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Torn Axles and the 'Bois'
Replacing the front CV Axles
The CV axles of a front wheel drive car are crucial components that transmit the torque from the transmission to the wheels. The rubber boots on both sides of the axles protect the joints from debris and keep the grease inside. One (me) would think: “Hey, the axles are still connected, how bad can the torn boots be?”. Ultimately, after relacing the axles with brand new ones, I can tell you that the car drives A LOT smoother now. So… don’t skip out on your axle maintenance.
Part One: “I should have paid more attention to the ChrisFix video”
Once again, I am referencing ChrisFix for inspiring a repair on my car. Two posts in and we still have not covered all the content in his suspension rebuild video. Now, Youtube education is very powerful these days and I honestly believe, with enough determination, you can become competent in almost any expertise just by wathing a couple smart people doing what they are good at and sharing it with the world. The one caveat is that you have to pay good attention to those videos. Now, anyone with experiance will look at the photo below and say: “Hey, that axle is not fully in the transmission”… And I wish I was this person with experience or payed attention to ChrisFix when he said to ensure that the axle went in fully while showing how it should look like. Spoiler alert, image below ain’t it.
This lack of knowledge, however, did not stop me from waking up at 5:30am on a following Monday to go to work and decide to take my newly “fixed” car. I am proud to say that the car made it out of the stree parking spot, driving a total of 2 meters before a poping sound indicated that the splines of the axles are no longer engaged with the transmission. With the face or defeat, I pushed the car back into its parking spot and took my fiancee’s car to work instead. This is when I knew, I need a mallet and my “bois”
Part Two: “Working on a car is a social activity”
While it is very easy for me to get stuck in a mindset of doing everything myself, there is a very good saying that keeps me grounded (other than my car not being driveable for more than a week). The saying goes: “If you want to go fast, go yourself. If you want to go far, go with others”. This phrase hit home as I have contacted 4 of my friends in a mild panic to come over the next weekend to help me get the axles fixed. Is this a five man job?.. Abosultely not. But having my closest friends all together made it feel much easier to deal with a scary thought of maybe messing up the transmission splines the first time.
Now, these four amazing individuals came in at 10 am on a Sunday to work with me on a side of the road for the next three hours. I wish I have remembered to take a picture of us in action, but all we get is a postmortem pizza party picture in the gallery of this post.
Part Three: “Meme Culture”
A minor sidenote and my five cents to add to the car culture. Here is an image of my version of “I am not asking you to get loose… I am telling you to”
Result
With both axles replaced, I am genuinely surprised how much smoother the lower gears feel. The jerkiness of the 1st gear is almost gone and it is much easier to get going smoohtly. All in all, I have definitely underestimated the importance of good-condition axles and the importance of getting your friends involved. Keep going and ask for help.
What’s next
Next up we will be fixing a major water leak that results in the car smelling like an inside of an old moldy towel. Stay tuned!
The car doesn’t need to be perfect. It needs to be right.
