[wolfland]

I have a 2006 2.4l 5spd just turned 65k miles. The car has Magnaflow dual exhaust, K&N cold air package and Hypertech programming.

While trying to put Power Stop brakes on I noticed that there seems to be quite a bit of play in the drivers side CV Axle vs the passenger side.
Passenger side is 1/8" play when moving the wheel forward and back without moving the drive train.
Driver side is 1/2" when moving the wheel back and forth without moving the drive train..
The play seems to be in the CV joint itself as the axle is not moving while moving the wheel.

I assume this means I need to replace the CV Axles as I would have expected little to no slack in the CV joint. Is this something I can do myself
or is it a huge PITA and need to get help from someone more experienced with CV Axles?(I'm going to have someone work on my 2003 Trailblazer
next month to do hubs, CV axles, speed sensors, control arms, ball joints etc so I can have him help with the Solstice if needed).

Is it normal for CV Axles to only last 65k miles? (and no I'm not drifting, auto crossing, drag racing or driving the thing on 2 wheels).

We also had a hell of a time just getting the driver side wheel off of the car(stuck to the hub) as well as have not been able to get the rotor off.
We have sprayed it liberally with liquid wrench and hope this helps(and yes we removed the screw that attaches it to the hub) otherwise I will
have to get out the cutting torch. Since I have new drilled and slotted rotors I don't care what happens to the old ones but also don't want to
damage the hubs. We have banged on the rotor with a mallet till we were blue in the face and it just doesn't want to budge.

Any ideas ??

Thanks

 

[JohnWR]

Welcome to the forum.

There hasn't been any significant discussion about axle problems, and we have quite a few cars with more than 65k miles, so I would say that it is not a common problem. My has 105k miles with no issues, but I will admit that I haven't actually checked for backlash. Maybe I will tonight, though.

R&R of the axle assembly isn't particularly difficult, but you do need a seal protector tool to keep the inboard end spline from damaging the drive axle seal. I have no experience with servicing the joint itself.

Wheels and rotors being stuck is not uncommon. A search here may find some useful information beyond the "get a bigger hammer". I haven't had this particular problem either, but generally prefer using a gear puller over a hammer.

 

[CarolinaSolstice]

I'm curious, how does one join 5 years ago and have only 1 post??

 

[JohnWR]

I'm curious, how does one join 5 years ago and have only 1 post??

Its just a guess, but I would say by not posting for the first five years they were a member.

 

[TomatoSoup]

Hmmm. After thinking about that for a while... it makes sense.

 

[wolfland]

First off thanks for the response JohnWR. Like you say there doesn't seem to
be any reports of CV axle problems except for 400+hp drag racing incident
and such(I'll bet that someone bought some DSS 600hp CV axles though).

The backlash seems to be occurring in the CV joint itself. This could be a
precursor to failure so I am going to replace both of the CV axles to be on
the safe side. I saw the seal protection tool in the CV axle install pdf I
found here on the forum and now understand why so many people have
problems after someone does CV axle replacement or diff work. Too cheap
to spend $80 on the tool and end up paying with a pinion seal leak.

Since I have to do CV axles on the TrailBlazer as well the $80 is well spent
to ensure both vehicles get done right.

Got the rotors off the hubs(took a bigger hammer ) so at least I'm making some
progress(now if we can just find a clamp big enough to press the caliper cylinder
back in).

CarolinaSolstice
How can I join but not post? Easy.. This forum is so complete that
I found everything I needed to know and more without having to post
until now?.

JohnWR.. If you do look at yours it would be interesting to see what your
measurements are for future reference. Might be a good way to tell when
your CV axles are reaching end-of-life.

Thanks again for your help,
WolfLand

 

[CarolinaSolstice]

Its just a guess, but I would say by not posting for the first five years they were a member.

Naw...that can't be it.

 

[JohnWR]

.............
Got the rotors off the hubs(took a bigger hammer ) so at least I'm making some
progress(now if we can just find a clamp big enough to press the caliper cylinder
back in).
.............
Thanks again for your help,
WolfLand

You're welcome.

