Festiva axle issues,and questions, who is the festiva axle guru?

[ricko1966]

Okay latest project has suretrack axles based on the reciepts that came with the car, they were purchased and installed in 2017.The car had a really weird shake in the front end. I was checking out the front end grabbed some channel locks and rocked both axles and noticed how sloppy they were.Passenger side was worst. Built an axle out of several junk axles I had here and car is so much better.Now I have dissassembled regreased,rebooted used inner stubs for transmission r&r,used outter stubs for moving cars with no transmission.etc.But it seems there are at least 3 different style axles, some use a trilobal inner joint held on buy a snap ring some use a ball type inner joint that I haven't figured out yet how to remove. Some have outters that popoff if you whack them with a hammer and use a clip like how the inner stub stays in the trans mission.Some have an inner race made as part of the axle shafts. Some I haven't figured out how the outter comes off I imagine an internal snap ring. Where can we get joints? What other makes/models joints swap to our axles?How many different length Festy axles are there?Does anyone know who makes festy axles that last?According to the reciepts in this car it has had axles put in it twice since 2013 and I have to do them now. The shop I worked full time at we replaced joints with new OE joints and new OE boots and had great luck. The Oreilly I worked at Evenings and weekends we were always doing warranty exchanges on reman axles, so my confidence is kind of skewed.

[william]

I've always used orileys reman axels and got 100k out of them in 100k swap them out if they need it.
Just pay attention to the clip that comes on the reman axels sometimes it's not like the the oem clip . It's not round it had edgees that stick up and will get stuck badly in your transmission.

[Dragonhealer]

We use new axles from Autozone (Chinese) , lifetime warranty if the boots are not torn, change under warranty every 3 years or sooner as needed. No one I have found makes durable ones any more.....
Yes, beware the clip, it should be pumpkin shaped and as small as possible.

[ricko1966]

Thank you everyone tried to find new joints again today, No luck So I guess it's time to contact the nearest Autozone. I will still feel better using a new axle rather than remans.Thanks again, and also for the clip warning.Still does anyone know if any other joints swap to our axles so I can stock up on good used joints. Aspire?323?etc?

[ryanprins13]

I think charlie mentioned once on fb briefly about rebuilding oem axles yourself being better than aftermarket. But i really cant remember the post well enough to search for it

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[firebush357]

I think charlie mentioned once on fb briefly about rebuilding oem axles yourself being better than aftermarket. But i really cant remember the post well enough to search for it

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

He was talking to me in that post. He was saying that the stock axles have the 6 ball bearings instead of the 3 which makes for a stronger, smoother axle. If you can rebuild the original before the boots rip and cause damage then they will last a very long time.
I was forced to rebuild mine because of one was stuck in the trans. I didn't quite know what I was doing and had to rig it up a little which I don't recommend but this was for my mud car so hopefully it will be alright.

[ricko1966]

I have said many times I'd rather repair an oe axle than use a reman. Anyways back when I was doing this stuff daily for a living the remans they punched the inner and outter races out to the next bigger ball size and put on new boots well depending on the depth of the oe surface hardening you could end up with joints that were operating as soft untreated metal. We always tore oe axles down inspected them regreased them rebooted them and replaced any iffy joints with new OE. joints. I can;t seem to find new OE joints.Which is why I wonder what other joints I can use.

[ryanprins13]

He was talking to me in that post. He was saying that the stock axles have the 6 ball bearings instead of the 3 which makes for a stronger, smoother axle. If you can rebuild the original before the boots rip and cause damage then they will last a very long time.
I was forced to rebuild mine because of one was stuck in the trans. I didn't quite know what I was doing and had to rig it up a little which I don't recommend but this was for my mud car so hopefully it will be alright.

Any way you could do a bit of a writeup on how to properly do it? Like what to buy and what to do?

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[firebush357]

Any way you could do a bit of a writeup on how to properly do it? Like what to buy and what to do?

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

I don't know how much merit it would hold lol... I have yest to test to see if this one actually works and I just used tools that I had. I have no clue where that compression ring went so I had to tack weld it which I was told is not a good idea and then I put everything back together with Hose Clamps because I didn't have a rebuild kit or the tool they use for the Clamps.

Here is a great video that shows how to rebuild them though.
And you can check Rock Auto for Grease and New Boots and the Clamps and new compression rings

[ricko1966]

I didn't mean for anyone to think I was writing directly to them or about them. I have disassembled and reassembled so many 6 ball cv's in my life I can do them while doing other stuff I barely have to pay attention too them. I was actually hoping to get some useful input on the different types of joints,types of axles and interchangability. Like all VW inner joints came off just by removing an inboard circlip all water cooled outboard joints through 1980 you had to clean the grease out of the joint and find the internal snap ring but after 1980 all you had to do was smack the joint with a hammer and it popped off it was held by a circlip like the trans end of festy axles any 90mm joint would swap inboard any 100mm joint would swap inboard and you could use a 100mm inboard with a 90mm outboard if you had done a weirdo trans swap.Joints didn't matter with minor differences VW/Porsche/Audi I will dissassemble some more festiva axles and check them out and will do a write up on removing the joints,disassembling the joints,inspecting the joints and reassembling the axles. In the mean time anyone who decides to jump in and try it before I write it up. If this is your first time clean what you can get to first on your joint then put marks on the inner race and the outter race, they are not as simple as you think they have wide spots an skinny spots and you have to have wide lined up with skinny, you'll understand if you mark it and remember wide on one matches skinny on the other.

[denguy]

Are the axle seals in the std trans hard to change?

[ricko1966]

Still working on this, I tore down some more axles there are 4 different lengths. Once you know how to get them apart and back together they reall are just the same common sense as repacking wheel brgs, Dissassemble clean look for pits and scars no pits and scars repack with mos2 and reassemble with new boots, The problem is when you find a scarred up joint finding a replacement joint I am running out of donor axles.Will do a write up later . lengths,types of joints.R&R. disassembly and reassembly.

[WmWatt]

Manual transmission axles differ from automatic transmission axles in length, diameter, and number of splines.

[ricko1966]

I have been working on this,been so busy,so no time to do a write up yet but have dissassembled several axles,and built two for me haven't had time to go to JY yet to pull aspire or mazda joints to see if they are the same.After much research I have learned that the 3 lobe cv joints use different grease than the 6 ball cv's. I plan on only building 6 ball CV's and Schaffer number 274 grease is what I am using,it is 3% moly ep grease I actually was looking for 5% moly ep grease bought schaffer 238 and it happened to have an 800 number so I called it they informed me the 238 was too thick and that 274 exceeded my requirements. All the other grease even those specifically stated for CVs are mystery grease. No specs.

[firebush357]

I just put a handful of bearing grease in mine the other day lol. Mud car though so I doubt it matters.