Your car is bloody beautiful for that year model, i have a 95 manual 4 door LX and shes sunburnt like crazy but barely any real rust. Yours is so perty! Thanks for the video great information cant wait to fix my baby to deliver another 200k miles. Shes at 66k right now legit body mileage. sat on an auction lot for like 16 years or sumn. Rebuilt the engine at 48k and new axles. These old cars always have something wearing out over time. Like every other tank of gas SOMETHING is worn out and needs replaced. But parts are cheap and they are easy to work on. LOVE HONDAS
lol I get that a lot from people. They're always amazed at how original and beautiful the CRX is. It definitely got a lot of TLC but I can't say that mechanically mine has any issues. I'm assuming you're 95 civic lived most of its life outdoors, having its exterior neglected and you probably live in a dessert like climate? I'm really shocked to hear you had to rebuild the engine at 48, 000 miles. My Hondas will run up to 500, 000kms with MINIMAL failures. There are the usual things like struts, tires, brakes, and some oil seals but aside from the typical wear and tear stuff that my Hondas rarely need any work done on them. The CRX just rolled over 200, 000 kms and I just replaced the rear trailing arm bushings on it and the old bushings were just getting soft and just starting to show cracking but were otherwise still good!
thanks for posting this, only thing I would add is a ball joint separator tool makes this job a lot easier, and it will work on almost all makes of cars.
I have a all joint separator but I often find that it tears up my ball joint boots which ruins the balljoint. I opted using my method b/c it just seems just as quick.
Thank you for an excellent video. Your camera work, editing, narration is very clean. This week I am replacing all 4 axels on my 1999 CRV, AWD, 5sp. Wish me luck.
you really dont need to install the 2 rotor screws their just for when they are putting the car together on the line thats a really nice crx you got great video
+Mark Morris true that. I'm just super anal about things and thus opt to put things back together like how they were assembled at the factory. That's my OCD working against me :) Yeah the CRX is a garage queen and it rarely sees the light of day for fear of some moron crashing into me and destroying what I spent my adult life (before marriage and kids) building. Car is literally is new and smells like it was just delivered by the dealership :)
You don’t have to pull that much stuff apart,you only have to take the axle nut off,the bottom strut bolt and the lower ball joint nut,pop the joint off and everything moves out of the way to pull the axle out,then replace seal.
Yes I'm aware of taking off the lower ball joint is the fastest and easiest way BUT my experience with the ball joint separator that I have (a harbour freight special) seems to always tear the lower ball joint boot so I stopped using it. I guess I could have used a hammer to bang the lower joint loose like how I did it for the top but it didn't cross my mind when I did this video. Oh well, at least all the screws I did remove got coated in a fresh layer of anti seize so I know that rust won't set in and make things impossible to remove 10 years from now.
@@piercedasian what I've done before to not damage the boot on the lower ball joint is thread the nut on till its flush and take a floor jack give it a few pumps to apply slight pressure and then use a hammer to get it to pop loose.
My seal isn't flush. It was easy to stick in but I noticed after looking at it about a mm is not flush. I took the axle off and pushed it in a little more and it's ok not leaking. Not easy to get it 100%. Hope it doesn't wear out too soon
Its all BS. It is NEVER as easy as people make it seem on YT now. It is all about awesome~! Great video! Wow you are so good! I am on my 3rd seal and have a seal tool and this is a joke.
I changed my seals by taking off only , lug nuts, axel bolt, ball joint bold and the bolt that hold strut on the lower control arm. Didn't have to mess with the brakes, rotors, calipers AT ALL.
yes you're correct in doing that method as well. I actually would prefer to do it that way via removing the lower ball joint BUT my lower ball joint remover tool isn't quite the right size for Hondas and ends up tearing the lower ball joint boot which then means I have to replace the ball joint. I opted to use the method demo'ed in this video b/c you can't really tear or break anything. Yes it is more steps but I was able to remove everything with some simple wrenches and a mini sledge. No pullers or anything needed.
