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55 votes
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Is it necessary to have the wheels of a car aligned with the body when parked, due to weight on the axle?

Not at all, in fact there are many occasions when you would want the tires at an angle to the body of the car. Any time you're parked on a hill it is prudent to angle the wheels of the car so that if ...
dlu's user avatar
  • 14.4k
26 votes

Is it necessary to have the wheels of a car aligned with the body when parked, due to weight on the axle?

Perhaps my post is a bit late, but make sure you always face your wheels to an angle if you park your vehicle on a hill. A brake failure can lead into some heavy damage. If you parked your vehicle at ...
Oxy Synth's user avatar
  • 371
18 votes

Torque wrench or impact gun on large bolts

To answer your question directly, this is a "standard practice" but a VERY poor one. Getting the correct torque is by far more important than getting it done quickly. With the axle nut it is ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
12 votes
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Torque wrench or impact gun on large bolts

Neither. Just get a 1m long bar (by extending a breaker or similar), stick it on the nut so that it is horizontal and simply hang 250N of mass at the end of it: (*) 250N = 56.2 lbs = 25.5 Kg 250N * ...
Lamar Latrell's user avatar
10 votes
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Are there different greases for inner and outer CV joints?

True for some axles. Given the different bearing designs between the inner and out CV joint. The CV joints will include the required grease when purchased. The color depends more on the manufacturer ...
race fever's user avatar
  • 3,363
9 votes

Is it necessary to have the wheels of a car aligned with the body when parked, due to weight on the axle?

(I would have added this as a comment but I don't have the reputation yet) As dlu pointed out, on steep hills you want to angle your front wheels towards the kerb, but there are also situations where ...
Ben A's user avatar
  • 91
6 votes
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Are exploding axles common?

No, exploding axles are not a normal thing. Return to the shop that replaced them, there should be a warranty on them. Either: the axles were defective the axles weren't installed properly the axles ...
tlhIngan's user avatar
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5 votes

Is it necessary to have the wheels of a car aligned with the body when parked, due to weight on the axle?

The reasons taught by driving instructors to keep wheels angled to the kerb: one so that if the car rolls on a slope the tyres hit the kerb (as above); to avoid the wear and tear of turning the ...
David M W Powers's user avatar
5 votes
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2007 Escalade - grease on front axle

It looks as though the boot has split and is spewing grease all over the place. If there isn't a lot of dirt let into the boot, you should be able to just replace the boot (yes, this is a chore, but a ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
5 votes
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What is axle tramp?

In the States we call this wheel hop. Wheel hop is the rear axle loading and unloading itself in rapid succession. It's caused (as you stated) from either the design of the axle, worn parts, soft ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
4 votes
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Why do some axle repair bearings have two seals?

Axle repair bearings are used when the surface of the axle is chewed up by the old bearing. The repair bearing moves the location of where the bearing rollers ride to a smooth location on the axle. ...
vini_i's user avatar
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4 votes

How to calculate the angular velocity ratio of a cardan shaft?

I'm not convinced it's as simple as that formula. I think you've got three solid bodies involved in the conversation. If it were me, I'd design the system in SolidWorks, then put the pieces together ...
zipzit's user avatar
  • 6,559
4 votes

Tool for stubborn CV axle

Axle removed! The idea of banging on the axle bolt is a bad one if the axle is really stuck. Strong taps to dislodge are probably fine but above a certain degree of force, the inner threads on the ...
timbo's user avatar
  • 1,186
4 votes

Is it necessary to have the wheels of a car aligned with the body when parked, due to weight on the axle?

It depends on other circumstances. If you are on a slope angled wheels secure your car from rolling down. In the worst case you will damage your tyre agains curbs. In parallel parking, aligning ...
Crowley's user avatar
  • 377
4 votes
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Does replacing axel cvs imply replacing the cv boots as well?

