Coilover Install - Steering Knuckle Won't Go Back?
03-14-2017, 09:53 PM
#1
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Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 675
Coilover Install - Steering Knuckle Won't Go Back?
So I'm finally doing the last strut on my set of coilovers now that i got all of the stuff under the hood taken care of, but the steering knuckle won't push back to meet the strut. It rotates but it leans away from the car and doesn't want to push back in to meet the bolt holes for the strut
edit: son of a *****. it sounds like the axle came out from what I've read? Or the cv is that part of the axle I don't know **** about this part of the car never messed with anything beyond the hub. car is at 175k miles I was gonna take it into the shop when I had the last strut on to have them do an alignment along with putting on inner/outer tie rods I've had laying around and finishing up my exhaust. Is there an easy way to get it back on without taking anything else apart? The boot below the strut also ripped on me when i took the strut out. Idk if it's worth it at this point to just go to autozone and replace the axle? Idk what all would come on the axles they sell
edit: son of a *****. it sounds like the axle came out from what I've read? Or the cv is that part of the axle I don't know **** about this part of the car never messed with anything beyond the hub. car is at 175k miles I was gonna take it into the shop when I had the last strut on to have them do an alignment along with putting on inner/outer tie rods I've had laying around and finishing up my exhaust. Is there an easy way to get it back on without taking anything else apart? The boot below the strut also ripped on me when i took the strut out. Idk if it's worth it at this point to just go to autozone and replace the axle? Idk what all would come on the axles they sell
Last edited by Violator; 03-14-2017 at 11:41 PM.
03-15-2017, 02:02 AM
#2
Quick lesson on the axle. There are 2 "bulges" in the axle. The outer one, the one you ripped the boot on, is to allow the end of the axle to bend, i.e., turn with the wheel. It is similar to a u-joint for your socket wrench. The other bulge that is closer to the transmission differential is to allow the axle to change length (i.e., become longer or shorter) as the wheel bounces up and down while you are driving.
If the axle you are having a problem with is the driver's side, it is a good probability that you popped the end out of the differential. It is only held in with a snap ring. If you look at the differential end of the axle, you should not see any shiny metal. There should be very little space between the first "bulge" in the axle and the differential.
If the axle has come out, it is a simple case of just pushing the axle back in. But maybe I shouldn't use the word simple. The snap ring that is on the end of the axle has to get compressed for the axle to slide in. It can be a tricky process. The secret is to have the axle as perfectly straight as you can when you push. The greater the angle, the less successful you will be.
If you are having problems with the passenger side, the above is probably not the case. I don't think it can even happen.
Could you have pulled one of the "bulges" apart? Possibly, but I would think you could tell as the axle would be really floppy like it was broken. You can put them back together, they are only held together with a snap ring similar to the way the driver's axle goes in the differential. But you would have to take the joint apart completely because the ball/roller bearings would have fallen out. You would need to remove the boot to do it.
As for the boot that ripped, you could consider putting a new boot on it. The axle is probably good. The thing that kills the CV joints is that the boot rips, the grease gets flung out and then dirt and assorted crud gets into the CV joint and destroys the bearings. As long as the boot doesn't rip, an axle will last an amazingly long time. You can buy a boot kit for $15 that has the boot, a package of grease and the bands to hold the boot on. It is a messy job, have lots of rags/paper towels handy.
If you want to buy a new axle, that's your call. A new axle is supposed to come complete, but sometimes the snap ring on the driver's axle is missing and you have to take to one off of the old axle.
The rebuilt axles from autozone have a real quality control problem. This is true for all rebuilt axles, but autozone is the worst. I always go to Napa, their line of new axles id about the best you will get.
If the axle you are having a problem with is the driver's side, it is a good probability that you popped the end out of the differential. It is only held in with a snap ring. If you look at the differential end of the axle, you should not see any shiny metal. There should be very little space between the first "bulge" in the axle and the differential.
If the axle has come out, it is a simple case of just pushing the axle back in. But maybe I shouldn't use the word simple. The snap ring that is on the end of the axle has to get compressed for the axle to slide in. It can be a tricky process. The secret is to have the axle as perfectly straight as you can when you push. The greater the angle, the less successful you will be.
If you are having problems with the passenger side, the above is probably not the case. I don't think it can even happen.
Could you have pulled one of the "bulges" apart? Possibly, but I would think you could tell as the axle would be really floppy like it was broken. You can put them back together, they are only held together with a snap ring similar to the way the driver's axle goes in the differential. But you would have to take the joint apart completely because the ball/roller bearings would have fallen out. You would need to remove the boot to do it.
As for the boot that ripped, you could consider putting a new boot on it. The axle is probably good. The thing that kills the CV joints is that the boot rips, the grease gets flung out and then dirt and assorted crud gets into the CV joint and destroys the bearings. As long as the boot doesn't rip, an axle will last an amazingly long time. You can buy a boot kit for $15 that has the boot, a package of grease and the bands to hold the boot on. It is a messy job, have lots of rags/paper towels handy.
If you want to buy a new axle, that's your call. A new axle is supposed to come complete, but sometimes the snap ring on the driver's axle is missing and you have to take to one off of the old axle.
The rebuilt axles from autozone have a real quality control problem. This is true for all rebuilt axles, but autozone is the worst. I always go to Napa, their line of new axles id about the best you will get.
Last edited by DennisMik; 03-15-2017 at 02:05 AM.
