axle help
#2
08-28-2008, 04:25 PM
Well the manual or auto should be the same.
If you want to remove them its fairly simple.
With the car on the ground pop off the wheel center cap, its the plastic piece in the center of the wheel with the Audi symbol on it.
Underneather you will either find a 17mm HEX bolt or a standard bolt but sorry I do not know the size, probably around 30ishmm.
Using a breaker bar and probably a long pipe loosen that bolt. Just enough to get it to spin freely. I have a 36" breaker and a 6' ft pipe I put over that, comes right off. With anything less it takes a lot. My impact gun wouldn't touch it.
Once that is loose turn the wheel so that the BACK of the tire is facing out, turn it all the way to full lock, raise the car and remove the wheel. You can remove the axle bolt the rest of the way now, its long and will most likely drop some fluid so be prepared to catch it. If your doing this on a hoist or raising both sides of the vehicle then you can turn the wheel after the fact but if your raising one side then I would do it before because moving the wheel will cause the car to move laterally and possibly fall off the jack.
Once that is done you need to remove the axle from the transfer case. You will need the Audi triple square tools to do this. Kind of looks like a star drive but it is NOT a star drive. A lot of the vendors carry them, don't use a star drive you will strip the bolt.
You will also need some long extensions, somewhere around 16-20" make it easiest. Follow the axle shaft and you will see it attaches to the transfer case with 6 bolts. You can rotate the rotor to gain access to each. The rubber for the boot is very stiff so it will obscure the bolts at various positions. I undo one bolt, rotate, undo the next bolt, rotate. The axle will want to spin. I generally jam a screw driver in between the rotor and the caliper to stop it from moving. You do this on the finned area, not the rotor surface. Slide the screw driver between the rotor and the caliper and then undo one of the bolts. They are not in there hard so just loosen them, do not remove them.
Leave the bolts in until you do the following:
Undo the upper tie rod. Take out the 12mm bolt on the top and then the pinch bolt which if I remember is 15 or 16mm. Take the pinch bolt out and seperate the tie rod end from the upright. I use a 1/4" socket extension and a rubber mallet to pound it out.
Now remove the other pinch bolt for the two upper control arms and seperate those control arms from the upright. I use a small wide screw driver and a rubbet mallet to seperate the pinch portion of the upright. It can be a pain to get that pinch bolt out just have to work at it, same for the balljoints on the control arms.
Once you undo the upright it will want to fall, DON'T LET IT, the brake line will get stressed and could be damaged.
Remove the axle bolt all the way.
This really requires two people. Have one person hold the up right while you get under the car and now remove all the bolts by hand from the axle at the transfer case. Once you have done that they can pull the upright down a bit, or out to get some clearance. The axle will come away from the transfer case, turn the axle a bit and it will slide out of the hub/bearing.
Your done.
Use some wire to tight the upright to the spring or pop the control arms back in to keep it up, don't let it hang.
Assuming everything goes smoothly your looking at about 35-40 minutes for removal.
If you want to remove them its fairly simple.
With the car on the ground pop off the wheel center cap, its the plastic piece in the center of the wheel with the Audi symbol on it.
Underneather you will either find a 17mm HEX bolt or a standard bolt but sorry I do not know the size, probably around 30ishmm.
Using a breaker bar and probably a long pipe loosen that bolt. Just enough to get it to spin freely. I have a 36" breaker and a 6' ft pipe I put over that, comes right off. With anything less it takes a lot. My impact gun wouldn't touch it.
Once that is loose turn the wheel so that the BACK of the tire is facing out, turn it all the way to full lock, raise the car and remove the wheel. You can remove the axle bolt the rest of the way now, its long and will most likely drop some fluid so be prepared to catch it. If your doing this on a hoist or raising both sides of the vehicle then you can turn the wheel after the fact but if your raising one side then I would do it before because moving the wheel will cause the car to move laterally and possibly fall off the jack.
Once that is done you need to remove the axle from the transfer case. You will need the Audi triple square tools to do this. Kind of looks like a star drive but it is NOT a star drive. A lot of the vendors carry them, don't use a star drive you will strip the bolt.
