Stub Axle Noise and Repair

[Miles]

I think my stub axles are going out. Lots of free play when both of the rear wheels are turned back and forth by hand and there is a clunking coming from the passenger side rear wheel when I shift or reverse direction. Diff mount, U-joints, drive shaft etc. are all tight. How hard is it to rebuild the stub axles and what causes the clunking? Is it worn splines or bearings that cause the looseness and clunking?

 

Thnaks

 

Miles

[pparaska]

Are you sure the play is in the stub axle to housing area (the bearings would cause that) or at the bushings at the outer end of the control arm where it mounts to the strut housing? This would cause the wheel to jiggle much like bad wheel bearings.

[Miles]

Pete

 

Bearings make sense. If they were worn they would move around under changing loads. My worst fear has been that the splines are damaged. I'll check it out some more. What has to be done to change out the bearings? My research on stub axle repair suggests it's a pain to do.

 

 

Thanks

 

Miles

[pparaska]

Sorry, haven't logged in here in a while.

 

To replace the stubs, remove the halfshaft, then the big nut that holds the companion flange (that the halfshaft was bolted to on the outboard end). The nut will be peened over if it's stock. Grind the peened area away and use a long board to lock between some of the lug bolts on the stub axle and get a big breaker bar to loosen the stub axle nut.

 

Now remove the companion flange, and use a slide hammer to pull/hammer the stub axle out of the strut housing. You can use a block of wood and hammer to hammer it out from the inside where the nut goes on instead, if it comes easily, but don't hammer too hard or it might cause a crack at the end of the threads near the splines on the stub. That's if you care about the stub axle.

 

The inner bearing will be stuck in housing (tap it towards the diff from the outside) and the outer bearing should be still pressed on the stub axle.

 

Take the tubular spacer off the old stub axle and use it when reinstalling the new or original stub axle.

 

To replace with another stub axle or the same one with a new outer bearing pressed on (I suggest taking it to a machine shop to have the old one pressed off, and the stub axle shotpeened and magnafluxed with a new bearing put on in their press), I like to install the new inner bearing and use it as a guide when starting the stub axle and outer bearing back into the housing. You'll have to tap the inner bearing back in (on the outer race) to seat it in the housing when done.

 

Install any copper washers, the companion flange, the large washer and use a new 280ZX stub axle nut and torque to spec.

 

Hope that helps,