Who makes a good CV axle?

[yonyon]

I'm looking for recommendations on a good brand of CV axle.

I hit the gas a little too hard driving home today and busted an axle. Usually when I see a failed CV axle it's due to a failed roller with no bearings left or a trunnion broken off the spider or maybe the rollers pulled out of the grooves.

It looks like I'm so lucky as to just stripped out the splines or maybe cracked the spider allowing it to spin freely around the shaft. I haven't seen this sort of failure before, maybe because most people have the sense not to abuse their cars so hard as I tend to do to mine.

Anyway, who makes a good one that tends not to fail in that manner?

 

[Thax]

What is the year and make/model?

 

[yonyon]

1988 Pontiac Fiero with MT2 trans.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
1988 Pontiac Fiero with MT2 trans.


I was sure your goose was cooked with such a rare model, but according to Rock Auto there are a bunch that are available. It looks like it uses the same axles as a bunch of FWD cars from that era.

Anyway, a lot of people complain about most of the cheap aftermarket remans.

A lot of people recommend Raxles. I haven't used them, but they're supposed to be high quality.

http://www.raxles.com/

 

[vssjim]

I think thay raxels place looks pretty good, call them and tell them what you are doing they may have some hd stuff to help you out also.

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Originally Posted By: yonyon
1988 Pontiac Fiero with MT2 trans.


I was sure your goose was cooked with such a rare model, but according to Rock Auto there are a bunch that are available. It looks like it uses the same axles as a bunch of FWD cars from that era.

Anyway, a lot of people complain about most of the cheap aftermarket remans.

A lot of people recommend Raxles. I haven't used them, but they're supposed to be high quality.

http://www.raxles.com/


This car isn't isn't rare, just old. For something of that age that isn't a pickup truck they're really pretty common.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I'll give them a call.

 

[JHZR2]

Id try to find some good OE ones with good boots and then refurbish them. Most cheapo rebuilds grind into the case hardening and then the thing will just wear and be worthless. The less they do to a good CV the better, but no guarantees.

In the MB diesel world we tend to have some experience because the original ones tend to last 25 years and 200k and then the cars just go on and on from there.

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Id try to find some good OE ones with good boots and then refurbish them. Most cheapo rebuilds grind into the case hardening and then the thing will just wear and be worthless. The less they do to a good CV the better, but no guarantees.

In the MB diesel world we tend to have some experience because the original ones tend to last 25 years and 200k and then the cars just go on and on from there.


That does sound good, but it also means I have to learn to recognise the difference between an original unit and a reman.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Id try to find some good OE ones with good boots and then refurbish them. Most cheapo rebuilds grind into the case hardening and then the thing will just wear and be worthless.


If you go to the Raxles link they specifically mention this. They don't regrind, they replace the joints themselves with new parts, not reground parts.

Quote:
Raxles® has been redefining quality in the CV Axle industry for over 20 years, and was the first to exclusively use new CV Joints on every CV Axle sold.

 

[Zako2]

What about AutoZone CV Axles? I believe they're Cardone? Any good? I need at least one.

PS: seems like this is a bit off topic. The general automotive topics section would be more appropriate.

 

[Slacker]

Try NAPA. I was just looking for a CV axle for my Subaru last night and they had NEW ones for $97 vs $47 for a reman. The new one has a lifetime warranty. I've heard many good things about their axles but haven't tried one yet.

 

[Mud]

I've used Raxles several times in past years, everything form an Audi A4 to a Cavalier, highly recommend them. I started to use them after having to return [censored] local rebuilds.

 

[ludey]

Originally Posted By: Zako2
What about AutoZone CV Axles? I believe they're Cardone? Any good?


Nope and they are not Cardone not at least the AZ I went to.

 

[ET16]

Originally Posted By: Mud
I've used Raxles several times in past years, everything form an Audi A4 to a Cavalier, highly recommend them. I started to use them after having to return [censored] local rebuilds.


I like Raxles, too.

 

[yonyon]

After a little rethinking what happened I suspect that I'm probably better off not getting a particularly strong axle.

I was on the gas hard when the axle broke. I was also passing over a crack in the pavement. I'm thinking that crack unloaded the driveline for a fraction of a second and then reloaded it effectively turning the engine/trans into a huge impact wrench that applied tremendous torque to the axle for just a moment.

If that's how it went down, then maybe if the axle hadn't snapped I would have had the final drive break apart inside the trans. This trans is mated to an engine that puts out less than a hundred horsepower at peak afterall.

So the new plan is to get the cheapest shiny new axle I can get, then open up the old one and see if I can come up with some sort of temporary repair kit to keep with the spare tire. That way I can have a nice weak axle that will break just like this one did potentially preventing more troublesome damage and still have the means to drive home instead of having to push it again.

Does this make sense?

 

[Hootbro]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
..................

Does this make sense?


No it does not make any sense. Just get a quality replacement and be done with it. Odds are that your car will hit the junk yard for other related age and wear than your replacement CV axles giving out.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
So the new plan is to get the cheapest shiny new axle I can get, then open up the old one and see if I can come up with some sort of temporary repair kit to keep with the spare tire. That way I can have a nice weak axle that will break just like this one did potentially preventing more troublesome damage and still have the means to drive home instead of having to push it again.

Does this make sense?

No. Not in the least. Are you really expecting to replace an axle on the side of the road with a flashlight and some hand tools?

Drive axles are not supposed to break to save something else from doing so. They aren't fuses or clutches or whatever. You're over-thinking the [censored] out of this.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: Hootbro
Originally Posted By: yonyon
..................

Does this make sense?


No it does not make any sense. Just get a quality replacement and be done with it. Odds are that your car will hit the junk yard for other related age and wear than your replacement CV axles giving out.


I was wondering if I was the only one who thought the OP's reasoning was silly. I guess I wasn't.

 

[yonyon]

It turns out that the outer joint is a Rzeppa joint, not a tripod. My hopes of making a limp-home kit are dissolved. There's not much of anything to do once the inner race breaks apart but put a new axle again. Oh well.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
After a little rethinking what happened I suspect that I'm probably better off not getting a particularly strong axle.

I was on the gas hard when the axle broke. I was also passing over a crack in the pavement. I'm thinking that crack unloaded the driveline for a fraction of a second and then reloaded it effectively turning the engine/trans into a huge impact wrench that applied tremendous torque to the axle for just a moment.

If that's how it went down, then maybe if the axle hadn't snapped I would have had the final drive break apart inside the trans. This trans is mated to an engine that puts out less than a hundred horsepower at peak afterall.

So the new plan is to get the cheapest shiny new axle I can get, then open up the old one and see if I can come up with some sort of temporary repair kit to keep with the spare tire. That way I can have a nice weak axle that will break just like this one did potentially preventing more troublesome damage and still have the means to drive home instead of having to push it again.

Does this make sense?



Wow how do people come up with these theories.

A+ for creativity

F- for reality

Go buy a quality replacement and drive on without further hassles.