Don't forget that piercedasian was also removing/replacing his brake rotors. That's why brake components were removed in this video, otherwise, he likely wouldn't have removed them either.
yes I had some warped rotors on my CRX so since I was doing a bunch of work anyways that was why I had to take off more things otherwise I would've left all the brake components attached. Thanks for clarifying that to my viewers mailpup
yes, I would agree. The CRX is a rare car these days especially when most of them have either rusted out or been crashed and sent to the crusher. I don't really drive mine and is more of a garage ornament. Too minty and too old and delicate to be thrashing it around the roads.
Thanks Piercedasian, good video for reference, I have replaced my honda driveshaft seal with ori NOK brand oil seal, unfortunately I have tap in slightly deeper inside the bore less than a mil, luckily there's no leak after fit in the driveshaft, test run the car for about 20km, check still good, I do not know how long could last, hightly appreciate to your advice.... Cheer's Malik
If you can easily drive that seal in further, wont that cause problems when you are pushing the axle in? I mean, you've got to put some pressure on that axle when pushing.
yes that seal can be driven in too far but fear not that when installing the axle that as long as you've lubricated the seal and axle that pushing it in won't likely push the seal in any further assuming you're inserting the axle straight in and not at some weird awkward angle. The seal replaced in my CRX has been holding up perfectly and it's been years with no issues.
Can you believe that Honda and most independents want at least $150 to do each side? I don't think I spent more than $25 bucks on the parts if memory serves me right.
Is there a better way to pull out the CV axle from the bore than using a metal screw driver to pry it out of the bore? I saw Scotty Kilmer use a fork tool to hammer it out of the bore without touching the transmission housing, he just hammered away from the transmission?
+Jason Jay you could use the fork method but I don't see the value in doing so. You can't see how obvious it is in my video but when I pry with a screwdriver or pry bar I am simply prying against the outside edge of the cv axle and the outside of the tranny housing. There isn't even much force being applied before it comes out. In fact the transmission housing's worse damage is scuffing of the dirt on the transmission casing. I never put tools that could damage the bore and nothing goes in the transmission to remove things unless you need to pry a seal out and even then you have to exercise extreme caution doing so. Trust me on my method. I've been wrenching for a VERY long time and have never had an issue removing the axles this way. Use your eyes and good lighting to gauge where to pry and if you're using excessive force then stop and re-think about what you're doing. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the reply and great video. Just thought of another thing...Do you recommend using a special seal puller tool that's made specifically for pulling out the oil seal. I saw Scotty Kilmer use that as well. Then you don't have to worry about damaging the bore. What do you think? Also, wouldn't it be best to buy the OEM oil seal from the Honda dealership just to be safe?
+Jason Jay you can buy a seal puller but the honda seals are so easy to remove that I just used a screwdriver to gently pry it out. Heck I could've pulled it with my finger if I really a good grip on it. Seal pullers can still scratch out a bore if you're not careful. The seal puller just gives you better leverage thank plain screwdriver because of the curved "blade hook". I personally buy all my parts from Honda although according to others aftermarket parts seem to work just as good. I am all about genuine manufacturer parts but that is because I don't want hassle and trouble should an aftermarket part not fit. Time is money right ? Why try to save so little to have the potential for things to go wrong?
I actually used chassis lubricant to help ease the seal in! In hindsight that used is okay b/c the factory doesn't use sealant on the seal either BUT in hindsight if I had to do this job again I would use permatex grey or Honda bond.
If the gouge isn’t too deep you can coat the outer edge of the new seal with some honda bond or permeated grey sealer before reinstalling and that should prevent any leaks from forming.
I recently put a b18b engine in my 95 civic but I can't seem to get the passenger axle to lock into the transmission (yes they're the correct integra axles). Any suggestions?
ConnorUrB3stFri3nd are you sure the end of the axle still has the little expansion ring that is used to "snap" the axle into the differential? If that little ring on the end is missing then it won't stay locked in place. Also try rotating the axle to move the diff gear around a little and then with a swift motion "shove" the axle in and it should just pop in.
This looks a little easy want you know exactly what you are doing. I have a 1999 Honda Accord lx that has a transmission leak. I think it is coming from the passenger side. One mechanic told me nothing could be done, except if I was willing to paid about a $1000 bucks. Another just said it is leaking from the seal, and I should take it to a transmission specialist. I know the first thing they will say, get a new Transmission. The car drives good, no jumps etc, just that I got to keep adding fluid 2 or 3 times a month.
it is super easy to do and honestly you can't really mess things up if you follow my instructions. The 99 accord is done EXACTLY the same way as how it was done on the CRX. If I were you I'd give it a shot and see if it resolves your issue. if it doesn't you only out your time and maybe $30 for both seals.
