Dr_Snooz
08-02-2020, 07:05 AM
I want to make the community aware of this issue, in case it hangs anyone else up. TrakMotive supplies new axles for our cars. The axles are also sold under the name Import Direct at O'Reilly Auto Parts. You might also encounter these axles branded under other names as well. I see similar looking axles on Rock Auto, but can't say for sure if they're TrakMotive. It's the only axle I was able to find locally on a Saturday afternoon, so I had to make it work. This axle is on the left side of my MT car. Here's the axle.
https://bqjiww.bl.files.1drv.com/y4myqg-kBddRtd2Kvbt7Fyf4BCQ8v_2Q-Dr8H-Ap-GgAkdkmrM-3bP61tz1DetY_OG774pUFA62dTDb4fvlaP7gO9kIZVZ0753Yt6 1aaYAhdJVi8oX8BfLShvcXl-E3a_xlU6zRRh4ui9xgXYwNQ3WDlO0LcXIlrD0t2MfMZ_6ZHC-1eNOx04qF1TvqaLQAnWT79pMLiZwNa_Seh-AHFDqXDA?width=4032&height=3024&cropmode=none
https://avgt5w.bl.files.1drv.com/y4mBcHtjEyzD7lfcELpg7QZ-FaaBNbVX6NLJcg7tZRo7BQOiKBH28l5bEOqyq0sBrjBKkBFuC8 _xn2Xy3bnSGJ_5khInDwCr_lxUz0kSgUdRPqw2LfywGBLvZTxg zTA4QPJbiPZtu0mOwf_vZeMXKjl7VLy4IMbvJPCL1-nZx-XSJ5XiFI6eAJ8044uqi3dQUFgVzIPEEjkNT3YyZrqYKn-eg?width=4032&height=3024&cropmode=none
https://www.rockauto.com/info/570/HO-8058__ra_p.jpg
It's a decent axle. I don't think I've ever seen that additional bearing seal before. It's a nice touch. The axle slips into both the trans and hub with little difficulty. The problem is that it binds on the wheel bearing dust ring when you torque down the spindle nut. This prevents the axle from turning. SMH
Here's a shot of the axle untorqued.
https://bvjdww.bl.files.1drv.com/y4m2hy_Dh6PB_rnVDnQixkE7_ppTvlGy5HDNaKwP7LaxlQ-eLgBcpLtvZvYf8Ha5MS7esDaidU5jt1mtlEcn3mWF_iApbNV5v jWK05xxWsfYKUCAJiWE-NA0npwCAtreQCbK6O6pncz7J6g5nB3sCgmHEb4uUcUPVjv3JcV UI6aMfw32swWqhK_HHRNE6jn0Vg3Mv_NHSyBCbFdrzqaqM3ztA ?width=3024&height=4032&cropmode=none
And torqued down.
https://bqjhww.bl.files.1drv.com/y4mImiWBNfWsU2uf3mhLz3--zxlWE24EnJPnBekKod_L-ojqelCO1rLBmszawBalepCxQaTIAuElY4yjHn66J4Jv9vJPB6r jeEmNCh7NyEorFYZZtJbvIAZNaIVhpMeP1X3h8ocAO7rlYRw1C B0ouIR6E0aEF0YJgW9FawW4qalTfx1480k-K6IrVnQu3Z-xFeKV30sx2rESc8S2yX6FO-CfA?width=3024&height=4032&cropmode=none
You can see that the joint face is sealed tight against the dust ring at the back of the knuckle. The wheel simply will not turn like this.
