My driver's side front axle was bad. It was clicking on right hand turns and it was clear that grease had been lost.
I didn't see any posts mentioning DIY axle replacement so I thought I would post a few things.
I purchased an after market axle from Rockauto.com. It was much cheaper than an OEM part and I have had good experiences with items purchased off Rockauto. Admittedly, all my other cars have been much more common so there were plenty of aftermarket choices. I could only find one option. It was manufactured by SURTRACK/TRAKMOTIVE GM8347 and including shipping was $72. There were a sufficient number of bellows. I have replaced numerous axles and the greater the number of bellows helps to decrease the stresses on the boot.
The axle replacement was involved, but not difficult. I followed the basic instructions from the manual that someone had posted at one point. It involved a complete removal of the hub assembly. But this was easy because the ball joint separation was easier than any ball joint I have ever encountered. Just removal of one bolt and it pulled right off. Frankly, the tie rod was more difficult and required a pickle fork.
On the driver's side axle there was no good place to stick a screwdriver in to pry the old axle off. I had to remove the front wheel well cover (don't know what to call it) in order to gain better access for my pickle fork from the front instead of underneath where I would usually do it. Pushing with my foot popped it out. A considerable amount of transmission fluid leaked out. I didn't mind as I was changing the fluid out as well on my 2012 Volt with 113,000 miles on it.
I have included a picture of the fluid leaking out. I have also included a picture of the old and new axles. The new one isn't identical, but works fine. It didn't have the little cover that mates up to a similar one on the engine side, but I haven't seen other axles with it so it should be fine.
The new axle snapped into place easily. The ring stayed on the male axle piece on the engine side.
I know these are not detailed instructions. I didn't see anyone else posting about it and I wanted to post and say it isn't a difficult job and you can save a couple of hundred dollars doing it yourself if you like. I would be glad to answer any questions you may have.
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I didn't see any posts mentioning DIY axle replacement so I thought I would post a few things.
I purchased an after market axle from Rockauto.com. It was much cheaper than an OEM part and I have had good experiences with items purchased off Rockauto. Admittedly, all my other cars have been much more common so there were plenty of aftermarket choices. I could only find one option. It was manufactured by SURTRACK/TRAKMOTIVE GM8347 and including shipping was $72. There were a sufficient number of bellows. I have replaced numerous axles and the greater the number of bellows helps to decrease the stresses on the boot.
The axle replacement was involved, but not difficult. I followed the basic instructions from the manual that someone had posted at one point. It involved a complete removal of the hub assembly. But this was easy because the ball joint separation was easier than any ball joint I have ever encountered. Just removal of one bolt and it pulled right off. Frankly, the tie rod was more difficult and required a pickle fork.
On the driver's side axle there was no good place to stick a screwdriver in to pry the old axle off. I had to remove the front wheel well cover (don't know what to call it) in order to gain better access for my pickle fork from the front instead of underneath where I would usually do it. Pushing with my foot popped it out. A considerable amount of transmission fluid leaked out. I didn't mind as I was changing the fluid out as well on my 2012 Volt with 113,000 miles on it.
I have included a picture of the fluid leaking out. I have also included a picture of the old and new axles. The new one isn't identical, but works fine. It didn't have the little cover that mates up to a similar one on the engine side, but I haven't seen other axles with it so it should be fine.
The new axle snapped into place easily. The ring stayed on the male axle piece on the engine side.
I know these are not detailed instructions. I didn't see anyone else posting about it and I wanted to post and say it isn't a difficult job and you can save a couple of hundred dollars doing it yourself if you like. I would be glad to answer any questions you may have.
