⦿ - CV Joint Axle Shaft - Can We Talk ?

[jimmy409]

Hello Mirage Community,

I have a 2015 automatic transmission Mirage DE.

The car has 62K Miles on it and I am noticing that the one or both of the CV joints are starting to make that telltale 'clicking noise' when making a sharp turn.

This happens always when the car is cold, and sometimes when it is warmed up.

The CV joint boots are in good shape and not leaking.

In the past, I have changed CV Shafts on my own. The easiest was on the Geo Metro, as it only required un-hooking the steering control arm and pushing the hub out of the way to remove the shaft. The entire process only took 1/2 hour to replace the shaft for each wheel, and the shafts cost $50 each, shipped.

TWO Questions for all of you:

1- Has anyone replaced their CV axle shaft on the Mirage? - Please describe the experience.

2- The OEM price for 'ONE' Mirage CV Joint Shaft is $840.00, plus shipping - This OEM shaft must be made of fine white gold or pure titanium, and I would expect it to last for 85 years.

Does anyone know of an aftermarket source for these shafts? (Or, do we all just get 'shafted'?)

Is getting pre-owned / used shafts the Only Other Option?

[poorman1]

Drivetrain warranty should cover it

[Alex1a1f]

Fummins or Loren chime in here...

Pretty sure the basics you say are accurate with a good pry bar to pop it out of the CVT with some fluid loss. Just make sure the seal is new or in good shape on the replacement axle.

I have not seen anything but used, but they're many low mileage ones on Ebay.

[jimmy409]

Unfortunately, and coincidentally, the warranty just expired at 60K miles because I am a second owner of the car.

[Loren]

We didn't replace axles, but we had to separate them from the transmission when we pulled the engine and transmission. We had already drained the transmission, so fluid wasn't an issue. They were quite difficult to pop out of the transmission, but it was nothing unusual. Typical FWD axle setup. Took some force to seat the axle upon reassembly, as well.

I'd check around and be sure there isn't another source for your noise, though. Nobody else seems to be having axle problems on these cars.

If you DO have an axle failure, I wouldn't hesitate to grab one from a low mileage salvage car.

[jimmy409]

We didn't replace axles, but we had to separate them from the transmission when we pulled the engine and transmission. We had already drained the transmission, so fluid wasn't an issue. They were quite difficult to pop out of the transmission, but it was nothing unusual. Typical FWD axle setup. Took some force to seat the axle upon reassembly, as well.

I'd check around and be sure there isn't another source for your noise, though. Nobody else seems to be having axle problems on these cars.

If you DO have an axle failure, I wouldn't hesitate to grab one from a low mileage salvage car.

Thank you for your input and advice.

When you pulled the shafts, did you have to remove the hubs?

[Loren]

We just pulled the shafts from the transmission. We did have to unbolt the lower control arm for clearance. But, we never removed the axle from the hub.

[jimmy409]

That is good news. Thank you.

[Fummins]

It's the same as replacing a metro axle and pretty much any front axle with independent front suspension. Just like Loren said. Unbolt axle nut, ball joint, tie rod end(just to make it easier to move spindle around), axle just pops out of the transmission wit a prybar. The axle nut locks in place by being bent into a notch in the axle, make sure you pry it back into a round shape before removing the nut otherwise it'll screw the threads on the axle and nut. I've done it. Once. Otherwise I've had no need to replace any axle's in our fleet. Most cars we've got range from the same to more than double your mileage.

100k seems early to need to replace an axle from what I've seen unless it's hit a few curbs or driven hard with the wheels cranked a lot.

[jimmy409]

It's the same as replacing a metro axle and pretty much any front axle with independent front suspension. Just like Loren said. Unbolt axle nut, ball joint, tie rod end(just to make it easier to move spindle around), axle just pops out of the transmission wit a prybar. The axle nut locks in place by being bent into a notch in the axle, make sure you pry it back into a round shape before removing the nut otherwise it'll screw the threads on the axle and nut. I've done it. Once. Otherwise I've had no need to replace any axle's in our fleet. Most cars we've got range from the same to more than double your mileage.

100k seems early to need to replace an axle from what I've seen unless it's hit a few curbs or driven hard with the wheels cranked a lot.

Thank you.

Well, I did accidentally drive off a curb in a parking lot, going very slow, about 20k miles ago. Had to get an alignment after that. Hope that didn't mess up the CV joints.

Other than that, I baby the car at all times.