My 1988 Prelude S definitely needs new driveaxles. The clicking in the turns from the outboard CV joints is very noticeable. Both sides will be needing replacement. The Honda part for the driveaxles does not include the inboard CV Joint, only the axle and the outboard CV joint. What is the best way to tell if the inboard joint(s) need replacing as well. Do I just get under there and pull on the axles to listen for clicking and watch for movement? Which cv joints are more prone to failure-- inboard or outboard. The inboard joints are almost as expensive as the driveaxles, but I want to make sure the problem is fixed correctly. I appreciate any replies, ideas and stories about replacing your own driveaxles. Thanks in advance, Matthew Brown Memphis
The outboard ones are definitely more prone to wearing out. They are also not serviceable, whereas the inboard ones are, you can get a new spider and rollers. If they are still ok, you can just transfer them over to the new shaft. However, most parts stores sell the shafts at a pretty reasonable price, you should consider doing that as well... If there is excessive play on the inboard shaft once you pull them out of the trannie, then you may want to replace the rollers and spider... Also, make sure you watch which way the rollers come off of the spider, the groove goes a certain way, it should show in the book, if you have it. t
Matt, i just repacked my accord outter CV joint and put a new boot on it. The boot busted and since i caught it soon after breaking I knew I had a chance of just repacking the grease and replaceing the boot to avoid that annoying clicking. My point is, the job was pretty easy, and like the guys have already suggested, either go to www.raxles.com or a local car parts store [raxles gives you new parts, local auto stores give you rebuilt, so consider the source (NAPA might be reliable, or others, so you decide.)] and get a new axle for your application. You are posting on this forum so i am assuming you have tackled a few DIY jobs on your car before, is this true? So, if you feel you have a good jack and blocks, a good set of tools to twist nuts and bolts, and a good tool to remove a couple ball joints then you may want to read over this DIY and get to work. This DIY helped me. http://members.tripod.com/fluffysavanh/driveshaft.htm Good Luck, you can do it! This was the first time i ever did *any* CV joint work, and I am so surprised to know how easy it is. Repacking the grease was a real dirty job, but if you get the complete axle your job will be much cleaner. Tom
Here's something for y'all to think about, and no, it's not a plug for anyone or a bash against anyone. Parts like rebuilt CV shafts - there's only a few companies that do 'em. CCT and CVT are the two off the top of my head. Napa and Autozone both sell CCT rebuilt shafts. CCT and Autozone warranty them for lifetime (boots too), I'm not sure about Napa, but they may have a LLT on them. Autozone probably has a better price. They've definitely got better warranty service - try goin back to Napa w/o a receipt. They'll run you about $80-60 (depending on ABS/no ABS) at Autozone, the no ABS are in stock (http://www.autozone.com). The Napa website (http://www.napaonline.com) didn't have anything listed for CV Halfshafts for the '88 Prelude, so I couldn't come up with any pricing info for ya. Just a little for ya to think about... Jeremy
Something else to think about... about two years ago I bought a remanufactured driveshaft from Majestic Honda http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com. I was hoping to receive the same style driveshaft that Honda has been using for years except with a new outer joint, boots, etc. However, what I received was a new looking part that was manufactured by GKN. I may be mistaken, but I believe that GKN is the oem for several car manufacturers including Toyota. The part fit well and has worked flawlessly since I installed it although it does use different boots than the stock Honda driveshaft. The prices for driveshafts at Majestic are a little high, thus you may be able to find a GKN driveshaft from other sources for less. Eric
Matt, As the majority of the other respondents stated, I believe that replacing the cv axles with ones from an auto parts store is the best way to go. However, let me give you some further information that may aid your decision making process. The outer cv joint is the one that usually fails first because it moves (flexing the boot) in all directions. The inner joint is simply a plunge joint (moves in and out only) and not likely to crack the boot and/or cause joint failure.The outer joint is a cages roller bearing joint allowing movement through all directions. When the outer boot fails, cracks or whatever joint protection from water, dirt, sand, etc., is compromised. Also the lubricant is slung out through the crack and the bearings fail quite quickly. Both the inner and outer joint can be rebuilt. NAPA generally carries both but it is quite time consuming and usually less than satisfactory because if you fail to remove every particle of contaminants the joint life is shortened. Another consideration - joint service kits/rebuild kits are usually more expensive than a relacement axle and much harder for the DIY to do. A point of clarification - most of the axles available from auto parts stores are remanufactured axles not rebuilt axles. The two terms are used almost interchangeably by many people but they are quite different. A rebuilt axle is one in which the failed part(s) are repaired or replaced and the serviceable parts are re-intstalled. A remanufactured axle is one in which all of the wear or consumable parts are replaced with new parts, such as, boots, bearings, bearing cages, boot clamps, and e-clips or snap rings. The only parts that are reused are the inner and outer cans. These parts are closely inspcted (by the reputable companies) and replaced if needed. As far as I know, NAPA also gives a lifetime warranty on their remans, inclu. the boots. At least the stores here in Fairbanks Alaska do... Hope this helps. Good luck... Dave D
