How to Fix a Bent Front Axle Housing

Housed inside of a protective casing, an axle allows the wheel to rotate on its axis while connecting it to the vehicle frame. On front-wheel drive vehicles, axles and casing are a unitized piece linking the drive wheels to the transmission, called a transaxle; each wheel is connected to its own independent axle, known as a half-shaft, attached to opposite sides of the transmission. As the axle and casing are of one-piece design, if the front axle housing becomes bent, the entire half-shaft must be replaced.

Instructions

Park the vehicle in a level spot, shift the transmission into park and set the parking brake. Brace the front and back of the rear wheels with blocks.

Lift the side of the vehicle with the bent axle with an automotive jack. Place a jack stand under the vehicle frame, adjacent to the bent axle, and lower the vehicle frame onto the jack stand.

Remove the wheel from the vehicle, loosening and removing the lug nuts with a lug wrench. Disconnect the brake line, the flexible hose going into the brake disc, with a wrench. Unbolt the wheel hub and disc brake assembly from the vehicle with the appropriate wrenches.

Unbolt the axle shaft from the vehicle frame and suspension strut with a wrench. Loosen the collar on the axle shaft, at the transaxle, with a wrench. Wipe the inside of the socket on the transaxle with a clean, lint-free cloth.

Coat the end of the new axle shaft with bearing grease, taking care to not get grease on the connector pins at the end of the shaft, or the grease will contaminate the transmission fluid.

Insert the end of the new axle shaft into the socket on the transaxle, rotating the shaft until the pins on the shaft fall into place inside the transaxle. Tighten the locking collar on the shaft with the wrench. Attach the new axle shaft to the frame support and strut with the wrench.

Bolt the wheel hub and disc brake assembly to the new axle with the wrenches. Reconnect the brake line to the brake disc with the wrench.

Mount the wheel to the disc assembly, tightening the lug nuts with the lug wrench. Use the jack to lift up the vehicle slightly,remove the jack stand, lower the vehicle to the ground and remove the jack. Remove the wheel blocks.