03-15-2017, 02:05 PM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 675
Quick lesson on the axle. There are 2 "bulges" in the axle. The outer one, the one you ripped the boot on, is to allow the end of the axle to bend, i.e., turn with the wheel. It is similar to a u-joint for your socket wrench. The other bulge that is closer to the transmission differential is to allow the axle to change length (i.e., become longer or shorter) as the wheel bounces up and down while you are driving.
If the axle you are having a problem with is the driver's side, it is a good probability that you popped the end out of the differential. It is only held in with a snap ring. If you look at the differential end of the axle, you should not see any shiny metal. There should be very little space between the first "bulge" in the axle and the differential.
If the axle has come out, it is a simple case of just pushing the axle back in. But maybe I shouldn't use the word simple. The snap ring that is on the end of the axle has to get compressed for the axle to slide in. It can be a tricky process. The secret is to have the axle as perfectly straight as you can when you push. The greater the angle, the less successful you will be.
If you are having problems with the passenger side, the above is probably not the case. I don't think it can even happen.
Could you have pulled one of the "bulges" apart? Possibly, but I would think you could tell as the axle would be really floppy like it was broken. You can put them back together, they are only held together with a snap ring similar to the way the driver's axle goes in the differential. But you would have to take the joint apart completely because the ball/roller bearings would have fallen out. You would need to remove the boot to do it.
As for the boot that ripped, you could consider putting a new boot on it. The axle is probably good. The thing that kills the CV joints is that the boot rips, the grease gets flung out and then dirt and assorted crud gets into the CV joint and destroys the bearings. As long as the boot doesn't rip, an axle will last an amazingly long time. You can buy a boot kit for $15 that has the boot, a package of grease and the bands to hold the boot on. It is a messy job, have lots of rags/paper towels handy.
If you want to buy a new axle, that's your call. A new axle is supposed to come complete, but sometimes the snap ring on the driver's axle is missing and you have to take to one off of the old axle.
The rebuilt axles from autozone have a real quality control problem. This is true for all rebuilt axles, but autozone is the worst. I always go to Napa, their line of new axles id about the best you will get.
If the axle you are having a problem with is the driver's side, it is a good probability that you popped the end out of the differential. It is only held in with a snap ring. If you look at the differential end of the axle, you should not see any shiny metal. There should be very little space between the first "bulge" in the axle and the differential.
If the axle has come out, it is a simple case of just pushing the axle back in. But maybe I shouldn't use the word simple. The snap ring that is on the end of the axle has to get compressed for the axle to slide in. It can be a tricky process. The secret is to have the axle as perfectly straight as you can when you push. The greater the angle, the less successful you will be.
If you are having problems with the passenger side, the above is probably not the case. I don't think it can even happen.
Could you have pulled one of the "bulges" apart? Possibly, but I would think you could tell as the axle would be really floppy like it was broken. You can put them back together, they are only held together with a snap ring similar to the way the driver's axle goes in the differential. But you would have to take the joint apart completely because the ball/roller bearings would have fallen out. You would need to remove the boot to do it.
As for the boot that ripped, you could consider putting a new boot on it. The axle is probably good. The thing that kills the CV joints is that the boot rips, the grease gets flung out and then dirt and assorted crud gets into the CV joint and destroys the bearings. As long as the boot doesn't rip, an axle will last an amazingly long time. You can buy a boot kit for $15 that has the boot, a package of grease and the bands to hold the boot on. It is a messy job, have lots of rags/paper towels handy.
If you want to buy a new axle, that's your call. A new axle is supposed to come complete, but sometimes the snap ring on the driver's axle is missing and you have to take to one off of the old axle.
The rebuilt axles from autozone have a real quality control problem. This is true for all rebuilt axles, but autozone is the worst. I always go to Napa, their line of new axles id about the best you will get.
03-15-2017, 04:14 PM
#5
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Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 675
I got my brother coming over later to help me try to align and push it back in
03-15-2017, 05:45 PM
#6
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 2,979
Keep in mind with stuff like this..... the splines on the shaft and the ones in the transmission need to line up. Meaning slide past each other. Sometimes the splines line up so that they are parallel to each other. Then no amount of pounding will install them. But if the shaft is rotated just a bit, they will go right in. Then just pound a bit till the snap ring goes in.
03-16-2017, 01:56 PM
#7
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 675
Keep in mind with stuff like this..... the splines on the shaft and the ones in the transmission need to line up. Meaning slide past each other. Sometimes the splines line up so that they are parallel to each other. Then no amount of pounding will install them. But if the shaft is rotated just a bit, they will go right in. Then just pound a bit till the snap ring goes in.
03-16-2017, 03:56 PM
#8
[QUOTE=Violator;9142382 and i don't think he'd be able to charge me that much for just pushing the axle back in[/QUOTE]
Hope you are correct. Unscrupulous mechanics will charge more when they know that you are desperate - unfortunately.
Hope you are correct. Unscrupulous mechanics will charge more when they know that you are desperate - unfortunately.
03-23-2017, 11:23 AM
#9
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Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 675
Just an update, i had tried myself for awhile and couldn't get it and used a AAA tow to the mechanic, mechanic said something about the inner shaft and 4 bearings on the shaft and one of them came apart or something like that and also with the torn outer boot he just went ahead and ordered a new axle that will be on tomorrow. any idea of how much that would cost at $70/hr labor?
03-23-2017, 04:44 PM
#10
Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 268
Just an update, i had tried myself for awhile and couldn't get it and used a AAA tow to the mechanic, mechanic said something about the inner shaft and 4 bearings on the shaft and one of them came apart or something like that and also with the torn outer boot he just went ahead and ordered a new axle that will be on tomorrow. any idea of how much that would cost at $70/hr labor?