Please help! Shouldn't the halfshaft snap in?
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06-29-2006, 07:55 PM
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Please help! Shouldn't the halfshaft snap in?
94 Dodge Grand Caravan. Replaced lower ball joint driver side. Lacking a strut compressor, raised the knucle with a bottle jack. When the ball stud was pried loose, the jack fell over and knuckle snapped violently outward, because the spring is canted outward. This yanked the shaft out of the tranny, spilling juice. I slipped the spline back in and installed the new ball joint my "usual" way, by parking another car 4 feet away and bracing my back against the other car, while pushing the knuckle up and in with my feet, and pushing the lower A-arm down with a pipe. Works every time.
Now I assumed the inner spline should snap in. But I can still grab the inner CV housing and slide it out. So I went to the trouble of removing the spindle nut and pushing in on the spindle. I put the wheel on and lowered the car until the drive shaft was straight, then pushed in the spindle until it stopped, and pounded on it with a mallet. I thought it popped in, so I took the wheel off and pulled on the inner CV again. It is still loose!
After rending my clothes and gnashing my teeth, something posessed me to go pull on the passenger side inner CV. It also slides out freely! Of course it is held in by a spring, but I thought all halfshafts snapped in with a circlip? This is my 4th experience with front drive shafts, including a Voyager, and all the others snapped in.
Notes concerning ball joint jobs: You definitely do not need to remove the spidle nut, or undo the tie rod, or remove the brake caliper or rotor. Except, if you don't remove the caliper and rotor, its hard to get a socket on the ball joint retaining bolt. I didn't remove any of that stuff, and had no problem changing the ball joint. You also don't need to pull the sway bar, although that would make it easier to pry the arm down. However, a ball joint press was absolutely mandatory for both extraction and insertion.
Don't do what I did (jack up the knuckle). It popped down so hard, the strut jammed out. When I let the car down, the strut didn't compress until I jumped on the bumper a few times!
Also, if you do remove the spindle nut, avoid doing it with the tires on the ground, because this puts the torque on the CV's and differential. (Unless you have a helper to stand on the brakes.) Instead, remove the tire and jam a crowbar between the wheel studs and the brake caliper. Have the opposite wheel off the ground so there is no stress on the drive train.
Now I assumed the inner spline should snap in. But I can still grab the inner CV housing and slide it out. So I went to the trouble of removing the spindle nut and pushing in on the spindle. I put the wheel on and lowered the car until the drive shaft was straight, then pushed in the spindle until it stopped, and pounded on it with a mallet. I thought it popped in, so I took the wheel off and pulled on the inner CV again. It is still loose!
After rending my clothes and gnashing my teeth, something posessed me to go pull on the passenger side inner CV. It also slides out freely! Of course it is held in by a spring, but I thought all halfshafts snapped in with a circlip? This is my 4th experience with front drive shafts, including a Voyager, and all the others snapped in.
Notes concerning ball joint jobs: You definitely do not need to remove the spidle nut, or undo the tie rod, or remove the brake caliper or rotor. Except, if you don't remove the caliper and rotor, its hard to get a socket on the ball joint retaining bolt. I didn't remove any of that stuff, and had no problem changing the ball joint. You also don't need to pull the sway bar, although that would make it easier to pry the arm down. However, a ball joint press was absolutely mandatory for both extraction and insertion.
Don't do what I did (jack up the knuckle). It popped down so hard, the strut jammed out. When I let the car down, the strut didn't compress until I jumped on the bumper a few times!
Also, if you do remove the spindle nut, avoid doing it with the tires on the ground, because this puts the torque on the CV's and differential. (Unless you have a helper to stand on the brakes.) Instead, remove the tire and jam a crowbar between the wheel studs and the brake caliper. Have the opposite wheel off the ground so there is no stress on the drive train.
