I have been told by my mechanic that the right front axle on my 1993 Acura Legend is broken. What are the symptoms of a broken axle? I feel slight vibrations at around 70mph and its only sometimes. What does a broken axle look like? (does a broken axle have any obvious indications that I can look at it to confirm its bad) do the rubber boots dry rot and split or is there normally a broken metal component?
Thanks in advance
2007-02-03 10:44:04 · 8 answers · asked by Hannah B 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
If the axle were "broken" you wouldn't be driving the car. The most likely cause is a CV(constant velocity) joint. They are like universal joints, but are covered with a flexible rubber boot to keep them protected. When the rubber boots get cracked the grease in the CV joint become contaminated and soon you cease to go down the road. That event is usually preceeded by a period of time where the CV joint is complaining to you by making a snapping or clicking sound. That is the bearings going bad in the CV joint.
The CV joints are replacable, as are the entire axles. In front wheel drive applications like yours, the axles are called "half shafts". Call any reputable parts house for pricing on half shafts and CV joints. It is a job for a mechanic, not a weekend at home job.
2007-02-03 10:55:19 · answer #1 · answered by Actonite 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A CV joint (which is part of a CV axle...when the joint goes, you replace the axle and send it in to be rebuilt, for which you get a small refund) isn't going to just vibrate at speed if it's starting to go. The main symptom will be a clunking sound during cornering, especially if you're cornering under power.
Yes, the boots are usually the cause. A small crack or tear will form allowing grease to come out and debris to get in, which abrades stuff inside and destroys it. You won't neccesarilly be able to tell by looking. If you can tell by looking, you'd know some other way.
If that isn't happening, get another mechanic. Asshole sounds like he's either dishonest or incompetent.
If it is, buy a good torque wrench and joint puller and swap the axle yourself. It's one of the easiest car repairs I've ever done. First time, 1 hour. Second time, 20 minutes. It's that easy.
You replace the AXLE, not the boot. Replacing the boot is more work, since you have to take the axle off to do it, and the damage is probably already done, the joint's life is cut short and you're going to have to replace it anyway.
2007-02-03 11:06:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
a good indication of a bad axle is: when making a tight turn left or right you will hear a noticeable "clacking" sound. if you dont hear anything then its probably just a torn axle boot, in which case all you would need to do is replace the boot.
2007-02-03 10:51:53 · answer #3 · answered by nissx240 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If your front axle is broken, you wouldn't be going down the road at 70 mph, because you wouldn't be going at all. Find a different mechanic.
2007-02-03 10:49:57 · answer #4 · answered by oklatom 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Your mileage is going to depend on several factors. - does you engine oil get warm enough to boil off any condensed water in the oil pan? (probably yes, since you drive 2200 miles / month which is a lot of miles) - do you drive a lot of start and stop miles, or mostly highway miles? (start and stop, like taxi service is hard on an engine) - has your engine ever been rebuilt, and how many miles on the engine since the rebuild? - do you drive in dusty areas, and change the air filter every 12 months? - what is the condition of your bearings I have a BMW 3 series with has 96K miles, and I have used synthetic oil in it exclusively. The engine computer measures the driving cycle, oil temperature and other factors and calculates the miles between oil changes continuously. Initially, it was 15,000 miles, but it is now down to about 13 or 14K miles. You might want to switch to a synthetic oil and change it at 10K miles, but also use an engine oil analysis service to assess the quality of your oil at the 10K mile interval. ExxonMobil (mfr of Mobil1 synthetic oil) offers an oil analysis service with an online posting of the results for only $14 per use. See the link below for more info on ExxGard oil analysis.
2016-05-24 00:33:31 · answer #5 · answered by Ethel 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a broken axle would allow the tire to lay any direction it wanted and you could not drive the car.
sounds like he meant you have a CV joint going out. this is very common issue and if you are getting shaking, clunking from that side when turning, etc....then he is right. CV Joint is the axle.
2007-02-03 10:50:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
if you axle is broken the car would not move!
2007-02-03 10:50:58 · answer #7 · answered by auto tech25 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would think if it was BROKEN the car would not move. I would get a second opinion
2007-02-03 10:54:28 · answer #8 · answered by tronary 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