Ambrose B I know this is a little late haha but it’s definitely you’re rear main seal that’s why one guy told you if you’re willing to pay 1000 bucks gotta tear down the transmission apart a lot labor charge lol
yes if that spring is missing then the seal will most certainly leak. The spring is meant to "squish" the seal at a predetermined amount of tension against the axle shaft so it doesn't leak. As the seal wears out the tension is maintained within spec to prevent leaks until the seal is too worn out to seal properly.
im having a huge problem installing my wishbone back to my lower control arm, i have a civic 98, the wishbone holes is way below the control arm bolt hole. i have to push down on the control arm really hard while someone has to put the bolt in. is this normal, ive been looking at other vids. and once the wishbone is up in its place, its pretty much lined up with the control arm holes. mine is way off. is there a good way to do this
do you have the car evenly jacked up? If you've got only one side up then the opposing forces of the sway bar may be acting against the lower swing arm causing it to be a lot higher than where the fork would line up. Dumb question but you did get the notch in the shock to line up perfectly with the fork right?
piercedasian yea its evenly jacked up on all fours, and yes notch is lined up lol. do you think if i lower a side of the car it would be easier, i have no idea. do you encounter this problem with your car, im thinking its just mine?
I can't say that I have that issue but then again my cars are all lowered so the bolt just slides right in. I do remember doing my aunt's car and I had to do exactly what you described but it wasn't something that I had to push super hard on the wheel hub assembly to align the fork holes to the lower swing arm. What model of civic do you have? I'm just wondering if the shocks and spring assemblies on your car are somehow not matched up properly. Does the car drive fine after you put things together?
civic 98 ex 2 door, ya it drives perfect, 80,000 original miles, 5th owner. seems like original height. id be surprised if they were changed, but i dont know, its just doesnt line up. but luckily i got it to line up. i had a 3 foot crowbar and fit it in the perfect spot, and went straight down like butter. im such a dumbass, didnt think of it sooner. anyways thanks for help
you're welcome. If you're still seeing a leak it will really help tremendously to identify what kind of fluid is leaking. Is it gear oil or engine oil or coolant or power steering fluid? Whenever I'm dealing with a leak I usually get the engine fully washed and cleaned up so that a new leak is easy to spot. When an engine is covered with old oil and dirt build up that it makes repairing the problem so much harder (and frustrating) so the advice I have is clean up that motor and tranny real good at a wand wash to blast away the crap and then watch for fresh leaks and then fix them up. On the older Hondas it probably is from the distributor oring, valve cover or even an engine oil pressure sender.
Rafael Rosales no, the tranny even with hardly any fluid in it should still allow you to shift into gear. If you're not going into gear there could be a variety of issues. You could have a bad clutch, bad shift fork, bent shift rod...
If it is automatic then it would be a given it won't into gear as the transmission relies on fluid pressure to engage and propel the car. Definitely do not run an automatic (even if it is neutral) with no fluid. You'll literally fry the transmission.
When changing a clutch you have to move the transmission out the way well that's what I did and now my transmission is starting to leak red oil do you know what the problem could be
is the lack coming from the axle seals or is it coming between the transmission and the engine? Red oil? Unless your tranny oil is some other type of manual transmission fluid I'm not sure where red oil would be coming from. Red oil normally is automatic transmission fluid but since you said you had to change your clutch I'm assuming yours is a manual which uses gear oil/MTF fluid which normally isn't red.
I hate those half shafts with the dented nut. They're a real pain. The split pin version is much more maintenance friendly. I didn't see how those were undid.
yeah, if you honestly want to know how I undid them... I just unscrewed the nut. If the dented nut is really dented then I use a cold punch to "un-dent" them and then undo them. 100% agree the split pin is way better.
@@piercedasian that's old school right there. I do the same but I'm usually a bit nervous when it comes to this part because where I'm from if the threads get messed up you'd have to buy or import the entire shaft assembly. Btw another great video would be those pesky trailing arm bushings in the rear. Looking forward to more content!!
