Signs Your Axle Is Bad - CV Joint Failure Signs 

Bahahaha bro I'm sorry.

😂😂

Your comment actually helped none of us…good job 🎉

u have a Honda ex too???

Came here hoping for a comment like this. Didn’t disappoint lol

Lmao literally just posted the same type Of comment, didn’t think anyone here thought of that. I love the internet.

Actually helped fix a ford too

*birdman hand rub*

Just give it a hauk tuah

@@trolltrama9780damn was bout to comment this

You pay extra.

Gluc gluc 9000. 😏

😂😂😂

😂😂😂😂😂

@@802Garage😅

😂😂

Hahaha you ol' battle axle you.

LMAO

Yeah when it's getting bad could def happen. Can also be a sign of a failing wheel bearing.

Yep have def had this a few times and it's so hard to diagnose.

These were my exact symptoms on a fwd 18 Kia Optima LX 2.4. Turned out to be the drivers side cv axle. Was told by some it might be the motor mounts and almost purchased them. Cv axle was cheap on eBay and did the work myself. Easy as changing a flat tire and I've never done this kind of work!

Will it make a loud noise when u take a tight turn?

@@Gsxr69usually like a loud clicking noise.

BAHAHAHAHA.

You should call her 🤨😂

@@isaacainley5876 Hahaha true.

I'm the same as you. Do all my own car work on the cheap. Drive old rigs with problems I monitor. This was for my dad who used to be the same and has gotten too old to do that anymore so didn't want him to end up stranded. Still did it in the cheap I got a reman A1-Cardone axle for around $45 I think. I generally have good luck with them.

Nah bruh, if that axle joint snaps then the wheel "snaps" off as well and you're swerving to stop from hitting someone/thing and you're stuck on the road. If you hear the popping noise when turning, replace ASAP, but in the meantime make your turns slow AF! Remember if you lose control and hit someone, YOU are still responsible and will pay for their damages!

If an axle fails at speed, the car will start pulling to one side and depending on if you have a open diff or a limited slip (RWD and FWD only), you’ll need a tow truck.

I've changed my timing belt and the water pump on a parking lot and everything else you can imagine ...

Welcome to Gboard clipboard, any text you copy will be saved here.

20 years is a very good run! If they weren't clicking or clunking yet, I hope you kept them. You could clean, regrease, and reboot them and get another 10+ years! The OEM axles are so pricey as well. Not that you should need them, but could always sell them on too. Thanks for the comment!

No doubt!

Def one of the causes yep.

lm having that problem on my hyndai

Hell yeah my car shaking its ass off in the front 😂😂 cv axle probably on both sides

Shaking, excess vibrations, hesitation or a "dead spot" upon initial acceleration are all signs of a bad CV. Kinda annoying people automatically assume clunking and clicking is always going to be a dead give away of a CV. What they're not taking into account is that the output shaft of the CV passes through the knuckle/wheel bearing and the velocity joint on the wheel side of CV is a bearing in of itself, it just articulates differently then a wheel bearing. When a CV goes bad from age, it can and usually will mimic a bad wheel bearing. I can't tell you how many times in the forums I've read stories of people replacing all of their wheel bearings only end up having to replace their CV axles down the line because they were the actual problem and every symptom they had pointed to a bad wheel bearing yet once replaced, almost all of their symptoms remained.

Hahaha got to.

lol must be diffrent. I was confused what the comments were on about till I read the gf comment.

Hahaha it's uhhh inappropriate. ;)

Hahaha oh definitely! This was more or less a failure preventative repair. 😁

Mine looks better than this and is still bad.

Thanks, that means a lot! Next time you learn some info that was hard to find, share it. :D

@@mrblondeheart9562 Hahaha they can last quite a long time!

@@Theunion802 Eyyy yeah I have a ton more to come on RU-vid too just been crazy busy!

@@billsutorius2753 You're welcome thanks for the comment.

Yeah especially for the fronts.

@@joesphschramm3754 In general they should be maintenance free, but heat shielding the boots if they are near an exhaust or something hot is crucial. A rubber treatment and protectant like 303 Aerospace can also help the boots live longer.

Hahaha gotta do it.

Most likely your front left axle.

In my experience, yes. I would also thoroughly check your ball joints and tie rod ends. I find a ball joint can cause that often, even if it doesn't seem very loose on first inspection.