Yes, in almost all cases the replacement CV axle comes as a sealed unit. It is pretty rare to hear of shops replacing individual joints (boots), when it is generally more cost effective to just ...
Sherman418's user avatar
4 votes
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How is the axle held in at the transmission ('88 Accord)?

If you look to the very right in this image: You'll see a snap ring. This holds the end of the axle in the transmission. To get it out, you need to wedge something like a long flat tip screwdriver or ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
3 votes
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Tool for stubborn CV axle

If the outer cv joint is stuck in the wheel bearing, remove the nut and spray with a good quality rust solvent and let set a few hours, re soak several times. My favorite is Rusty by Kent Shake very ...
Moab's user avatar
  • 7,990
3 votes
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Why do multi-axle vehicles have "innie" and "outie" wheel hubs?

There are two basic reasons for this: In the back where you see the dual tires, these are the drive axles. The one with the singe wheel is not. The extra tire on the driven axle helps provides ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
3 votes
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How can I check if a wheel axle is straight?

You would want to use a dial indicator and a pair of vblocks In order to understand the amount of run-out you may have on your axle you will want to be able to measure the amount of run-out and you ...
DucatiKiller's user avatar
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3 votes
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How Much Grease to Put into the CV joint?

There should be no grease in the boot. The CV joint casing doesn't need packing fully with grease. Pack enough in to cover all the moving parts. If a sachet of grease is included in the kit, then ...
HandyHowie's user avatar
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3 votes
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Best Way to Clean CV Joints of Old Grease

Clean off the bulk of the grease with rags, then dump them in a bucket of solvent (gas, kerosene, parts cleaner, mineral spirits). Seafoam or brake cleaner also work, but they're more expensive. Let ...
TMN's user avatar
  • 2,301
3 votes

Couldn't Get the Axle Out

I know exactly the feeling you are having ... been in this situation many times. The thing you need to do is be malevolent on it. You need to grab a pry bar which will give you some leverage. Do not ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
3 votes

Should you break loose an axle nut with the wheel on the ground?

If you dont have a powerful impact wrench, then yes break it loose on the ground with car in park or reverse if manual trans, or have a helper apply brakes firmly while you do it. As Paulster2 stated ...
Moab's user avatar
  • 7,990
3 votes

Grinding in Neutral After Changing Outer CV Joint

The grinding is likely coming from the splines on the driveshaft. Either it is not fully engaged in the differential or the splines have become damaged. In neutral, if there is no resistance to ...
HandyHowie's user avatar
  • 23.9k
2 votes

Why don't FWD cars have rear differentials?

It seems to me there's some confusion about terms here. An axle is just a bit of ironmongery holding the wheels in place. The wheels can rotate independently of the axle: there's a bearing between ...
Hobbes's user avatar
  • 4,422
2 votes
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Difference between Limited-Slip Rear Axle

Gear ratio is the only difference. 3:73 to 1 is the lowest ratio which means it will be faster in the short run, stop light to stop light. 3:15 to 1 is the highest gear ratio which means it will be ...
Moab's user avatar
  • 7,990
2 votes

Why do multi-axle vehicles have "innie" and "outie" wheel hubs?

The "outie" axles in the rear are only single tire, where as the "innie" rear axles are dually. I suspect it is simply based on weight capacity. It is to much weight for just a single dually axle, but ...
Mobius's user avatar
  • 1,308
2 votes
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What to do about this rust on trailer wheel, suspension and part of axle?

There are several things here you're going to need to do: Wheel: You need to replace this. The outside lip looks like it's about done. At the very least it is severely weakened. From what I can see, ...
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2's user avatar
2 votes

Are the axles on a cargo trailer supposed to be visibly bent?

No, axles should not be bent. To double-check you would need a known straight-edge, like a level or a "square" (which is actually shaped like an L), and hold that up against the axle(s) If you see ...
CarCrazyBen's user avatar
2 votes

How to raise front of car safely?

You need a level solid surface and chocks both sides of the rear wheels. Soft ground, gravel etc can lead to problems so avoid that type of surface.
Solar Mike's user avatar
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