Dodge Caravan Axle Shaft

[c3po]

A few weeks ago I went for a ride in my friends 1991 Dodge Caravan that has about 210,000 miles. While we were going down the road you could here a CLUNKING NOISE that came and went away, he told me that he has a bad axle shaft and that his mechanic told him he could drive another 1000 miles on it.

He told me that the axle shaft would eventually break, he also told me that it had been making this noise since last September, I told him he needed to get this fixed right away.

I guess his mechanic was wrong, because on Monday afternoon he called me and told me that his car broke down, he was driving up a hill and the axle was making a noise he had never heard before, it was really grinding, and then the car just stopped moving.

I am not that familar with this car, but he told me this could cost him $1000.00 to fix, but if he has been driving with a bad axle since September isn't there a chance he might have damaged the transmission since it is attached to the axle.

Any thoughts on this situation, meaning should my friend just look for another car and why do these axles go bad.

On another note, the mechanic said his car could go another 1000 miles, it only went about 600 miles.

 

[The_Jeff]

depends on if splines are stripped. I doubt it. If it exploded it could have torn up some stuff near the hub like brake lines etc. I'd rebuild with junkyard parts. That mechanic was suprisingly accurate; you can only estimate such things in orders of magnitude eg 100 1000 or 10k miles.

 

[BeanCounter]

I assume we are talking about a CV axle on the FWD model?
Or is this AWD?

I highly doubt the transmission tore up because of this. Those CV's are much more likely to be the weak-link compared to the trans.

 

[c3po]

Originally Posted By: BeanCounter

I assume we are talking about a CV axle on the FWD model


Yes, he has the FWD Model.

 

[BeanCounter]

Originally Posted By: c3po

Yes, he has the FWD Model.


The CV shafts should be sub-$100 pretty easily and shouldn't be too hard to change out. I've done one on my S10 way back when and it can't be much more to it than that. I wouldn't sweat that fix at all, personally.

 

[nfs480]

Just replaced the CV axle on my '89 Accord, cost me $59.99 for a reman from O'Reilly's

 

[Gary Allan]

Yeah, $65+ core charge. Undo axle nut. Undo tie rod. Swing strut assembly outboard until axle stub can be manipulated out of the hub. Pull axle. Replace axle. Swing assembly inboard, working axle stub through hub. Tighten tie rod. Tighten axle bolt.

Done. Very easy job.

Have him check his motor mounts. If bad, they will tear up a reman set of joints in no time. Some brands aren't truly reman'd. They're examined and given new grease and boots.

 

[mechtech2]

Replacement rebuild whole axle are one of the best deals in aftermarket parts.
they are surprisingly cheap.
And usually much easier to replace than both C/V joints and boots, for a civilian.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Replacement rebuild whole axle are one of the best deals in aftermarket parts.
they are surprisingly cheap.
And usually much easier to replace than both C/V joints and boots, for a civilian.


Yes, especially when due to the design of the shaft, you have to remove the inner joint to get the outer boot off and on.

 

[artificialist]

You can buy a 100% new CV halfshaft for about $150, and then you will not have to worry if your core is not accepted.

Perhaps a wheel brearing has failed at the same time as the halfshaft...

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Left front drive axle. Common failure in those minis. Getting over 200k miles on it is amazing. They seldom last beyond 150k.

Gary Allen is correct on the repair. I've got it down to 45 minutes to replace one.

 

[Mustang_Cougar]

Hey everyone,

I just want to say thanks to the posters on this thread; my mechanic gave me the heads up for the same problem on my '97 GC and though I won't tackle it myself, at least I have a better understanding of what it'll take to fix it.