Most likely yes. Inspect the axle boot close to the front driver wheel and see if it is obviously cracked or leaking grease. If it is, bare minimum it needs to be regreased and rebooted. Chances are if it is clicking it should be replaced. Even if there is no visible grease, it could still be going bad, just less likely.

I'll take it as a compliment. ;) I started doing short form content like this several years ago now and initially wanted to keep my face out of the videos because I wasn't sure about TikTok. It's just kind of how I explain stuff, even if I send videos to friends in private, but I won't say ChrisFix hasn't been an influence, even if I never tried to copy him. I can do a great impression though! My long form content is a very different vibe. :)

It is possible. Basically if the axle is damaged and/or lacking lubrication, the balls or races they ride in could be causing vibration. If they are worn, broken, or have notches in them the balls essentially cog over the uneven surfaces and cause binding or shaking. I'm not going to say it's definitely your issue, but it's possible. I would expect you to hear clicking from the axle if it was that bad, especially if you turn the wheel fully in one direction and drive. You should hear a loud repeated clicking. Also possible your issue is a very bad wheel bearing.

I had before I replaced my driver side axle. Had a shaking if I turn the wheel hard to the right. I'm thinking axle maybe il replaceme mounts. I'm hoping it's not a clutch or something to do with the transmission

@@MatthewTitterington-bq7eh I doubt it is the clutch or transmission. You would have other larger issues. Mounts could definitely cause some issues. Not sure if that car has a jack shaft or a bearing mounted half shaft, but check that too.

@@obs_oskar9128 Hmmm hard to say, but if it's a consistent noise at low speed until you get going faster, could be axle or bearing.

Check the wheel bearings

@@PaulBickram Def.

@@oskarmakedonian7609 If it is greasy all over, the boot probably split. The outside of the boot should be dry and not cracked.

Gluc gluc. 😂

Haha wow really appreciate that!

Yes! As long as the axle is not badly damaged internally you can clean, regrease, and reboot the axle. It it has been clicking quite badly for some time, it is likely damaged. If it is not making a lot of noise and has just lost the grease, much more economical to replace the boot, though it is more work. Slava Ukraini!

@@802Garage thanks man I do all the work on my saved thousands and did my struts all around and noticed this and look like it exploded 😂 grease everywhere but good to know thanks 💪

@@standwithukraine3011 Yep it happens! Boots with grease are usually like $15-30. It can be a bit of a pain to disassemble the axle, but if they are OEM especially they are worth saving.

Doubt it's transmission. If it's only a single clunk and not a repeated clicking noise, it could also be a suspension component like a ball joint. There is also a chance it's a wheel bearing.

@@802Garage it seems to be repetitive and only when letting off of the gas. Wheel bearing was replaced about a year ago. I plan to take off the knuckle from the axel and check it out. Appreciate the reply.

Operator error. I did not torque my lug nuts to specs. I did that tonight and the clunk is gone.

@@edbrandt8972 Beautiful! Well, that you caught it at least. I don't use a torque wrench on everything, but after the mistakes I've made and seen, I always torque lug nuts.

Thanks for the feedback! Usually not much to see in a joint that is only clicking. You have to clean out all the grease and look for wear on the balls or races. Here's a video that shows that pretty closely. Skip to about 1:30 for joint disassembly and 3:20 is when I start reviewing the wear. www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRck9mE8/

Usually when it happens while coming to a stop like that or when driving slow it ends up being a wheel bearing. I'd jack up each corner and spin the wheels to listen for grumbling plus shake the tire by grabbing the top and bottom and see if they're loose.

Rotors

Don't get me wrong I like the educational part too 👍

@@titustinnitus4346 Hahaha I am so confused.

@@802Garage haha sorry man, do you know that joke question "what did Cinderella when she got to the ball?" "*glug* *glug* *glug*" Because she gagged Sounds just like your imitation of the sound the car made while decelerating But I still wanted to let you know I like the content. I'm a car mechanic too, I love whenever customers try replicating a sound with all their energy. Also love when they feel awkward when they're too shy to do it themselves so I go "ok so was it more of a *brrrrrrrr*, or more like a *whowhowhow*?"

@@titustinnitus4346 Hahaha I thought that might be the joke, but I wasn't 100% sure. I get the pun now. DUH. Yes, people enthusiastically imitating car sounds is so helpful! Thanks for the comments. :D

It is possible, but my bet is a wheel bearing.

Hahaha right?

@@marcosramos4596 Thanks!

That is... A very good question. It could be, but check your rotors and make sure one isn't wearing through to the vanes. If it happens mostly with the wheel slightly turned, probably axle. Try turning the wheel completely left and driving backwards and forwards in an open lot then repeat turned all the way right. If you hear repeated clicking one way or another, that's an axle popping.

@@802Garagethank you very much for the response. I will try that out.

I'd say very soon, but I am probably going to release the rotary swapped BRZ series first. Keep your eyes on Insta and TikTok though if you use either of those. Updates there very soon. Probably Facebook as well.

😘

Yes that would usually be a sign of a bad axle.

@@802Garage thank you 👍🏽

@@trakyboy5128 Welcome!

If it's already making a lot of noise, it's likely already damaged, but it could last a while. If it isn't making noise and the boot is just ripped or the grease has gone, then yes. Either way you buy a new boot, disassemble, clean, put on the boot, regrease, and go.

@@802Garage It only made noise one time when going up a steep hill. Bunch of clicking. I just bought it a month and a half ago and didn't realize it was already leaking. Could have been for many months. But thank you for your response!

@@sincerelyrob4240 Ugh that has happened to me before with parts store axles. If you bought it less than a year ago it should be under warranty I would just exchange it.

Thank you!

Or fix until it's broken

Haven't personally had the issue that I know of, but thanks!

@802Garage I've had it a couple times with my subarus on moderate-heavy acceleration it'll feel like wheel balance on takeoff but getting higher quality axles fix it

@@mryork_ Yeah I've had it going around slight corners barely on throttle. Not for a long time, but I know what you mean.

@@802Garage I'm trying the trq severe duty mega beefy axles on my Baja turbo 😏

@@mryork_ Love it!

Hahaha sometimes they'll live for ages, especially in the rear.

CV axle is the term for the full assembly with shafts and joints. Just specifies the type of axle. Or driveshaft if you're from England or Australia or whatever hahaha. CV joint refers to the individual joint attached to the axle. So usually when someone has a bad joint they say they have a bad axle and replace the whole thing anyways. So yeah kinda interchangeable, but contextual. And it's all good the comments are hilarious. 😂

There will def be more. :) Thanks!

@@802Garage you' re welcome! I also left another comment but it disappeared! Whatever I said that I am out of instagram for a while (multiple reasons but also lack of time needed for it except sometimes), and also that I left the comment concerning the power delievery, that I also left on your instagram post on this...on instagram I have written "when a CV messed up like that is delievering whp, are these whp much worse than a brand new one without play and with a stiffer everything?" I suppose the power delievery is going to be much smoother, probably it makes steering being more accurate too because of better torque sent to the wheels!

@@802Garage l did not abandon instagram, but actually other than a tool for learning some few tech pages that I follow, there is not much at the moment, also, lack of time...by the way I have a question... is the Engine from the Subaru BRZ actually an EJ, or is it actually new from scratch ? I know I may look it on google, but you had unmounted it so you can tell better... If it is not an EJ, and my instinct tells me it is not, or it could be EJ sourced (like the RB26DETT is sourced from normal RB's), then I wouldnt be surprised...but they made it for giving a whole new responsiveness I presume

@@giallomodena8 I would suspect even a dry and crunchy CV would only sap a few % of horsepower at most until failure. Generally you won't feel much in a straight line and you'll just get ugly noises when turning. As for the Subaru engine, the BRZ uses an FA engine. Subaru no longer uses the EJ engine at all. The last car to have an EJ based engine was the STI until it ended production in 2022. The WRX switched to an FA engine in 2014 IIRC. The BRZ uses an FA20, the WRX used the FA20DIT, the current family of Subaru engines are all FA/FB which are the same basic architecture. The biggest engines currently are the FB25 for most cars and the FA24 which there are a few versions. The turbo version tuned for torque in the Ascent, the turbo version with a more sporty tune in the new WRX, and the NA version in the new BRZ. Main differences between the FA and EJ engines are that it is timing chain, features direct injection on most models, though many also have port injection, it has offset connecting rod ends, I believe the overall assembly is a bit lighter, and obviously there are several other small differences, but it is a clean sheet design from the early 2010s.

I believe that was primarily when it made noise, but I honestly forget.