The problem is that the CV joint face is larger by about 12 thousandths in a couple spots and that is enough to make contact with the dust ring. Here is the dust ring.
https://dpjbww.bl.files.1drv.com/y4mtWKpIiWUpyjUGTsMGfFHhnonQRL4K-0v7YUFZroc3Do5RNd7LSip125Nvbp3AfKz-ikxXowfiz6asgRQPwfcLAKknCyDEyi8C5uS47ZOlEnJj_JdmoD 2r0ZDHevyrYSe-j3wrK_x2K0QhLQdhj-ur9--fLH6ZhyzALo9sqgn7HhZKeqKC8um8vnUDHgDdYzihRRwa3C_lF pTPHNKPurAXQ?width=4032&height=3024&cropmode=none
To resolve the issue, I removed the dust ring and used my belt sander to remove about 1/16th inch of height from it. Here is the ring with material removed. The outer shiny ring is what I removed with my belt sander.
https://bphi0a.bl.files.1drv.com/y4mtLnjAuPInJgowzpTC_ysqEprXE3JIBo4I3Wp9y7pTo_3O06 vKpLJc1xF9m55geTBkBae2ZStUIWM55Zshc2ER1W3vierdAK29 aetHSXN_KtOuIARK8gOiOGb2JcrzraQxCkWLXuAnFRqJa48JRH OkNnoMkX0kdt2OsQiFjedXUIyhJrRO65IKMEihNJrr66t3apEW npRniHJlwS3NQ-rfA?width=3024&height=4032&cropmode=none
You'll also notice an inner shiny ring in the photo. That's the second place the CV joint makes contact. To fix this, I had to grind down the face of the CV joint with my angle grinder, like so:
https://bphj0a.bl.files.1drv.com/y4mfgf-Yf9QCyh58xY3zT8qtu8nJz4qGRutr4CcmZ-2uSwX1ck8uvq2Ofg3o4sAJW5K37yhRYcOhDjHg3o5oNYS5P1Bo E8929iK6yVXvhFi4BPFWIOuw8m3ssI516zohAZsiZ6jTKOXQ_r ZZfHl7eEF1lPuDzctZEuP0dO4Nvt-PlNUwl1VBnj0-QITK6aHG7wR_5toV5dc1E9WwJ61AnpjNg?width=4032&height=3024&cropmode=none
This was enough to get my hub turning, but I did hear some light scraping on my test drive. It will clearance itself eventually, but will throw all kinds of filings into my wheel bearing as it does. (Doh.)
I contacted TrakMotive tech support about the issue. I'm impressed that they offer a way for the public to contact a tech. I'm less impressed that the tech tried to pretend that it wasn't their axle, but maybe someone else's axle that Rock Auto had swapped into their box when I wasn't looking. (Um, what?) Anyway, I've let that tech know what the issue is. Let's hope he does the right thing with that info. If he doesn't, you know how to make it work now.
https://bqjiww.bl.files.1drv.com/y4myqg-kBddRtd2Kvbt7Fyf4BCQ8v_2Q-Dr8H-Ap-GgAkdkmrM-3bP61tz1DetY_OG774pUFA62dTDb4fvlaP7gO9kIZVZ0753Yt6 1aaYAhdJVi8oX8BfLShvcXl-E3a_xlU6zRRh4ui9xgXYwNQ3WDlO0LcXIlrD0t2MfMZ_6ZHC-1eNOx04qF1TvqaLQAnWT79pMLiZwNa_Seh-AHFDqXDA?width=4032&height=3024&cropmode=none
https://avgt5w.bl.files.1drv.com/y4mBcHtjEyzD7lfcELpg7QZ-FaaBNbVX6NLJcg7tZRo7BQOiKBH28l5bEOqyq0sBrjBKkBFuC8 _xn2Xy3bnSGJ_5khInDwCr_lxUz0kSgUdRPqw2LfywGBLvZTxg zTA4QPJbiPZtu0mOwf_vZeMXKjl7VLy4IMbvJPCL1-nZx-XSJ5XiFI6eAJ8044uqi3dQUFgVzIPEEjkNT3YyZrqYKn-eg?width=4032&height=3024&cropmode=none
https://www.rockauto.com/info/570/HO-8058__ra_p.jpg
It's a decent axle. I don't think I've ever seen that additional bearing seal before. It's a nice touch. The axle slips into both the trans and hub with little difficulty. The problem is that it binds on the wheel bearing dust ring when you torque down the spindle nut. This prevents the axle from turning. SMH
Here's a shot of the axle untorqued.