You will also need some long extensions, somewhere around 16-20" make it easiest. Follow the axle shaft and you will see it attaches to the transfer case with 6 bolts. You can rotate the rotor to gain access to each. The rubber for the boot is very stiff so it will obscure the bolts at various positions. I undo one bolt, rotate, undo the next bolt, rotate. The axle will want to spin. I generally jam a screw driver in between the rotor and the caliper to stop it from moving. You do this on the finned area, not the rotor surface. Slide the screw driver between the rotor and the caliper and then undo one of the bolts. They are not in there hard so just loosen them, do not remove them.
Leave the bolts in until you do the following:
Undo the upper tie rod. Take out the 12mm bolt on the top and then the pinch bolt which if I remember is 15 or 16mm. Take the pinch bolt out and seperate the tie rod end from the upright. I use a 1/4" socket extension and a rubber mallet to pound it out.
Now remove the other pinch bolt for the two upper control arms and seperate those control arms from the upright. I use a small wide screw driver and a rubbet mallet to seperate the pinch portion of the upright. It can be a pain to get that pinch bolt out just have to work at it, same for the balljoints on the control arms.
Once you undo the upright it will want to fall, DON'T LET IT, the brake line will get stressed and could be damaged.
Remove the axle bolt all the way.
This really requires two people. Have one person hold the up right while you get under the car and now remove all the bolts by hand from the axle at the transfer case. Once you have done that they can pull the upright down a bit, or out to get some clearance. The axle will come away from the transfer case, turn the axle a bit and it will slide out of the hub/bearing.
Your done.
Use some wire to tight the upright to the spring or pop the control arms back in to keep it up, don't let it hang.
Assuming everything goes smoothly your looking at about 35-40 minutes for removal.
#3
08-28-2008, 06:47 PM
okey, i m to the part where i have to get the bolt that i need to use audi triple square tools, looks like its pretty rusted and stock, can i just use to rust removing spray from autozone and try to get the bolt of
#6
08-28-2008, 08:46 PM
That set of bolts your trying to remove are not high torque and they are lubed internally so the rust should not be an issue, thats only on the outside of the bolt. I guess there is some chance of it rusting on the other side but its a small bolt, low torque...should come out OK.
If its a concern then replace the bolts.
I just replaced the boot...you can get remanned axles and I guess it would deppend on the condition of the CV joint itself.
Its $14.95 for a boot, about $115 for a remanned axle with boot...You've already done the hard part removing the axle, personally I'd clean out the CV, check it out, and if its OK just regrease it and put a new boot on.
I've read that the Audi CV's are nearly indestructible, do you hear any noises when you were driving the car?
The bigger question is, why did you want to remove the axle in the first place?
I did all this stuff last weekend, boots, tie rods, etc...tomorrow its all coming back out again for my new RS4 hybrid clutch.
If its a concern then replace the bolts.
I just replaced the boot...you can get remanned axles and I guess it would deppend on the condition of the CV joint itself.
Its $14.95 for a boot, about $115 for a remanned axle with boot...You've already done the hard part removing the axle, personally I'd clean out the CV, check it out, and if its OK just regrease it and put a new boot on.
I've read that the Audi CV's are nearly indestructible, do you hear any noises when you were driving the car?
The bigger question is, why did you want to remove the axle in the first place?
I did all this stuff last weekend, boots, tie rods, etc...tomorrow its all coming back out again for my new RS4 hybrid clutch.
#7
08-28-2008, 11:58 PM
there was a loud noise, brought to dads mechanic, the guy said axles is going bye bye, i m trying to get into audis bussines i sold 4 a6s this summer, guys out here love those for the winter so ppl buy them , i have a customer that wants it but wanted me to do break work and fix the noise, so i m gonna finish tommorow, and probably beggining of the week the guy will pick it up, thanks for advice, the bolt came of rite away after spraying it with some deruster, the car is 2000 Audi A6 2.7 with 77K looks great, very clean, fast, it was just the noise that bothered him...hope his happy after i put it new axle. thanks alot
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