Bahahaha it's true. You might actually enjoy his recent videos on the rotary powered Datsun though.

why always Engine Swap ? At least Rotaru kinda has a point it got also me interested who I am against in general of any rotary swapping of non rotary swapping car, you can tell how the difference of mentality kicks in by doing this question! I dont know if Adam LZ knows that the 1978 FA4 Mazda 323 aka Mazda GLC in the USA was the last RWD Mazda 323/ Protege/ Familia and it was sold in South Africa with the 4G3 Engine, made by Mitsubishi...cause I knew it a few days ago...most of the time tho now I am observing Engines, focusing on the geography of them and I have improved my capacities of absorbing the information about vehicles. All the "built not bought eat sleep drift repeat" things are just entertainment to me now, no ranting, I am just telling you what I look for lol...of course I have improved my capacities on Dirt Rally 2.0 and driving techniques on Simulator, better than before...but I am doing much more of a loner' s job, more like testing cars...and knowing the circuits.

Rotaru has a point because it perfectly nails the concept of weight distribuition and the car is nothing extreme when it comes to power, damn I sometimes think its inspired by the British way of doing things, because they are into doing cars in the 400 hp tier and not that much of a weight, instead of 900 bhp cars that weight 2 tonnes ...Rotaru aka RX9 is even British by concept, like MX5 and RX7 are...

Whatcha mean? I've never worked for a mechanic shop in my life and I'm cheap and hourly. This was for my dad and we didn't have time to rebuild the axle plus the replacement was cheap.

@@ambassador8716 Doctors make diagnoses based on experience all the time. What did I say that's incorrect?

@@802Garage At least the fact that doctors do diagnose based on their experience. This is utter stupidity! Secondly, the fact that you squeezed the old rubber with your hands, and then the new one, filled with grease to the brim - this does not mean that the old CV joint is out of order! If it comes down to it, could you at least tug it properly to determine if there is a characteristic play and knock of wear? Just remove the dust boots, wash out the old grease, visually inspect the wear, if it is minimal (no play), fill this unit with new grease, install a new dust boot and drive on. So do not mislead people with a smart look of an expert.

@@ambassador8716 Well it's not utter stupidity because I was correct. The CV joint was causing the noise and replacing it fixed it. I have dealt with a lot of bad axles. The point of pushing on the boot was to demonstrate A. That it's no longer air tight and B. That it was longer full of grease as it should be. No a dry joint does not automatically mean a bad joint, but that's why it was one symptom or cause, not the entire reasoning. I feel you are both putting words in my mouth and ignoring the rest of the video and context. Tugging on an axle by hand will tell you almost nothing. You can't generate anywhere near the forces to replicate an on car issue unless the joint is incredibly worn or badly damaged. I agree that rebuilding this axle was an option and I advocate doing so. However that's not what this video was about. It was about diagnosing an axle issue. Even if you clean and regrease an axle which is making noise, if there are already wear spots in the cage or on the balls, it will likely continue to make noise, cause vibration, or wear more quickly in the future. You generally have to catch an axle boot leak before the internal mechanism is damaged to have an ideal candidate for a rebuild. You can also rebuild then swap axle sides where possible to get more mileage out of it. However, this video was not about that. I had very limited time to do this job as my father had to leave soon, so replacement was the option over rebuild. I still have the old axle in case I want to rebuild and reuse it someday. Your reaction and insults are frankly unnecessary and unhelpful. You did not point to anything I said in the video which was incorrect and you also went out of scope for the video. Not every video can be about every topic. I hope this better explains the purpose of the video and what I know on the topic. I did not spread any misinformation. It was a quick video about general symptoms of a failing axle.

In New Jersey right now just worked on the rotary swap BRZ more. Lots of videos coming, just gotta edit haha. More recent updates on TikTok/Facebook/Instagram.

Sadge. 🥲

That's a new one hahaha.

They can make vibrations on both depending on CV angle and where the wear is in the joint. Obviously the seal was broken either via a hard to see crack, a pinhole, or seeping past the seal.

@@802Garage no they don't.

@@thecarfixchannel3046 Yes, they do, hahaha. Have you ever taken apart a CV joint? If you understand what causes the vibrations, you'll understand how.

@@802Garage In your vedio you said the CV was making vibration on deceleration not acceleration and according to you it should make vibration in both conditions so tell me why I want to learn.

