Does the drivers axle have to be a specific orientation to release the circlip from inside the trans? I can't remember what the Haynes says about this, and having only replaced the passenger side axle myself on my S60... That circlip does indeed make axle work a PITA though. How about some PB blaster on it, or is it for sure the clip holding things up?

 

It's definitely the clip and no there is no specific orientation to get it out although I tried rotating it several times.

 

I have dealt with my fair share of stuck axles with circlips.I was always able to get it out by removing the other side axle and using a slim steel drift as a driver.Make sure the end of the driver is in direct contact of the stuck axle end and give it a good whack with a 3lb hammer.

 

That's not a bad idea. I thought there would be something inside the trans between the two axles. I guess there isn't.

Thanks!

 

I'm going to try the drift punch on Friday. I have to replace the LCA and hub bearing on the passenger side anyway so while I'm in there, I'll pull the passenger side axle and give it another shot.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

I never had to use this method on a Volvo but many others with circlips.Since you have to do the lca's,It's worth a look.I never saw a carrier with a cup in it before???

 

Pretty sure it's an intermediate shaft that both axle's, inner splines sit in. That will block access to the other axle. You can kind of see it in this video:

 

Please don't try and punch it out from the passenger side, there is NO path to get from one side to the other, and the internal differential press-on cap at the end of the passenger side axle hole, if dislodged, will require the transmission to be taken apart.

Can see this for an example of another person who tried this approach on an AW5x (they may have stopped before punching out the internal cap) http://forums.swedespeed.com/showth...Driver-side-axle-broke-inside-the-trans-SMH!!!&p=4752593&viewfull=1#post4752593

 

That's what I thought. Thanks for the conformation!

I'm just going to give it another shot on Friday using a slide hammer.

 

Yeah the automatics can stick due to rust, because there's no lube from the transmission in the spline. There is on the stick shifts but even then the shafts can be a nightmare.

My first auto transmission had the driver's side rusted into the diff, I had the trans out of the car so I could get all the leverage in the world and it wouldn't budge. I pounded on it with a chisel so hard that I thought I was going to break the transmission case. Eventually it came out by hitting the chisel for about 30 minutes. And it didn't pop loose, it came out a tiny bit with each hit.

 

If I have to do it again, maybe I should turn the car on it's side and spray in some PB Blaster...

 

Had the same issue with my V70. After 1.5 hours trying to get the cup out, Frankensteined it back together- cleaned out the old cup, slapped everything else from the rebuilt CV axle back into it. Ran fine for 30K until the car was totaled.

 

Trick I did on my S60; I drilled through the cup and insert a steel rod through one side of the cup, through some angle iron then through the otherside if the cup,

Finally I hammered outward at the end of the angleiron like a makeshift slidehammer.

A bit destructive but thats how i got that sumbbitch out

 

I was dead wrong.the vid and explanation clearly shows that the diff has this "Seal cup" I never have seen this before and I apoligize for the bad info I gave.This explains why no trans fluid leaks out when the axles are pulled out.I learned something here and if I knew this before,I would have done a good clean up on my shafts when they were out and probably would have used a bit of never seize in the splines before I put it back together.Some members here are a lot more experienced with Volvo's than I am.Thanks Lloyd Dobler.
Good luck getting that bitch out.

 

I've never given thought myself to if the trans shaft channel goes all the way through or not, I always assumed that it did not. That said, any axles I've replaced, I've always greased to prevent seizing issues in the future, though I've never experienced that with any yet (passenger side axles).

 

I got the ****ER OUT! Good and bad news though. More good than bad though. Will post more, and pics soon. Thanks for all the tips!

 

Well today I made another attempt to free my driver's side axle from the transmission. I started by trying the OTC cv axle puller tool with slide hammer. That didn't work because there's no way to get the puller fork in there in such a way that you can attach the slide hammer. I then resorted back to my chisel, axle popper tool, and various pry bars, all to no avail. While looking for a pair of vice grips in my tool box, I noticed I had the infamous 5/8" craftsman chisel in my top drawer. Up until this point I had been using a 5/8", 12" long Estwig chisel. I proceeded to sledge hammer the "magical" craftsman chisel between the trans and axle. Still nothing. I then tried this set up:

My half inch impact gun with a 13 mm long socket and the craftsman 5/8" chisel.

Initially I hammered the chisel between the trans and axle and then applied the impact gun to it. No result. After a few more attempts I decided to just place the whole rig between the trans and axle cup by hand so that the chisel would be loose enough to allow the impact gun to make the chisel slap against the axle. I think i rotated the axle once or twice trying this and then it finally popped out!

Here's the stubborn mother****er:
Notice the black sticky stuff. No idea what that is. It may have been applied by the Volvo tech that rebooted it quite a few years ago.

And the remains of my trans:
Notice my intermediate shaft splines are not rusty at all.

