Which Autozone half-shaft?
 

I've got a torn boot on a CV shaft, and I want to just replace the shaft with a rebuilt unit. Trouble is, they ask me at Autozone, "what size bolts? 12mm or 8mm?"

Last I checked, the shaft is held in the diff with a clip and held in the rear hub with a single bolt. Anyone know which axle shaft is the right one? Part 7575 is for 8mm bolts, part 7578 is for 12mm. I don't get it.

Either one will work. The old design has a 12mm bolt to hold the hub and axle together; the later design uses an 8mm bolt. There is an adapter kit to convert the 12mm to 8mm. You should probably get the 8mm version even if you have to buy the bolt, washer, and spacer to go with it. However, your axle may already have the 8mm bolt.

You can check that without removing anything from the car. Just pop off the center cap from the wheel; inside you will see the bolt. The 8mm bolt has a 13mm head; I've never seen the older 12mm bolt but it stands to reason that it has a much larger head.

Also be aware that some people have not had good luck with the less expensive rebuilt half shafts. My personal preference is CVJ Axles of Denver.

Jeremy

In the biz, AutoZone is well known for selling cheap crap and cheap prices. Don't skimp - find a good auto parts store and buy a good CV shaft.

Thanks for the suggestions. I had a suspicion the "bolts" was the end bolt.

I'm trying to get around not having much time and money to invest in this. I have several spare shafts, but the boots won't last long on them either. A set of boots alone will set me back $30 per shaft, plus the labor of installing them. The boot kits from Fastlane will cost $100 to build a shaft in parts alone. The AZ shaft is $100, built. I am not sure I can find anything better for the money.

The closest I would go to buying a part critical to my car's operation from autozone is probably a battery....all I usually buy there is rust treatment stuff...cleaning supplies....and Mobil 1 0w40 synthetic oil and Mobil 1 ATF. For a project that involves that much work, I'd rather use the more expensive/quality parts.

Big deal, it'll last him 10 years instead of 20 years.

CVJ Axles, only way to go.

This is not a physically easy job in your garage. Crawling around on your back, and its messy. Done this job a couple of times with two different cars. Replace in pairs, its worth it. This is not the kind of job you want to do twice, just because the part has a warranty doesn't mean its worth it.

Who said Auto Zone? Just shoot me.

I bought a (gasser) fuel filter once from AZ. 4hours later and two stripped flange bolts I noticed the interior threads of the the filter were painted.

:behead:

I only buy name brand from them now.

I've not had any trouble replacing axles. That's the easy part. Pulling them apart and replacing grease and boots, not knowing if the old shaft will hold up, that's what I DON'T want to do. I'v heard mixed reviews of the AZ shafts, but it's gonna cost me almost double for a better unit, I got a local quote for $170 today. Looked at Fastlane too, $400. Ouch.

I agree with Old300D. This job really isn't bad to do so i really don't see any reason why using an axle from AutoZone, or any other parts store, that offers a warranty should be any big deal. Some of you purists out there may want to spend $400.00 on an OEM part, but I for one have no desire to do so. I have an aftermarket axle on one of my cars that has been there for a couple of years now with no problems to date. I just replaced the other one a month or so ago and doubt I will have any problems with it either. I maintain two of these old cars that are used daily by me and my wife. The savings by going this route allows me to fix the other problems that keep creeping up. If I bought OEM parts for everything, I would have spent far more than the cars are worth years ago.

Another thumbs up for CVJ> I used to use them when I had my shop and they were great. Fast same day turn around as well. At that time they delivered.

I believe CVJ still delivers in the Denver area.

sublettm, actually the OEM part from Mercedes is about $900 each! :eek: There is a German manufacturer who sells a new axle for $400; that is probably the one referred to in the previous post.

There isn't enough money difference between the cheapie axles for $100 each and the CVJ axle for $140 each to make me choose the cheap one. Even though the cheapies come with a lifetime warranty (or so I've heard) versus 3 years for CVJ, I'd rather not do the job again in a few years. Yes, the failure rate is only about 50% but I'd get one of the bad ones, just my luck.

I just got a phone estimate to rebuild the shaft from Rocky Mountain Driveline. They quoted me between $50 and $90 depending on parts. I just might take advantage of this. They built me a custom drive shaft for my Datsun a few years back and did a good job.

New axles are $900, I quoted the $400 from Fastlane as a rebuilt axle.....

Thanks for the correction. I thought that my mechanic's prices are high but $400 is insane.