@@thecarfixchannel3046 Well, no. In this video I said it was making a noise on deceleration not that you could feel a vibration in the car. The reason it can make a noise on deceleration is that whatever the wear pattern on the races is, such as if there is a groove dug into the metal from lack of lubrication, you may not hear it while the axle is under load because the ball is forced up against the race and rides the ridges. Plus the noise may be covered up by other noises in the car or the forces are such that the ball rides in the groove. On deceleration, a space is allowed to open up between the ball and the grooves or wear in the races. This space exists because of the abnormal wear on the axle. Because the forces acting on the axle are now different than the default, which is usually with some force turning the axle forward while driving, it may also be resting in a slightly different position than when you are usually driving. There is then the opportunity for the ball to essentially bounce and deflect across the wear patterns or move back and forth up against the race as the axle is spinning. It may be riding in and out of the ridge because the axle is slightly more extended or retracted than usual, causing the ball to skip over the worn ridge repeatedly as the axle rotates. Typically if you take apart a CV axle, it won't be completely equally worn all the way around, there will be worse grooves in some races or alternatively individual damaged balls, which can all cause the same symptoms as above it's just the ball operating in an unusual manner instead of the ball riding over the races in a strange way. All that said, this can also cause vibrations on deceleration for the same reason. For example, let's say you are going downhill and you have a bad front axle. The axle is obviously not completely blown, but it is out of grease and it has a worn race or damaged ball. The hill is slightly curved so you have the wheel turned a few degrees. You let off the gas and coast down the hill, the axle is now loaded backwards from usual because the force of the tire is what is driving the axle rather than the force from the engine and transmission. You also have the axle turned slightly, meaning the balls are not riding in the typical groove when the wheels are pointed straight forward. You now have a scenario where the ball has the most opportunity to bounce in and out of the worn groove, or where the damaged ball can repeatedly bounce against the race with the damaged surface. As the ball bounces in and out of the groove, that creates a force inside the axle which is transmitted to the shaft and of course to both the tire, and therefore the steering wheel, and in the other direction to the drive train, meaning you will feel a vibration in the wheel, in the chassis, or both. The other reason this can happen is if it is a used axle and it is on the opposite side of the car from where it used to be, or if for example someone has swapped their axles side to side after rebuilding to get more life out of them because they are avoiding it riding in the same wear pattern it did for most of its life. Then you will have where in the reverse direction of the axle, and you will therefore experience the noises and vibration only when driving in reverse or in an example like the downhill coasting as I illustrated above.

Bahahahaha.

Gluck gluck 9000.

@@SolfègeDéfonse Thanks!

Nah just some bozo doing car stuff. Chris is a G though.

@@802Garage haha you did good bud

@@keenanryan8735 Haha thanks!

@@keenanryan8735 Haha thanks!

@@802Garage course bro…tossing around whether or not i am confident enough to help my pops do this one their van

Hahaha surprisingly this car has had few things go wrong since. It's my dad's Outback. It has like 245,000 miles on it or something. My 1993 Impreza basically never has anything wrong. 😂 290,000 miles.

Gluc gluc.

​@@802Garage😂😂

Just doing what I can for the world. 😂

If it's a front axle on a Subaru, make sure there isn't a roll pin holding it in place. Otherwise, the best technique I've found to pop a stuck axle is to use a fat chisel or a pry bar between the axle and trans housing and just tap it with a hammer. Careful not to hammer like crazy or damage the trans obviously. Do at your own risk hahaha.

It only uses a c-clip. I finally got my pry bar on and hit it with by sledge hammer. Pry bar fell out but i think it came lose. Im taking a breather and i will check in a minute. Im having a bad day!@@802Garage

I simply pulled the axke back out a little and rotated it and it whent right in. Theres no pin.@@802Garage

Yep your type no pin. Just wanted to be sure because there was on the older type. Glad you got it.

I often do, but a lot of people don't have the skills or resources. In this case I didn't have the time available either.

@@sergiogarza1422 My axles don't jiggle jiggle, it pops!

Hahaha good ex.

@@802Garage yes siiiir hahhahaa

@@amaroqz2105 😂

LOL of course.

o u no 🤭

I agree with pretty much everything you said. Even when a boot is ripped, if it has not gone for too long, you can typically replace the boot much cheaper than the entire axle. Like you said, the OEM axle is also generally far superior to the cheaper aftermarket axles. The problem is, it is a fair bit of labor to remove the CV, clean it, and replace the boot. So most mechanics would rather get the job done faster and make more money. It's not how I like to do things, but when you do need to save time personally it also makes sense. In this case the axle had been making some clicking noise and had been dry for quite a while, so just regreasing it probably would have mostly solved the issue, but the boots were so old and cracked that they should be replaced as well. Just replacing the boots would have been $30 or more plus a lot of labor, and I didn't have that much time. This was actually my dad's car. I did keep the old axle as a spare in case I ever feel like rebuilding it.

Hahaha ouch my soul! 🥲