I have a 92 se 5 speed no ABS and I went to have my axles replaced and the mechanic told me they couldnt find a driver side axle (rebuilt one of course) because it is so rare so they would have to take my old axle and have it rebuilt.

Now my questions:

How many types of axles are there for the 3rd gens including different years, models, transmissions, ABS etc. Is it hard to find a rebuilt axle with my specs in the NYC area?

Also the mechanic called me and said that my old axle could be rebuilt but that there is something wrong with the transmission(his shop doesnt do transmissions) and that the rebuilt axle would eventually go bad in the near future. After searching and reading posts on this subject I told him to install the rebuilt axle and I'll have the transmission looked at by someone else. What could be wrong with my transmission? I dont drive my car hard.

 

there are a host of different axles:
you have VG with and without ABS.
VE auto with and without ABS... with and without LSD.
VE 5 spd with and without ABS.. with and without VLSD also.


any of them should be fairly easy to find, as I picked one up at a local Oreilly's parts store. wasn't in stock, but I ordered it on monday, it was there wednesday. the rare parts take at least a week to get in, and that's even if they can get them.


rebuilding them is another option. I wouldn't be worried about it.


the tranny problems they're talking about are the bearings.. the most common problems are synchros wearing out and the input shaft bearing. either one requires a rebuild. the input shaft bearing is HUGE. big enough to use as a bracelet. that bearing alone is about $300, and a complete bearing kit is about $550..
If you have any "growling" noises in the tranny in low gears, it's usually bad bearings.

 

Axle will cost you $60 +?? core charge at Archauto parts in Jamaica, queens. What you need is:
DOHC,manual,no abs, and High speed differential.
Just tell them that. The drivers side axle is the easy axle to change..if you are mechanically inclined you can do it yourself.

 

Thanks matt and jim for your help so far but I think my problems have just started. I just got back from the mechanic(R&S Straus on Northen Blvd in Bayside) and the guy told me when they got the rebuilt axle back that they couldnt install it because the socket on the drive train side was broken or stripped and it wouldnt fit into the transmission.

He said it will cost me $68 for a new socket to be put on the axle. Now if they were able to get a "new" rebuilt axle in stock in the first place then I wouldnt have to pay for a new socket because its part of the "new" rebuilt axle.

I've never felt any tapping or clicking on the left side axle when on hard turning and the old axle was fine before they took it off except for a slightly torn boot so how could the socket be broken? If they had no problem taking the axle off how couldnt they have a problem putting it back in if its basically the same axle?

One last thing what do they fix/replace when they rebuild old axles?

 

http://www.ee.utulsa.edu/~mblehm/pic.../car/cv_boots/

look at the first few pics in that directory.. the bearings, metal ring, and the "star" that's in there are all replaced when they rebuild an axle.

as for the part being messed up on your rebuilt joint... it's not your fault. As you said, if it came out of the tranny to begin with, then it will go back in- unless THEY messed it up.
there's also a lock ring on the end of the shaft (you might be ablt to see if in the first pic) that holds the shaft in the tranny when it's together. that ring makes it difficult to get into the tranny when you're putting it in. I wonder if the mechanic is just stupid and is too scared to hammer the shaft in. (I use a 5lb rubber mallet to pound it in there. works great)

anyway, it sounds fishy..
had the mechanic done a little more looking, he could have found a rebuilt one for the same price he's asking you for one part on your "damaged" axle.... which probably isn't even damaged in the first place.. and if it IS damaged, the mechanic is responsible, as it happened once the part was off the car.

 

sweet. you're the only org member i know with a cv boot band tool.
Jae

 

Me?
Uhhh, no. those are a pair of 40 yr old fence pliers that my grandfather used to use on his farm. they just happen to work great!