The bad news is that when I replaced the axle seal, it did not go in perfectly. A very small piece of the outer lip rubber sheered off. I took it for a test drive and when I came back the trans was leaking fluid at the axle seal. Also only about 85% of my vibration under acceleration was gone. Could it be the cardone select axle? Or is that the passenger side inner joint is also on its way out? Well, I have a Volvo axle coming in on Tuesday so when I replace the seal, I will put in the Volvo axle instead of the cardone axle to see if that's the problem.

Pretty drunk right now so if any of this was incoherent, that's my excuse.

 

I've used Cardone Select axles and currently have one on my passenger side, zero vibration! I'm not thinking its the one that you just replaced. Maybe it's your passenger side one going out?

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Yes that's a big possibility. I did do a few acceleration tests turning hard to the left to load up the right side and I did get quite a shake from that side. The passenger side is a Volvo axle that I installed in 2013. It seems Volvo's re-manufactured axles just don't last. They're still happy to charge $500+ a pop.

The one thing that makes me think the driver's side cardone might still be contributing to some of the vibration is that it does not have a balance on the shaft like the Volvo axle does.

 

I just realized I installed the new axle seal backwards. The old one was a different design than the new one. I guess Volvo updated the part because everywhere I look include the dealer says the new part is correct:

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-axle-shaft-seal-6843112

The old seal had a rubber face but hollow inside. Notice in my above picture the rubber facing out. I put the new seal in with the rubber facing out as well. That may be why it gave me such a hard time getting in and eventually tore.

I will tear it back apart next Friday and replace the seal again and make sure to put the metal side out.

 

Google "seal garter spring" and click on google images to see it.

Basically the seal garter spring faces inside the transmission.

Make sure you use:
- Corteco or Volvo OEM.
- Install exactly as factory, i.e., if factory seal sits 2mm from the trans edge, do exactly that. Anything else, you are asking for an ATF leak.

 

Thanks for the info. That's what I found out today too. Spring goes towards fluid. I'm using corteco seals. Pretty thats who makes them for Volvo. I actually have a spare genuine Volvo seal and you can't tell the difference between it and the corteco seal.

 

Short story: I fixed the **** out of my car today!artywave:

Long story:
Today I revisited my car awaiting to get its axle seal leak remedied. I was a bit concerned about the newly replaced driver's side axle not coming out easily like seen earlier in this thread when I tried to get out the worn axle. I tired first with my axle popper tool, the one FCP sells, and in about 45 secs it popped right out! Man that was easy. Was it just because of the use of anti-sieze, or was it because of lack of use of the black sticky stuff my Volvo mechanic used the last time he re-booted the axle?

Now getting the seal out that I put in backwards was a different story. Impossible to simply pry out so I used some self tapping screws and pried it out with those.

Next I tried to very carefully put in the new seal very evenly and with the garter spring facing inward. Pretty quickly I noticed the seal was tearing again. I then realized all the beating on the trans to get the original axle out did a lot of damage to the seal seating surfaces. When I initially removed the axle I did use some emery cloth to smooth out some sharp edges but it wasn't near enough sanding. Now, I proceeded to continue sanding but was concerned I might take off too much so after about 30-45 min of sanding and feeling, sanding and feeling, ad nauseam I decided to test my work with the seal I had just tried to install but rotating it 180 degrees so that the un-damaged portion could be used to test the area where it had previously torn. I'm glad I did that as opposed to using a brand new seal because although it did not tear where it did before, it tore in a new area that was also pretty banged up. So out it came and more sanding commenced. Finally I was happy with how the seal mating surface felt after about a total of two hours of sanding and decided to try another new seal. Eureka! The seal went in aprox. 2 mm inside of the lip and no tears!

I put everything back together, but before the test drive I went ahead and replaced my passenger side axle as well since on my earlier test drive I still had some vibration after installing the new driver's side axle. After all of that was done, the test drive:

Smooth as silk now! No vibration at acceleration at any speed. I don't remember the last time my car felt this good!

Then when I got the car back in the garage I checked to make sure there were no leaks, and everything was dry as a bone. Success! Vindicated at last!!!

My volvo specialist had told me a few weeks ago (after not being able to remove the axle themselves) I would probably need to go to a trans specialist to have the trans removed and taken apart in order to free the circlip from the inside. I know they wouldn't have been willing to do all the work I did to finish this job but I sure as hell was willing to put in some more effort to bring my car back from the brink.

Also, turns out the Cardone select axles worked great! Super smooth and they seem as high quality (or higher) as the OEM axles. The only difference is that they are brand new and not re manufactured like you get from the Volvo dealer or Volvo parts suppliers.

This is the third time my passenger side axle has had to be replaced! The first two replacements were Volvo axles and only lasted about 30-40k miles. I'm now convinced that Volvo re-manufactured axles ( which is all you can get from the dealer and parts suppliers) are $600 worth of crap. I will now only buy new cv axles from Cardone select or GKN which are available through eEuroparts. Thanks for nothing Volvo parts (sharts)!

