Axle seems stuck?, In-out play is reduced Options

[HectortheRican]

So just finished installing the front LCAs with poly bushes and everything is going fine, until I try to reinstall the driver side upright. It seems like the in-and-out play of the axle is vastly reduced, like something is obstructing movement within the boot.
This issue is not letting me reinstall the upright because I cannot get it to reach the installation points. Either I bolt it to the strut knuckle and I can't swing it into the ball joint mount, or I bolt up the ball joint and I can't get it to the strut knuckle. The passenger side went in just fine.
Any ideas?

[slavie]

If you over-extended the outer joint and it slipped out of the cup, you should be able to slide it back in. When you rotate the cup, does it firmly rotate the shaft? Also, when you slide the cup back and forth along the shaft, it should feel like it's sliding in tracks (which it does normally). What I'm trying to say is, you should be able to easily tell whether your rollers are in the cup or not, and there's a firm stop when you fully compress the boot and butt against the end of it.

Don't forget to check the tranny side joint as well.

Finally, make sure that the shaft goes all the way into the hub - sometimes with enough rust you may have to pull it in with the axle nut to seat it all the way.

Hope this helps!

[HectortheRican]

If you over-extended the outer joint and it slipped out of the cup, you should be able to slide it back in. When you rotate the cup, does it firmly rotate the shaft? Also, when you slide the cup back and forth along the shaft, it should feel like it's sliding in tracks (which it does normally). What I'm trying to say is, you should be able to easily tell whether your rollers are in the cup or not, and there's a firm stop when you fully compress the boot and butt against the end of it.

Don't forget to check the tranny side joint as well.

Finally, make sure that the shaft goes all the way into the hub - sometimes with enough rust you may have to pull it in with the axle nut to seat it all the way.

Hope this helps!

I'm trying to feel for the tripod's channels, but I can't really find them.
If I rotate the shaft, the entire axle rotates firmly, but I haven't tried rotating from the cup.

When I compress the shaft, it feels like there's an obstruction at the cup face which isn't letting the tripod rollers in. The firm stop comes sooner than it should. The passenger side axle feels 100% normal when I compress - the tripod is definitely in its tracks.

Everything is fine on the tranny side - the axle sits firmly and solidly against the tranny and the oil seal. So nothing wrong there, presumably.

The shaft goes all the way into the hub - I had the axle nut tightened to the hub face, but not torqued to spec yet.

[slavie]

I'm trying to feel for the tripod's channels, but I can't really find them.
If I rotate the shaft, the entire axle rotates firmly, but I haven't tried rotating from the cup.

When I compress the shaft, it feels like there's an obstruction at the cup face which isn't letting the tripod rollers in. The firm stop comes sooner than it should. The passenger side axle feels 100% normal when I compress - the tripod is definitely in its tracks.

Everything is fine on the tranny side - the axle sits firmly and solidly against the tranny and the oil seal. So nothing wrong there, presumably.

The shaft goes all the way into the hub - I had the axle nut tightened to the hub face, but not torqued to spec yet.

It should go in freely. Maybe you already over extended it and then put it back in the "wrong" channel? It should go in either way, but maybe an odd wear pattern has developed and the axle will only slide back into the cup the same way it was originally? Just a thought. Mark your current location on boot and shaft, and see if you can rotate the cup and insert the shaft in a different position.
Unless your CV axle is toast, nothing would come apart just from over extending it, as all the rollers inside are held with snap rings.