https://bvjdww.bl.files.1drv.com/y4m2hy_Dh6PB_rnVDnQixkE7_ppTvlGy5HDNaKwP7LaxlQ-eLgBcpLtvZvYf8Ha5MS7esDaidU5jt1mtlEcn3mWF_iApbNV5v jWK05xxWsfYKUCAJiWE-NA0npwCAtreQCbK6O6pncz7J6g5nB3sCgmHEb4uUcUPVjv3JcV UI6aMfw32swWqhK_HHRNE6jn0Vg3Mv_NHSyBCbFdrzqaqM3ztA ?width=3024&height=4032&cropmode=none
And torqued down.
https://bqjhww.bl.files.1drv.com/y4mImiWBNfWsU2uf3mhLz3--zxlWE24EnJPnBekKod_L-ojqelCO1rLBmszawBalepCxQaTIAuElY4yjHn66J4Jv9vJPB6r jeEmNCh7NyEorFYZZtJbvIAZNaIVhpMeP1X3h8ocAO7rlYRw1C B0ouIR6E0aEF0YJgW9FawW4qalTfx1480k-K6IrVnQu3Z-xFeKV30sx2rESc8S2yX6FO-CfA?width=3024&height=4032&cropmode=none
You can see that the joint face is sealed tight against the dust ring at the back of the knuckle. The wheel simply will not turn like this.
The problem is that the CV joint face is larger by about 12 thousandths in a couple spots and that is enough to make contact with the dust ring. Here is the dust ring.
https://dpjbww.bl.files.1drv.com/y4mtWKpIiWUpyjUGTsMGfFHhnonQRL4K-0v7YUFZroc3Do5RNd7LSip125Nvbp3AfKz-ikxXowfiz6asgRQPwfcLAKknCyDEyi8C5uS47ZOlEnJj_JdmoD 2r0ZDHevyrYSe-j3wrK_x2K0QhLQdhj-ur9--fLH6ZhyzALo9sqgn7HhZKeqKC8um8vnUDHgDdYzihRRwa3C_lF pTPHNKPurAXQ?width=4032&height=3024&cropmode=none
To resolve the issue, I removed the dust ring and used my belt sander to remove about 1/16th inch of height from it. Here is the ring with material removed. The outer shiny ring is what I removed with my belt sander.
https://bphi0a.bl.files.1drv.com/y4mtLnjAuPInJgowzpTC_ysqEprXE3JIBo4I3Wp9y7pTo_3O06 vKpLJc1xF9m55geTBkBae2ZStUIWM55Zshc2ER1W3vierdAK29 aetHSXN_KtOuIARK8gOiOGb2JcrzraQxCkWLXuAnFRqJa48JRH OkNnoMkX0kdt2OsQiFjedXUIyhJrRO65IKMEihNJrr66t3apEW npRniHJlwS3NQ-rfA?width=3024&height=4032&cropmode=none
You'll also notice an inner shiny ring in the photo. That's the second place the CV joint makes contact. To fix this, I had to grind down the face of the CV joint with my angle grinder, like so:
https://bphj0a.bl.files.1drv.com/y4mfgf-Yf9QCyh58xY3zT8qtu8nJz4qGRutr4CcmZ-2uSwX1ck8uvq2Ofg3o4sAJW5K37yhRYcOhDjHg3o5oNYS5P1Bo E8929iK6yVXvhFi4BPFWIOuw8m3ssI516zohAZsiZ6jTKOXQ_r ZZfHl7eEF1lPuDzctZEuP0dO4Nvt-PlNUwl1VBnj0-QITK6aHG7wR_5toV5dc1E9WwJ61AnpjNg?width=4032&height=3024&cropmode=none
This was enough to get my hub turning, but I did hear some light scraping on my test drive. It will clearance itself eventually, but will throw all kinds of filings into my wheel bearing as it does. (Doh.)
I contacted TrakMotive tech support about the issue. I'm impressed that they offer a way for the public to contact a tech. I'm less impressed that the tech tried to pretend that it wasn't their axle, but maybe someone else's axle that Rock Auto had swapped into their box when I wasn't looking. (Um, what?) Anyway, I've let that tech know what the issue is. Let's hope he does the right thing with that info. If he doesn't, you know how to make it work now.