so while putting in my transmission using 2 jacks, which sucks by the way, my passenger side drive axle was in the way so i moved it. the metal casing that houses the bearings was crooked, and wouldnt go back straight, and i ended up messing with it til it pulled off. as it pulled off the grooves where the bearings sit are sharp as ***** and i took a huge chunk out of my finger. how does this metal casing go back on? all the grooves are tapered like this \ / \ / \ / around the inside

 

It seems that no one has answered this. I too am in a tight spot. I just recently put in a new clutch (wanted to go through one of our fellow Audiforum members but didn't end up working out due to some other stuff I had to replace which led me to getting a cheaper clutch) anywho...got everything back on I too used two jacks....shi* sucks come to find out the harbor freight down the road had an attachment for a floor jack to turn it into a floor tranny jack for $45. So I get everything on start it up for the first time in a month and it was beautiful. So I drive it around for a few days and on the 4th day I was coming home and turning onto my street and I hear\feel a really hard thud and the tranny kicks out of gear Im thinking "OH F*&K!!! I HOPE I DIDNT F*(K SOMETHING UP IN THE TRANNY!!!" Try to throw it in gear and it engages but no moving just revving. So I get out and immediately step on a rather large ball bearing...thinking thats random and look under the car...see my driver side cv just dangling there....with no ball bearings in the cage assembly. So I have someone bring a tow strap and tow me (about 500 ft). So I attempt to put the ball bearings back in the cage assembly. Not happening. So I did some research and turns out supposedly you can put them back in....but its a B*$CH. So I just figured ok let me see how much a new one costs. Found a few places charging $145 including core...then I find some that are new without core for $75 which is what the other ones would be after the core. I just happen to find one at the Advanced Auto Parts right around the corner from me and it came with a lifetime limited warranty. I go get it and the next day start to install it. Well I get it installed and torque the large as hell bolt down to 85 ft lb. Awesome it works.... well tonight I was driving home from work (about 40 miles from home) and I felt\heard a thud and the tranny kicked out of gear "Oh **** not again" Get out and look....The bolt head and a little of the bolt sheered off and flew accross two lanes of traffic...Im thinking "WTH" so I look at the place where the bolt goes and notice something that I cannot believe I didnt notice when I was installing it and feel stupid. The spline with the teeth is smaller that the wheel bearing and essentially I was torquing the bolt more every time I hit the gas and well I guess for a bolt that big it had to be well over 150 ft lbs on that thing. Had to wait for almost 4 hours for a tow truck because there were a ton of cars that went of the road from our weather the other day. Advanced down the road from my work (where the car is sitting) ordered another one that will be there in the morning. The problem is that I can put this back on, but it will just happen again. So I need some guidance on this issue too. Other problem I have encountered is that I have to take the tranny back off. Think I might have screwed up the rear main seal. Leaking a ton of oil. Funny thing is that its on top of the tranny but not on the back of the flywheel and it only leaks when I turn the car off.

 

you don't need to take the tranny out to replace an axle. which bolt are you talking about that sheared? the one that mates the axle with the hub? it sounds like you have the wrong part. the splines on the axle and hub should match up very closely. it's not easy getting the splines to line up perfect lol.

 

Putting the bearings back into the axle is not as hard as you think once you figure it out. IIRC you put them backin by skipping one. I remember having a customer send me one and they were all out, took me about 5 minutes to figure out how to put them back in. lol


As for the splines being too small. You got the wrong axle that is why. You ended up getting the axle for the pre 2001 1.8t which has a smaller spline, while your 2001 1.8t has the same size spline as the 2.8 axle. In 2001 Audi upgraded the A4 1.8t front hubs with the ones used on the 2.8 and S4. This is why your axle keeps coming loose. This is also why a front axle for a 2001 A4 1.8t will have a different part number then a front axle for a 1997-2000 A4 1.8t.


I actually ran into this problem when I had to replace my front left upright and ended up with one from a 2001 A4 1.8t and my 2000 axle just kept popping loose. lol

2000 A4 1.8t front left axle - 8D0407271DL
2001 A4 1.8t front left axle - 8D0407451EX
2000 A4 2.8 front left axle - 8D0407451EX

Notice the 2001 1.8t and 2000 2.8 use the same front left axle.

 

So I would need to get a cv axle for the 2000 A4 2.8 axle? Damn Leave it to Advanced Auto Parts to hold up their reputation just like Autozone...you would think this would be something they would know...maybe ran into it before and corrected the problem...Well thanks for the info...I was getting ready to take the ball and cage assembly off the new one I bought and put it on my original cv as that is what broke on it and I didn't feel like going through the hassle of spending $80 for a replacement cage assembly and having to put it on just get another cv and be done with it for less than the replacement. Guess that won't work will it due to the spline size or are we just talking about the outter spline. I suppose I can put them next to each other and determine...and yes it was the bolt that connects the hub to the axle...the outer cv joint.

 

I wouldn't take the tranny off to replace axle lol...I know that much I had to take the tranny off to replace the CLUTCH and when I was putting it back on (using two floor jacks) is when I would have damaged that. I mean the rear main seal for the engine. The splines won't meet up at all because what Mike is saying once again is the case...the shaft is too small. Pretty much the bolt was holding all of the rotational torque thus eventually snapping the bolt in two.

 

Just tell them they sold you an axle for a 2000 A4 1.8t, you need one for a 2001 A4 1.8t or a 2.8. They should be able to see that there is a part # difference if they actually look it up.

 

my thread is ALIIIIIVE! haha. i ended up just buying 2 new cv axles and using the joints off of them

 

I ordered the 2.8 axle because in their system the 1.8 2001 axle is all they have and it says it fits my car...wsell the replacement was the same size so I paid the difference for it. Fingers crossed. Thanks for the help guys.

 

if you ever need front wheel bearings, i have 2 brand new ones thatll work with your car