I have the same leak location! It seems to be motor oil, because of color and i keep loosing motor oil no signs of oil loss in any location. This is the transmission and axle location. Transmission fluid or oil?
mandy truong well here is the kicker. The 88-91 manual transmission Hondas used motor oil as the factory fill from the factory so you COULD be leaking tranny oil and possibly burning engine oil giving you the false impression that you're leaking from the engine. The only way to truly tell is to wash the engine and transmission thoroughly and make sure all traces of oil and grease are cleaned off and let the car sit for a few days. If the tranny seals are bad you'll see oil seeping from the axle seals wheres engines that are leaking generally don't leak when they're not run. Even if the engine was leaking (say from oil pan drain for example) a clean engine would show obvious signs of where the leak was coming from. Hope that helps.
is this the same as a TRANSMISSION SHIFTER SHAFT OIL SEAL LEAKING? i need help because im experiencing a leak and want to tackle this problem. please help!
No the seals I've replaced are nowhere near the same as the shifter shaft seal - axle shaft seals being much bigger. I have never replaced my shifter shaft seal before so I cannot comment on whether or not it is done in a similar fashion as the axle seals.
my manuel transmission has a leak that i haven't found precisely but it can also be where the shifter goes into the gearbox. how can you know exactly where it comes from. the car is not a honda but a vw 6n2
just wondering my rear end side right passenger is making some noise, could that be my output shaft seal making the noise whenever I'm driving in the road? Thanks
Are you sure you seated the seal evenly in the bore? Is the bore scratched or have gouges from tools possibly nicking the bore? Are the seals genuine Honda ones? I find sometimes aftermarket ones don't quite have the same fit and finish as the Honda ones.
hello my 1999 honda accord ex has a longer part connected to the transmission seal to the axle and has two small metal pieces that connect to the seal any videos out there showing this? I thought they gave me the wrong part but it's correct it's just that this car has that longer metal piece that connects to the axle on the passenger side that goes into the transmission
+Adeum Rivera ah... that would be the intermediate shaft. Super easy. Remove the axle like how I showed in the vid, then you will see a support bracket for the intermediate shaft that bolts I believe to the transmission housing. 2 -14mm bolts if memory serves me right. Undo those and slide the intermediate shaft out of the transmission. To re-install reverse the order of removal.
I can't say that I've done that seal before but when the time comes that I have to I'll definitely make a video of it. Given my CRX is 24 years old I wouldn't be surprised if it starts leaking at the shift linkage shaft.
+Silver Back Hibbert Ah the famous flashing "S" light. It is a transmission (TCU) control unit failure. It will likely not want to shift properly and even though your engine RPMS go up the car doesn't seem to be in the right gear. It is a result of the TCU having some failed components that you can fix quite easily. Go to this page and learn how to do it :) techauto.awardspace.com/transmission.html
it isn't too bad to be honest with you. I prefer this method over removing the lower balll joint to get the axles out b/c I didn't have a lift at the time of making this video and thus clearance under the car is tight at best. I also has a bad run in with a few lower ball joints that made the whole replacement experience nasty and had to come up with a better way of taking things apart and not have it break/strip something in the process. Glad you still like the vid and thanks for stopping by!
are you sure the drive shaft isn't "nicked" or the bore the seal goes into is not gouged or damaged? Did you use genuine Honda seals? I find aftermarket seals can sometimes leak due to tolerance differences from lack of a high quality control standards.
the seal is still in the tranny case but to gain access to it you must remove the half shaft off. You do by unbolting the half shaft off the engine block and then just pull it straight out.
hi i drove my seal in too far, maybe 1 cm in. does this mean i ruined my transmission? please let me know i have a 98 civic with very similar axle seal in this vid
hmm if it's too far in you risk leaking or having the differential "rub" against the back of the seal. If it isn't leaking I suppose you're probably okay but generally speaking I would suggest that you pull the seal out and re-install them or buy new ones and re-install them to proper depth.
no i had just drove it in too far, but now luckily removed it back out, gonna buy a new one, just was wonderin if any damage could have occured to my trans, but it looks like it will be fine. have you installed these before? is it way easier with a installer tool? i was just using piece of wood, 36mm socket and its a pain in the ass under the car.
