Seems like this is not uncommon at all. I broke the passenger side . I was at a stoplight and thought I blew the transmission ( insert "blow a tranny" joke here ) . I had my local shop put in the new one , they aren't the cheapest but they do good work. I just had too much going on to DIY . I am going to replace the drivers side myself proactively , I hope proactively at least. I'll be sure to update here when I do that with pics.

Any tips for DIY ? I see there is a good YouTube on it, I have the Haynes manual , plus the online service manual .

 

Good on you for going the DIY route, I always find it satisfying to say I did something to my car. On to tips:

If you don't have a strong electric impact gun source yourself a big breaker bar and the right size for the axle nut, and knock it loose with the car still on the ground. I think the Fit has the nut you have to knock the flange in so you'll need a new one. Renting a slide hammer from Advance Auto or Orilley's will make axle extradition much easier. You might get lucky and it pulls out without it, but it's cheap insurance against another trip into town with a broken car at home (ask me how I know.... >.>)

Last part is splitting the lower ball joint from the lower control arm. Couple ways to do it, least intensive way is a pickle fork (again rent this) on the gap between the control arm and knuckle and let it pop out. Don't forget to remove the retaining bolt holding the ball joint in. You'll need a couple quarts of whatever transmission you have's fluid because the transmission will drain when you pull the axle out.

 

Thanks , Have all that stuff, plus a lift to do the work on I share a shop with a friend. We have to do the front axle on his Passat too , so we are going to do axle day at the shop

 

Groovy, well you're that much closer to being ready. These little Hondoo's are easy to work on, haven't come across anything I've not liked doing.

 

Does the other side have the rubber damper? If not leave it be. If it does, cut it off and see how it looks under there.

I just replaced my passenger axle and my new axle is wonky out of the box. What a PITA. The OE driver side axle is still solid as can be and doesn't have that stupid damper (manual transmission).

 

The drivers side on my AT has the damper. I't looks like it could be pretty bad under it.

From the few posts I read it seems like the driver side is the one that usually breaks ???

 

The driver's side sees the majority of torque in almost all conditions. Shorter shaft combined with the weight of the driver over the driver front wheel will see the torque go there. Ever heard of torque steer? Same principle, but usually refered to higher powered front drive cars.

 

mmmm , torque steer . I used to have a Mazdaspeed3 , 265hp and 300 ft lbs to the front , I know torque steer

 

As far as tools go, you're also going to need a torque wrench and torque specs to re-torque the axle nut and the nut on the ball joint.

I found in doing the axles in my '03 Civic SI that it was more convenient to do the axles with the car on the ground. If you jack up only the side you're working on, the higher angle of the car on that side actually keeps tranny fluid from leaking out when the axle is pulled. Also inspect the trans side seal that seals around the axle when it's installed and replace it if necessary.

The only other thing I can think of is to avoid hyper-extending the outer cv joint in the new axle when you re-spline the axle back into the hub. It is a constant velocity joint and can come "out of joint" if hyper-extended..

 

Thanks , looks like 134 ft lbs I have the Icon from HFT .

 

Pretty straight forward, Followed the Haynes manual pretty much , The only snags I ran into was seating the axle , A couple of taps with a mallet did the trick ( not too hard ! ) . I also bent the brake shield and it was rubbing , so had to bend that back after the first test drive. I bought a new plug for the transmission , it was cheaper then buying the 10 pack of crush washers .

I meant to take more pictures , but just wanted to get through the job .

Oh and having a lift is awesome !

 

I wonder if I can charge Honda for my labor now that this is a recall ... lol

 

Check Honda's recalls with your VIN to have any form of argument 😂 They won't take accountability for the loose spark plugs so it sounds like an uphill battle. Cut out the middle-man and take it up with the Sayama/Suzuka (respectively) manufacturing plant!

Oh and though this thread is old, I've always preferred to remove the lower strut bolts where they attach to the wheel hub assy. rather than disconnecting (and ALWAYS ripping) my ball joints. Oh, and be sure to disconnect the 115 buck wheel speed/abs sensor. Ask me how I know.
​​​​​​

 

Who knows, you may not actually get compensated for your labor, but it looks like Honda should at least owe you a new replacement axle. Your proof to them could be in the form of your thread here. It would also be great if you haven't, by chance, thrown your old axle parts away. If Honda offers you a new replacement axle for your trouble, that axle would be a lot better quality than the aftermarket axle you installed. Who knows, they might actually even offer you some kind of compensation for your labor since this has been turned into a recall.

 

I’m definitely going to ask for the $85 or so I paid for the axle from rock auto .

I paid the shop to replace the broken one . They suggested the driver side should be replaced as well , so I did it on my own . I have all my paperwork. Calling Honda tomorrow.

 

We actually run our garage under an LLC and have comercial mechanics insurance . I can technically write up an invoice for my time. I think book on it is like 2 hours ? Typical cheap rate around here is 120/hr

 

Also , I have a case opened with Honda and actually got a call back . Unfortunately I didn't answer is and have left 2 messages in the past 2 days for a call back.

 

Wow that's terrible.