Removing the transaxles (pics of problem)

Hey all, I've got a question about removing the transaxle in order to get to the tranny for a clutch replacement...

I've got an 88 Civic 4dr DX Sedan jacked up with tons of stuff removed, following both the Chilton's and the Official Honda Manuals, and I'm at a point that I'm getting nervous about screwing something up on the car.

I already took the cotter pin and the ball joint nut off. Now, I'm pretty sure I need to remove the bolt from the fork and the control arm (?) so that I can take the axle out of the fork. The problem here is that my friend says the springs will throw the fork down and that I need a spring compressor before I do that.

Here is a pic to show you my progress so far (yes I know the CV boot is torn, but I'm gonna have to worry about that later I think):

http://www.brainsledge.com/88civic/ball_joint.jpg

Also, the manual says something about unbolting the radial arm that goes to the front of the car but I can't see why I would need to do that... Maybe I'm confused as to what is supposed to come off with the axle... do I really need to remove the lower arm from the fork and remove the radial arm? Also, do I have to undo the 1 1/2" nut from the wheel and take off the whole wheel mount before I can pull the axle out?

Here's a pic of the whole right side, you can see the springs are still attached and we haven't really done much, and I'm scared of breaking an axle or chopping my arm off with a spring... :uhoh:

http://www.brainsledge.com/88civic/right_axle.jpg

Ack! Help! This stuff is pretty complicated... :uhoh: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Thanks,
Mike

You shou be able to remove the bottom bolt that holds the strut assy. on and then remove the axel nut and be able to remove the inner shaft from the tranny. Then pull the axel thought he outer. you then should be able to swing the rotor and the upper control arm away enough to get the the tranny. You may have to pull the strut out also to there will be no presure going down on the lower control arm. you will not need a spring compressor it should be almost all the way down while you have it jacked up.

there are 2 ways to get the axles out

1. remove axle nut, remove cotter pin and castle nut, take off the fork on the strut unbolt it from the lower control arm and the strut itself, u dont need a strut compressor, with the fork and castle nut off, get a pickle fork and hit it against the hub and the lower control arm to pry the lower control arm off, bam pull hub up and remove axle.

2. remove axle nut, remove the fork from lower control arm and strut, unbolt brake lines and remove the strut, then unbolt the upper control arm, swing the uca out and remove axle. both the strut and uca are unbolted from the top.

i prefer the #2 way because if u do #1 then rubber housing bushing thingy looses all its grease and u gotta regrease, and i think its easier and it can be done with basic tools, #1 requires a pickle fork or a pry bar of somekind

this is the way i got mine off.

1. Loosen Lug Nuts.
2. Jack up car.
3. Remove lug nuts and wheel/tire combo.
4. Remove 32mm Axle Nut, good luck with anything other than an impact wrench.
5. use another jack and place underneath the lower control arm, so when you release the pressure it doesnt just shoot down.
6. remove cotter pin, and castle nut from lower ball joint.
7. remove lower ball joint.
8. Pull the rotor assembly out towards you, and push the axle through the middle of the assembly.
9. After you get the axle out from the rotor, reach under the car with a strong screwdriver, and pop out the piece going into the axle.

your all done.

yeh i agree with you thier

OK, I'm gonna tackle this mama tonight. I still have a question though... say I use a jack to hold it up, where do I put the jack? Because if I put the jack under the lower control arm, then unscrew the bolt that holds the A-arm/fork thingy in the picture to the lower control arm, the fork is gonna come whacking down on top of the axle because I'm only holding up the control arm, right?

Is there anyone that has taken the lower control arm off of the fork without a jack or spring compressors? If so, did it release a lot of pressure when you did it? How did you manage to put it all back together?

Thanks again,
Mike

Cool 91EF3ZC, that helps... although I had to change the link to http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid78/p7a84574dae51dc6c63ba4db2e92a4ae6/fb249797.jpg in order to view the image...

From that description I'm scared that once I remove the lower fork bolt the fork is going to crash down onto my axle, it will just slip right off the lower control arm, and I will never be able to put it back on... am I being a dumbass or not...? :licka:

Thanks,
Mike

there will be very little pressure from the spring, it will not shoot off, you DO NOT need to put a jack under the fork. the radius rod does not HAVE to be removed but it makes it much easier cuz the tranny tends to hit it on the way in and out. ive taken out and put in my tranny in about 4 times within the past 4 months. so i can have it out, fixed, and back in in a couple of hours.

Cyberfelon, that is exactly the kind of reassurance I was looking for :D thanks!

Also, thanks to the rest of you guys. Now if only Kragen stocked the friggin 32mm sockets... I guess I have to go to Home Depot or something... really sucks not having a car :banghead:

Oh well, at least my ex-g/f is coming over soon :naughty:

Cheers,
Mike

Cool 91EF3ZC, that helps... although I had to change the link to http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid78/p7a84574dae51dc6c63ba4db2e92a4ae6/fb249797.jpg in order to view the image...

From that description I'm scared that once I remove the lower fork bolt the fork is going to crash down onto my axle, it will just slip right off the lower control arm, and I will never be able to put it back on... am I being a dumbass or not...? :licka:

Thanks,
Mike
The strut will NOT unload on you, it will stay right where it is. You would have to undo the the top of the strut for that to happen. don't worry about it.

If I can throw my :2cents: into the mix, I think crxlvr has the easiest route and the one I've used before. Once you remove the lower ball joint from the hub assembly, it is much easier to manipulate. If I remember my conversions correctly, the 32 mm axle nut is a 1 1/4" socket. If you decide to buy a socket for it, get a 6-point socket and NOT a 12-point. the 12-points tend to round off the nut :nono: :banghead:

Once you have:
1. the brake assembly hanging (suspended by a rope or something...don't let the brake line hold the weight)
2. the lower ball joint off
3. axle nut off

You should be able to push the axle thru the hub...sometimes it sticks..since your axle is toast anyway (rebuilts are $60 when you put the car back together) you can just beat on it to get it loose from the hub...another trick to avoid ruining the axle is to leave the nut on the end of the axle (flush with the edge so no threads are exposed) then we you beat it silly it doesn't booger up the threads.

Another word of caution (of course from personal experience) - when you are pulling axles in & out of the tranny, be careful and try not to nick the seal in the tranny..the splines on the inside of the axle are a great little jagged edge to rip that poor little rubber seal...then you have to replace the seal to keep all your tranny fluid from leaking out..which is about a $6 part, but a lot of labor in comparison. :(

Also, the pry bar discussed earlier is a good tool to have...it makes things a lot easier when trying to pop axles out of trannies, or removing ball joints from hubs. :thumbsup:

Good Luck dude..and EXCELLENT pics..it is always easier to deal with these issues when there are pics!! :cool: