Axle keeps popping out of tranny

[badabing33a]

i recently bought a 91 talon and the axle popped out the day i got it and it destroyed the cv joint. i had it fixed and then it happend 2 days after it was fixed. i took the tire off and noticed the suspension cradle had a splt in it and appeared as if it was put into a ditch. the guy i bought it off of payed for the garage fee to replace the axle the first time and will pay this time. he said his son put the car into a bank but drove it the next day and the axle broke on him. could the impact to the cradle from the bank have messed up the angles from everything? im replacing the cradle but wanted to ask if the load to the right front of the car during cornering be too much with that bent and cause the axle to give from all the pressure. thanks ahead.

 

[RoasT BeeF]

Sounds plausible. I would recommend taking to it an alignment shop.

 

[Cesar]

what craddle??

which axle?


if something is bent, you should be able to see it with a close inspection.

 

[badabing33a]

the right front axle. and the cradle on the right front where eveything bolds to. its a huge piece of steel. part of the frame.

 

[Cesar]

did you bolt the bracket to the block? is this an awd?

that side does not have a locking clip, but the bracket holds it inplace

unless its a fwd, then i think it would have a clip.

 

[1992awdlaser]

The axle most likely needs a new c-clip. The front suspension would have to be so messed up for this to happen that the car wouldn't be able to be driven.

 

[badabing33a]

yea its fwd. so should i just replace the axle and clip? or the cradle/frame as well?

 

[RoasT BeeF]

I disagree. If the axle is missing the c-clip it can only come out so far. It wont completely pop out of the tranny. Something else has to be bent/broken for it to come completely out. I would take it to an alignment shop after replacing the control arm, ball joint, and axle.

 

[cano86]

Check for any crack on the chassis behind the struts, I had a Mirage hatchback lowered and the same thing happened to me, put the car into a bank and the axle came out towed it home and when I fixed it, it came out again and I checked it and I had to junk it ### the chasis behind the strut was cracked

 

[badabing33a]

wow. you guys are a big help and thanks alot. another thing, the day i got the car, i noticed the tow was off big time. i havent had it a full day yet to adjust the tie rods and line it up. i guy told me that would have put too much on the axle causing the axle to pop out. but it seems it would have to be REALLY off for that to happen. but i will replace the ball joint, control arm, and obviously the axle. then take it to an alignment shop. should i bother with the cradle? again thanks ALOT.

 

[1992awdlaser]

yea its fwd. so should i just replace the axle and clip? or the cradle/frame as well?

Obviously if something is wrong with the chassis/suspension/frame of the car you need to get it fixed.

I disagree. If the axle is missing the c-clip it can only come out so far. It wont completely pop out of the tranny. Something else has to be bent/broken for it to come completely out. I would take it to an alignment shop after replacing the control arm, ball joint, and axle.

Incorrect. I have personally seen it happen when I was a mechainc.

i noticed the tow was off big time. i havent had it a full day yet to adjust the tie rods and line it up. i guy told me that would have put too much on the axle causing the axle to pop out. but it seems it would have to be REALLY off for that to happen

It's toe. And it won't cause the axle to come out no matter how far out of spec it is. If that were true, everybody's axle would be popping out every time they made a sharp turn.

 

[Auto RS T]

wow. you guys are a big help and thanks alot. another thing, the day i got the car, i noticed the tow was off big time. i havent had it a full day yet to adjust the tie rods and line it up. i guy told me that would have put too much on the axle causing the axle to pop out. but it seems it would have to be REALLY off for that to happen. but i will replace the ball joint, control arm, and obviously the axle. then take it to an alignment shop. should i bother with the cradle? again thanks ALOT.

Any good alignment shop won't align a car with a broken cradle. I had a buddy with a Laser that had a cracked cradle. No one would do the alignment, he ended up having it welded so someone would align it for him. I would have this fixed first, then work from there. You would end up doing all the other work twice basically if you had to put a new cradle in.

Take the time to check for worn/damaged parts, you may notice something else wrong.

 

[badabing33a]

ok now where would i get a cradle? i figured finding a good one at a junk yard ( or if you prefer bone yard) since a parts store may not carry such a big part. how much money and time does it look like ill be investing in this project? thanks again for the help.

 

[dsmfa9nutter]

I disagree. If the axle is missing the c-clip it can only come out so far. It wont completely pop out of the tranny. Something else has to be bent/broken for it to come completely out. I would take it to an alignment shop after replacing the control arm, ball joint, and axle.

I had my axle pop out at about 80% lock, bad c-clip on the halfshaft. Saved the axle but the halfshaft was garbage.

 

[badabing33a]

i cant find a suspension cradle anywhere on the net. is there another name for it?

 

[gixxerdrew]

are you talking about the spindle?

 

[1992awdlaser]

Take a picture for me. Might be a k-member aka cross member.

 

[r1991_4g63t]

i replaced my subframe( cradle, crossmember, whatever you wanna call it), a couple months ago from what seemed to be the same problem but i caught it right when it happened and didnt drive anymore, i found mine at a local junk yard for $150. wasnt too bad putting in either considering i had a lift, wouldnt wanna mess with it without one though as you have to keep the engine and tranny supported as you lower/change the subframes out.

 

[badabing33a]

yea it is the crossmember. r1991, did that solve your problem when you changed the crossmember? and i figured id have to support the engine. at first i was afraid id have to pull it but then i got to looking at it and i just need a seperate jack to support it. and how long did it take you to do this? i know you have a lift but i was just curious. thanks.

 

[bastarddsm]

it's a days worth of work to swap one. find one at a junkyard. i bought a whole front suspenion for $50.

 

[badabing33a]

just one day? seems like itd take longer. does anyone think there could be another cause of my axle comming out? it makes sense if the crossmember is bent, it pretty much made everything else COMEPLETLY out of wack. its pretty obvious just by looking at it, you can tell. but i am just really worried about this and wanna make sure this is reliable because ill be driving to quakertown which for me is a 3 hour drive.

 

[badabing33a]

also, i dont think i mensioned this at all, when i drove to work, the car started shaking and i knew it was the axle. when i got there i looked at it and the axle boot was twisted. then after work, since i live 3 miles from work, i drove it home. it made it fine and then as soon as i was getting ready to turn into my driveway is when it popped out. what does it mean if the boot is twisted?

 

[badabing33a]

i found a cossmember from the local junk yard. my uncle used to work there so he gets a discount thing. they are usually $150 but hes geting it for $100. was wondering if itd be safe to get a used axle from the junkyard or should i just buy one new?

 

[r1991_4g63t]

it took me 5-6 hours, dont know how much a junk yard charges but for the price of a reman i'd go that way

 

[badabing33a]

how much are reman crossmembers?