axle issue

[rh71]

95 Isuzu Rodeo

- a year ago while getting new tires put on, the mechanic mentioned the front left axle had some play in it... he was able to wiggle the wheel laterally and mentioned something about ball bearings. I left it alone as I don't drive the vehicle much.

- yesterday after bringing it in for a transmission check-up, they did a brake check also and saw something in the front left axle... mentioning it was a plastic boot and grease was drying up or all-but-gone. I can't recall if he said there was a crack or not.

How dangerous is this situation? It'll be almost 6 hours of labor plus a $200 part so it will get pricey if I decide to fix it. The thing is I just paid $3400 to have the tranny rebuilt back in May so I'm on the fence about what to do with this car. I still use it about 30% of the time for whatever... like driving it into the city where they play bumper cars if you're parked, etc. I treat it as my "beater" car.

Is it still safe enough to drive on without repair? Would the axle fall apart making a turn or driving on the highway? Would it pass annual inspection (do they check this part?)

 

[Demon-Xanth]

It's probably the CV joint had the boot develop a tear in it and the grease went bye-bye. Fairly common thing. It's reletively safe since your car is primarily RWD and these is in the front, however if it did completely break it could cause other damage, but I'm not familiar enough with them to say how likely that happening is. If you use the 4WD a lot, I'd recommend getting it fixed soon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constant-velocity_joint

 

[rh71]

thanks for the info - don't use 4WD a lot as I'm in NY and snow hits maybe 5 times a year, if that. But now I'm afraid to engage 4WD at all...

 

[Zenmervolt]

An axle shouldn't cost too much to repair. Just get a new halfshaft for the left front, you're looking at $150 at the absolute most in parts and it's something that you should be able to do easily on your own if you wanted to. Even having it done shouldn't cost too much, replacing a CV halfshaft is easy.

ZV

 

[Deviant Grasshopper]

It sounds like bad ball joints, not an axle. I'd get another opinion.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Deviant Grasshopper
It sounds like bad ball joints, not an axle. I'd get another opinion.

You're right, I got distracted by the second part which typically describes a busted CV boot. The initial description does sound like a ball joint.

If it is the ball joint, it needs to be fixed now because if that fails the vehicle will become instantly unsafe and may potentially go careening across a few lanes of traffic.

OP, find out if it's the ball joint or the CV joint. If it's the ball joint, do not drive the vehicle until you have it fixed. It's a definite safety issue. If it's the CV joint, it's avoidable, but it's a cheap fix.

ZV

 

[rh71]

I just called and confirmed they say it was the axle which meant CV joint. He added that I have to be careful because it's part of the driveshaft. If you guys say it's not as critical, I'll take your word for it. Hopefully I can get another couple years out of this vehicle given that I drive it less than once a week sometimes.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: rh71
I just called and confirmed they say it was the axle which meant CV joint. He added that I have to be careful because it's part of the driveshaft. If you guys say it's not as critical, I'll take your word for it. Hopefully I can get another couple years out of this vehicle given that I drive it less than once a week sometimes.

Just replace the entire halfshaft, not just the CV joint. You should be able to get a halfshaft (with both inner and outer CV joints on it) for $150 or less for a remanufactured unit.

ZV

 

[Demon-Xanth]

A quick look at Autozone:

Duralast Reman / CV Halfshaft
Warranty - LLT 7835
Price:
$79.99
Core:
$80.00
Total:
$159.99
Application:
Left hand side (Sitting inside vehicle)
Store: Add to List Online: Buy Online

Duralast Reman / CV Halfshaft
Warranty - LLT 7834
Price:
$79.99
Core:
$37.50
Total:
$117.49
Application:
Right hand side (Sitting inside vehicle)

So $80 after you give the old one back (I assumed a 3.2L engine for the sake of an estimate)

 

[Bignate603]

Yeah, CV shafts are cheap. However, the CV shaft doesn't explain the play in the wheel being able to wiggle. That sounds like a bad ball joint or wheel bearing. While a ball joint failure is more dangerous a wheel bearing failure can royally screw stuff up. Either one should be fixed if you plan on driving the car on the road. If it was just to do slower offroad driving I would just leave it but having those parts fail at high speeds wouldn't be a good idea.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

According to the OP, the axle moved, not the wheel. If the wheel is steady, but the axle moves, it's either the axle or the hub bearing.

 

[shocksyde]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
An axle shouldn't cost too much to repair. Just get a new halfshaft for the left front, you're looking at $150 at the absolute most in parts and it's something that you should be able to do easily on your own if you wanted to. Even having it done shouldn't cost too much, replacing a CV halfshaft is easy.

ZV

I've got next to no experience with cars and I replaced a halfshalf myself. Part was less than $150 and took me a few hours to replace.