Axle won't go back in!

[jareth]

Hey fellas!

Since y'all were so helpful with trying to bend your minds around the 'clutch won't release' problem, maybe you'd like to take a shot at this one: My girlfriend actually has two Gen2 Camrys. The one with the funky clutch issue has been to the mechanic, and is purring like a contented Camry should.

The other had been lying dormant since her ex-husband took a shot at replacing the drive axles. He didn't get it quite right (on the car or in other areas!).

The symptoms are that she drove the car away from his house (where he'd just replaced the axles), and headed for her sister-in-law's to pick up her kids. As the car topped the hill above SIL's house, the engine lost it's connection with the front wheels. She coasted to a stop in front of SIL's, and tried to put the car in park, whereupon it made an awful noise (the tranny's still turning the output shaft, so 'Park' was a no-go).

OK! While the '91 Camry (clutch) was in the shop, we figured we'd run the '90 in to see what the man could tell us.

He put it up on the rack, disassembled the axles, and found that one of them was not 'seated' correctly into the transmission. Not only that, but the thing would not fully seat. He ordered another axle for comparison purposes, and found that the axle in the car was, indeed, the correct part. It won't go in.

There is a groove cut around the axle about a half-inch from the end for a retainer ring to seat in, and the axle seems to jam about a half-inch from fully seating. My immediate thought was that an old retainer-ring had broken off in there and was preventing proper reassembly, but he said that he'd checked that out, and could not see any such obstruction.

Of course, the car is a rat-bag. It has survived two SETS of kids, and three trips to Mexico. In short, the car is worth about $500 when it runs, so we politely declined his offer to pull the tranny apart to diagnose.

Any ideas?

I have not been under that car, but I have a hard time believing that he could actually 'see' the inside of the output shaft!

Here's another question, a question of a more philosophical nature: Why is it that I always get the strange, enigmatic problems? Why can't it be the simple, stoopid solution? Ever?

[hzt30]

My 1990 Camry axle shaft had 6 bolts that bolted to the differential case. Tightening these bolts would make it virtually impossible for the shaft to come out. Maybe your model is different than mine.


However, I had a problem on my Taurus with the axle shaft pulling out of the diff case. I replaced the shaft myself but did not get it fully seated and it came out of the transmission rendering the vehicle immobile. These shafts use circlips that seat into a groove in the diff case. I had to use quite a bit of force to get it finally seated. The way you usually tell when it is seated is that you can hear it "click" into place.

[jareth]

That sounds like the sort of info I'm looking for.

When you say 'quite a bit of force', how much force? How was it applied?

Thanks!

Edited to add: This car has an automatic transmission.

[hzt30]

Originally Posted by jareth

That sounds like the sort of info I'm looking for.

When you say 'quite a bit of force', how much force? How was it applied?

Thanks!

I tried to use my hands and it would not seat, so I took a 2 by 4 and put one end on the lip of the shaft where it goes into the diff. and hit the other end with a hammer and it seated. You have to be careful doing it this way as to not tear the rubber boot.

[Doctor J]

Get a good flash light and look inside the hole. Look for crescent like "steps", burrs etc in the axle bore.
Then measure the dept inside the hole by inserting piece of broom stick and compare to the part of the axle that goes into the hole.

[hzt30]

The following from the Camry repair manual:

INSTALLATION OF FRONT DRIVE
SHAFT

1. INSTALL LH DRIVE SHAFT
(a) Coat gear oil to the inboard joint tulip and differential
case sliding surface.
(b) Using a brass bar and hammer, tap in the drive shaft
unit until it makes contact with the pinion shaft.
HINT:
Before installing the drive shaft, set the snap ring opening
side facing downward.
Whether or not the drive shaft is making contact with
the pinion shaft can be known by the sound or feeling
when driving it in.
2. INSTALL RH DRIVE SHAFT
(a) Install the bearing bracket and stay with three bolts.
Torque: 650 kg–cm (47 ft–Ib, 64 N–m)
(b) Coat gear oil to the inboard joint and differential
sliding surface.
(e) Insert the RH drive shaft.
NOTICE: Do not damage the oil seal lip.
3. CONNECT DRIVE SHAFT TO AXLE HUB
Install the outboard joint side of the drive shaft to the
axle hub.
NOTICE: Do not damage the boot.
4. CHECK INSTALLATION OF FRONT DRIVE SHAFT
(a) Check that there is 2 3 mm (0.08 0.12 in.) of play in
axial direction.
(b) Check that the drive shaft will not come out by trying
to pull it completely out by hand.

[fredk]

look for any buggars on the socket the shaft fits into, I like to take the lock ring off the axle and see if it slides into the socket easily