they are from a car with around 150,000 miles.

The transmission may been from a car brought into the area by someone in the Air Force. That car may have been in an accident and sent to the Pick-n-Pull located near the Air Base. That salvage yard closed earlier this year. It always had some decent looking cars. I've snagged some nice leather interiors at that location over the years.

Actually, my first 4th gen, a black 95 model SE 5MT, was originally purchased in Ohio. The 1st owner transferred to the local Air Force base and sold the car to the 2nd owner who was also on the Air Force. I bought the car from the 2nd owner who provided the car's history.

Who knows the real story? I sure don't. An Air Force transfer may be the explanation.

CS_AR

This must be a very rare U.S. Maxima GLE if not a "one of a kind" to have VLSD on an automatic and non-ABS braking.

Was VLSD only offered on Nissan SE models in Canada?

I see the I30t with ABS was offered with VLSD as an option.

Here's a picture of the transmission from the driver side.

CS_AR

Just to wrap up this thread about CV axles. The new Import Directs on 98 model are working nicely. My son took it on a 350 mile trip and reports it drives very smooth on the highway. No vibration complaints. He reported over 29 MPG on the return trip running a good 80 MPH driving into a head wind on a large part of the trip.

The car is performing great, except for the struts. I have been planning to replace the struts along with installing new lowering springs. So I will start a new thread for 2017 appearance and handling improvements.



In doing some research on CV axle boots and to understand the difference between the appearance of the material used on the Import Directs, I believe the boots are made from a DuPont material named Hytrel.

Here's a link to DuPont's site about Hytrel.

http://www.dupont.com/industries/aut...-25-years.html

I will be willing to bet the boots are manufactured on an OSSBERGER PRESSBLOWER
Injection Blow Moulder machine. As documented in the following PDF.

http://www.ossberger.de/cms/fileadmi..._SB2-60neu.pdf

:

95maxrider

iTrader: (32)

Wow CS-AR I love your threads, so much detail and good info. I'm glad to see there are still people like you on this site!

I just got done doing a bunch of work to the front of my car and got it aligned, only to find a cracked axle boot a few days after the alignment. For most of you, this wouldn't be a huge deal, but I have camber bolts on my car, so if I remove an axle I pretty much have to get an alignment if I want to be sure my specs are 100%, and since I race the car, they need to be 100%. Since the boots on the other axle appear to be on their way out, I figure I should probably replace both axles while I'm at it. Here are the options on different sites as of right now:

Advance Auto:
USA Industries- Reman, ~$55
Carquest- New, ~$70
FEQ- New, ~$80
Heri- New, ~$80

Rockauto:
Cardone- New, $70
APWI- New, $40

Just for ***** and giggles I called up Courtesy Nissan. A new axle from them is over $600! I don't mind paying more for quality, but there's no way it's 15x better than the $40 APWI axle!

I don't think either of my axles is making any noise, and barely any grease has escaped so far, so now I'm considering just installing OEM boots with high quality grease. Do you guys think it's worth the hassle? At this point I'm not sure where the axles in my car came from, but I can be pretty sure they're not OEM, so are they worth throwing money and new parts at?

I also learned that Raxles no longer makes stuff for our cars, apparently nobody was buying them so they stopped making them. I would have gone with them in a heartbeat if I could, but times change, and we now need a new good solution to our crappy axle problems. Any feedback would be appreciated!

KP11520

Craig used Import Direct.

I just used SurTrack.

Same CV axles, both from the importer TrackMotive.

Looked just about identical to my OEM axles still in the car when I replaced them @ 206K. Mine came out easy and these went right in with zero problems! But I do suggest removing the entire strut assembly for a clean shot in on both sides and no skewing. Worth the 5 bolts and removing the brake line clip and maybe ABS cable attachment. (if you have ABS)

Somewhere around $150 total with NY State sales tax of 8.625% included.

I'm thinking the Cardone Select might also be the same. Funny coincidence with the part numbers being mostly the same. So don't pay extra for them.

I don't think you'll find a better value.

If you remove the strut assemblies, you don't have to separate the Ball Joint or the Tie Rod End. You can manipulate the old axle out and the new one in. I'm not sure if that does anything for your alignment preservation. I hope so! Paying twice so close together su su su stinks!

I hope this helps!

krismax

iTrader: (15)

I get axles from napa still have the same one after 7-8 years. Also the transmission have vins on them on top right ,a small plate. My 2001 i just bought had a different vin on the tranny this means someone just replaced the transmission.I checked the vin, comes from a 2001 gxe was totaled in 2008.

Zerodrag

iTrader: (1)

I ended up with a GSP axle on my passenger-side replacement. Still has a slight amount of vibration at around the 20mph mark during light acceleration. Initially I had a Surtrack ready to install, but found that one of the bolt holes was drilled out too large so there was no usable threading. A real bummer too since I was hoping to test out that brand.