@ eric31291 - glad you got that all fixed up. Was your old (new) seal not salvageable? Those seals are quite resilient but I guess the cost of them is so cheap that it probably isn't worth risky the dumping of your tranny fluid while you're driving.
lol, yes my CRX is definitely clean b/c I spent a small fortune and 10 years making it the way it is. New paint, new EVERYTHING on that car when CRX parts were still available. I doesn't see the light of day much anymore because I don't want to ruin a classic and not so common Honda anymore. People always come up to me and stare in awe that my CRX looks like it was just manufactured :)
piercedasian hey i know this is really old but if i scratched or chipped the inside is there anything i could do to fix it like jb weld and a quick sand ?
+iliketakingshowers soak the tie rod end with lots of penetrating lube, grab two wrenches (one for the tie rod and one for the actual tie rod end). Start turning and counting how many turns it will take to remove the tie rod. install the replacement one and screw it in with the same # of turns.
nope most if not all the work I've done in my videos can be done with basic hand tools too. I use air tools because I fix a lot of things very often so it logically makes sense for me to use air tools.
+joshua roman did you check to see if your axle shafts that go into the tranny are fully seated and don't have wear grooves or pits in the shaft where oil could seep by? Is it leaking from the transmission bore or the shaft bore? In others words, an inner seal or outer seal leak?
The video will help you if you've got the same exact problem as I did. The basics of how it is done is more or less the same for most cars especially Honda's.
that is one way to do it but if one has loaned out their tool to someone to use that I have no choice but to remove the screws the way I did when I filmed this. Today I just use a punch and hammer and give the little Philips screw a nice smack on the edge and they always come off perfectly :)
I think getting the seal in is pretty hard, but you skipped all of that. Instead, you fast forwarded all of the vital information and the small details that could decide from a pass or fail.
Wayne Quang Duong fair statement. I'll have to invest in a tripod and light so that my camera can catch what I'm doing under the car better. The seal is actually very easy to install. Press fit and flush to the exterior transmission casing. Totally get you though when you say that the small details are the important ones. I'll keep that in mind for my future under car repair details. Thanks for that constructive feedback.
excessive parts? Not really if you think about how long it takes to bang thing out. I'm sure there is quicker way but this is a tried test and true method I've used for years without fail.
Although it calls for 10w30 in the transaxle, the issue with motor oil is that it isn't GL5 rated which by modern standards isn't ideal anymore. Engine oil lacks the anti shear additives that gear old has. It should also be noted that Honda MTF has a close viscosity to 10w30 but with all the benefits of being GL4/5 rated + anti shear additives.Honda dealerships here will actually put in Honda MTF fluid in place of engine oil.
fill plug is removed with a 17mm wrench but if the plug is stripped you're probably left with no option other than to: 1. Manhandle the stripped bolt off with vise grips 2. Take it to a shop to have them remove it. This is probably the best thing to do to save yourself a ton of aggravation. 3. Use a socket specially designed to remove stripped bolts although I'm not sure how successful this would be if the fill bolt was stripped using a wrench in the first place - some fill bolts are super super insane tight.
the plug head is an allen key? Wow! Someone's done some switching around on you. You're pretty much screwed at this point to get that out if the plug is stripped. Short of removing the transmission from the car you'll have to find another means of filling the fluid. I actually ran into this problem and you COULD use the speed sensor hole (you'll have to remove it from the car) and fill that way OR you could pop out and axle, jack the car up high on one side and fill it that ways. Speed sensor hole probably for you makes the most sense...
piercedasian Nissans are like this. They have the fill plug with a hex allen. Mine was stripped because someone used 9mm instead of 10mm key. I couldn't do it on my own and drove it to a mechanic who managed to take it our. I don't know if he drilled and used a reverse spindle bit, or welded a key to it, but now I have some good plug there. Non stock, but good!
@ Quentyn73 - good suggestion. I didn't even don on me that a allen key or something could be tack welded onto the plug. I'll remember that tip the next time someone suggests it!
You don't actually have to drain the tranny to do the seals. If you remove the axles some oil may leak out but you can easily top off the transaxle after you replace the seals and axle assemblies. Word of advice however, is make sure you know where the transmission fill plug is located and make sure you loosen the plug FIRST before doing any disassembly work. Nothing worse than losing fluid in your tranny and then not being able to fill it back up.