 

That's great to hear that you got the front vibration all worked out and the drivers axle seal situation remedied. Axles can many of times be a huge PITA. I had to replace a passenger one on my old '01 S40 I used to have, and I've also replaced the passenger one on my S60. On my S40 when I had to motor in it replaced, I also had the drivers axle replaced at that time as well since it had sufficient play in it to be at a point of needing replacement. For all 3 axles I went with Cardone Select axles. They to me are excellent pieces, and have a limited lifetime warranty which is always a plus in my book. I have not yet had an issue with mine. I do honestly think however, that at least some of the parts used in the passenger side axle ARE recycled or remanufactured. On my S40 when I replaced the passenger side one, it's identical to our S60 passenger axle, but maybe different spline teeth count or axle length or something. Still uses a thick intermediate shaft, and the Cardone Select axle I got for it had a smaller diameter intermediate shaft. That didn't bother me too much... Onto when I replaced my S60 passenger side axle, it came with a thick intermediate shaft just like my factory axle has. If you look at most pictures from other axle brands, almost all show a smaller diameter intermediate shaft for new axles. Personally I'd rather have the thicker OEM intermediate shaft, and it's totally fine with me if that part of it were to be reused so long as all else is new. One thing to bear in mind with our Volvo axles, the inner boot is almost always rubber where as the outer is neoprene. The rubber will ALWAYS fail long before the neoprene gives way. That's why almost any axle you have to replace or anytime you get a boot tear, it'll be the inside one. Why neoprene isn't used at both sides is beyond me. But I've always had a theory about this as it's a money maker for them. If you inherently design something to fail after sometime instead of remain durable, then you sell more product. An axle or axle boot should not fail consistently after 30-40k miles. Just my $0.02 on it though.

 

I agree about the inner boots. They do always tear. In fact I can't remember every tearing an outer boot.

The cardone select axles seem well made to me. The only thing I didn't like was the circlip on the driver's side had a square profile where the Volvo circlip has a slightly rounded profile so I did source a new Volvo circlip and replaced the cardone clip with it.

The best thing about the cardone select axles are the price. At about $80-$120 each, I will just replace the axles whenever the boots tear.

The last "new" Volvo axle I installed on the passenger side tore its inner boot only after being on the car for a year!

Permitting that the axles actually come out, replacing them only takes me about 45 minutes per side. So not much of a PITA unless it's a stuck driver's side!

My policy from now on with axle seals will be to leave them alone if they are not leaking because it's so easy to get back in there if they end up leaking and they usually don't. My driver's side axle seal was still dry at 177k miles and when I replaced my passenger side seal at 135k, it was also so dry and so is the replacement.

 

Checked things over after driving the car a bit the past two days. Everything looks good on the driver's side but the passenger side outer c/v boot is spitting some grease. Best I can tell is that it is coming from between the end of the boot and the joint. I will call JC Whitney this week and see if they will send me a replacement. It's always something!:facepalm:

 

Subscribed. I need to be able to find this again since the vibration under load issue just started in my S60.

Hoping that 9/10 it's the passenger side causing the issue, because the driver's side is such a bear. Maybe I can get away with the just the one this time.

 

I did all of the prep for a nightmare. It appears the previous owner had some work done on the transmission because it came out easily.

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Greaaaat, Now throwing a CEL for the catalytic converter. Argh. OK, one thing at a time...

Need a little help on the Cardone part numbers (both Select and A1. Yes I looked at their website. Seems cryptic. No wonder Rock Auto's site is also cryptic). Apparently the 2.5T AWD cv axles are different than the 2.5T FWD? Totally baffled from searching.

Edit: Ordered 'em. Bought the in-stock passenger side from Rock Auto, the in-stock driver side from Summit Racing (which including core charge was $30 more.)

 

You'll like them, they are great axles.

 

One halfshaft is supposed to be here tomorrow, the other Monday.

When I put these replacements in, is it acceptable to coat the splines going into the transmission with anti-seize or grease? Or is that bad?

 

One halfshaft is supposed to be here tomorrow, the other Monday.

When I put these replacements in, is it acceptable to coat the splines going into the transmission with anti-seize or grease? Or is that bad?

I would recommend that. Personally I use axle grease on both ends but I think anti-sieze is fine too. The axles are held in place by the circlip on the driver's side and the carrier bearing on the passenger side so no need to worry about them sliding out.

My driver's side axle had some really sticky goop on the splines that go into the transmission. It had been out at least once before when the trans was replaced by a Volvo tech. He must have stuck it on there. He probably thought he was doing me a favor but it that might be why it was so hard to get out since mine wasn't rusty and corroded like some of the other stuck axles I've seen.

Funny thing is the tech that did my trans swap many years ago and added the sticky goop, was the same guy I took it to after I couldn't get the axle out. Then he couldn't either!:facepalm: Luckily I was able to get it out after beating the **** out of it with my franken-tool.

 

125k miles, only on my first replacement passenger axle. Replaced about 20k ago with a Cardone Select. Still going strong. Driver's side AFAIK is still the factory axle as I acquired the car at 76K and in all of the records I have, an axle replacement was not part of that. Not bad at all!! So what makes the passenger axle more prone to failure? I know why it's always the inner boot that will fail/rip, but why the passenger side axle more than the driver's?