The rear caliper pistons do not push in. They screw in. There is a tool you can buy or rent that engages the piston and provides moderate force to allow it to be rotated.

 

[JohnWR]

..........
JohnWR.. If you do look at yours it would be interesting to see what your
measurements are for future reference.........

I just checked mine, and all four are roughly the same at 1/4"-5/16" of lash at the tire tread.

 

[wolfland]

Wow.. Thanks JohnWR. Never thought about them screwing in. Also good news about the CV axles as well.

My Nephew thinks they may have one of the caliper tools already but I will check the local parts stores and
see if I can run one down(I need to run the seal protector tool down for the TrailBlazer anyway).

Unfortunately I was unprepared to do the rotor and brake pad replacement so I did not get a chance to pull
the procedure for doing it or I would have probably known about the screw in vs press in piston arrangement.

This all started when I was getting some really disturbing sounds coming from the rear end of the car.
I could not tell if it was CV axle, brakes, diff or something else. When I first lifted the car the noise was
still there but after spinning the drive around trying to figure out what the heck was going on it suddenly
quit doing it. Since I had it raised I figured I might as well put the new rotors and brakes on it while I was
at it.

I suspect I had a piece of gravel caught between the rotor backing plate and the rotor as my nephew
found a piece of gravel caught between the suspension and the back of the backing plate as well which
may have been causing the backing plate to make intermittent contact with the rotor. What ever it was
it sounded like the rear end was going to fall out from under the car.

Unfortunately I didn't see anything in the Power Stop install instructions about how to compress the
pistons(I'll have to read them again maybe I missed it) so I will check them again as well as pull the
brake pad/rotor replacement procedures so I have them for the front as well.

Definitely my bad for not taking the time to be properly prepared before starting on it.

Thanks for all of your help and patience and I'll try not to let it be 5 yrs before I post again.

WolfLand

 

[phil1734]

I've always just used the jaw tips of open needle nose pliers to screw in the rear caliper pistons.

 

[JohnWR]

I've always just used the jaw tips of open needle nose pliers to screw in the rear caliper pistons.

I did too, until I almost lost a finger when they slipped. I bought a tool and was so happy about how much easier it was using the tool that I never went back.

 

[joybill44]

I bought one of the square brake tools at auto zone (about three bucks). A little one inch square thing that fits a 3/8 ratchet wrench. It worked great. However, some say the don't work. I figured for three bucks, I'd give it a shot and I got lucky. I have used needle nosed pliers but, like John says, they can hurt you if they slip.

 

[JohnWR]

I bought one of the square brake tools at auto zone (about three bucks). A little one inch square thing that fits a 3/8 ratchet wrench. It worked great. However, some say the don't work. I figured for three bucks, I'd give it a shot and I got lucky. I have used needle nosed pliers but, like John says, they can hurt you if they slip.

The little blocks are hit and miss, and don't work well on stuck pistons.

The "real" tool is way more than $3, but it makes the job so easy. And, of course, buying it allowed me to satify my other addiction.

 

[marksbug]

be leave me you wont be satisfied....for long...always need for more, kinda like horse power. I got the axle protectors for about $18 for 6 of them, slightly used, but there about $10 new for 1 or 2. since I have the same affliction you apparently have I got lots of them. if you pull your rear rotor you can drill 2 more holes 180 degrees appart and thread them so you can use the holding screw to push it off like a puller...like all the japan cars have had for...ever, I wooda though these wood be like that... also... nobody answered him on the how to remove the axles. ( no Ive never even had my wheels off,they are clean why bother....till I put in a new rear end) Ive see some axle conversions that use the better cv's and bolt on cv's , what is the stub axle from?? the newer cts stuff?( 08-14)..looks like the joints I used in my porsche/vw style stuff. a word of caution is using that type of joint... there are rear drive joints and front drive joints... same size, but the front drive joints are weeker..nd much cheeper too thus many people use the rong ones, but for most low power stuff driven by grandmaw there ok. but I can spit one across the street in a hurry....thats how I learned front vs rear joint.then there are the chromoly joints..oh so sweet. and also chromoly cages to upgrade non chromoly joints.