When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So I searched all over for what parts to use to replace my rear axles. OEM cost over $800 per side, but anywhere else they are reasonably priced ($75-$150).
what brands have others used? Cardone? And where did you buy them from?
This appears to be a straight forward job (7 bolts in all not counting lug nuts) but I can’t find a diy anywhere for the G37. Does anyone know of one?
Having replaced many CV joints/axles in my day- just recently on a 2016 Jeep Compass- all I can advise is: be prepared. While the process is very straightforward there is almost always something that mucks up the works especially if it is the passenger side. The passenger side is almost always a royal b¡tch to work on.
Tips:
- it helps to break the axle nut loose while the car is still on the ground. Especially if the stub is rusty. Also applies when torquing the new nut.
- do not remove all six (6) of the axle to differential stub bolts until you are sure the axle will slide freely out of the wheel hub. Those splines can easily become seized.
- upon reassembly, do not allow the CV joints (especially the "outer" joint) to "bend" excessively. Allowing the joints to "over extend" can cause the ball bearings to break free from the cage/races. (Ask me how I know...). Keep the entire assembly in as straight a line as possible.
- also upon reassembly, apply a thin coat of anti-seize compound to the splines before inserting into the wheel hub. Though you may never have to remove the axle/hub ever again, you will appreciate that step if you ever need to.
- it would be wise to inspect/replace the wheel bearing(s) while you have the axle removed. Of course the old saying: 'if it ain't broke don't fix it" applies, but worth looking into while you have everything torn down.
As for brands, almost all axle shafts are remanufactured units so just about any source should be fine. Of course there is always eBay.
May I enquire what symptoms you have that warrant replacing the axle?
Last edited by ILM-NC G37S; 12-12-2019 at 11:21 AM.
Having replaced many CV joints/axles in my day- just recently on a 2016 Jeep Compass- all I can advise is: be prepared. While the process is very straightforward there is almost always something that mucks up the works especially if it is the passenger side. The passenger side is almost always a royal b¡tch to work on.
Tips:
- it helps to break the axle nut loose while the car is still on the ground. Especially if the stub is rusty. Also applies when torquing the new nut.
- do not remove all six (6) of the axle to differential stub bolts until you are sure the axle will slide freely out of the wheel hub. Those splines can easily become seized.
- upon reassembly, do not allow the CV joints (especially the "outer" joint) to "bend" excessively. Allowing the joints to "over extend" can cause the ball bearings to break free from the cage/races. (Ask me how I know...). Keep the entire assembly in as straight a line as possible.
- also upon reassembly, apply a thin coat of anti-seize compound to the splines before inserting into the wheel hub. Though you may never have to remove the axle/hub ever again, you will appreciate that step if you ever need to.
- it would be wise to inspect/replace the wheel bearing(s) while you have the axle removed. Of course the old saying: 'if it ain't broke don't fix it" applies, but worth looking into while you have everything torn down.
As for brands, almost all axle shafts are remanufactured units so just about any source should be fine. Of course there is always eBay.
May I enquire what symptoms you have that warrant replacing the axle?
@ILM-NC G37S thanks for sharing your knowledge in all of this. Much appreciated! The symptoms I have is I hear "clicking noises" as the car is slowly moving down the road and going over small bumps and undulations. The tell-tale sign is when i get under the car, i can actually move the rear axles side to side (east-to-west in terms of car direction) and when i push/pull them, they are loose and make this clicking noises. My other car (2011 Durango, 1993 300ZX) do not have this "play" in the rear axles.
Going to jack up the car this weekend and make sure 1) the axle nut is not loose (highly unlikely b/c its never been taken off in the life of the car) and 2) its not a control arm or anything related to the suspension.
The car is bone stock except for Koni shocks/struts. I do no racing, no hard driving, just smooth sailing.
Thx for this. Much aware of the Discount parts and I typically go there for certain OEM items, but hard to believe the rear axles are worth the full price shown there.
Curious if anyone has had any issues or had good luck with the off-brand remanufactured rear axles that they can share?
Infiniti issued a technical service bulletin that addressed the rear axle clicking noise that affected some 2008/2009 G's (and 370Z's). I believe you have a 2011, however this info might be useful to you: ITB08-018B.pdf
The axle nut only secures the outer race of the CV joint to the hub- not the axle shaft. It is doubtful this is loose. If you are able to slide the shaft side-to-side (between both CV joints), as you describe, then likely either the circular clip (outer CV joint) and/or the snap ring (inner CV joint) has failed- rare, but possible. While this technically doesn't affect the performance of the shaft, it can be the source of the clicking noise that you are hearing.
If you decide to replace the shaft, from my experience, any remanufactured unit should work fine- just buy from a reputable outlet. Most CV joint failures are the result of the rubber boots tearing/falling apart or the bands holding the boots coming loose thereby allowing grease to leak out and dirt getting in. As the rears do not flex as much as the front you should not have a problem either way. Personally, I would not pay $700-800.
Infiniti issued a technical service bulletin that addressed the rear axle clicking noise that affected some 2008/2009 G's (and 370Z's). I believe you have a 2011, however this info might be useful to you: Attachment 182493
The axle nut only secures the outer race of the CV joint to the hub- not the axle shaft. It is doubtful this is loose. If you are able to slide the shaft side-to-side (between both CV joints), as you describe, then likely either the circular clip (outer CV joint) and/or the snap ring (inner CV joint) has failed- rare, but possible. While this technically doesn't affect the performance of the shaft, it can be the source of the clicking noise that you are hearing.
If you decide to replace the shaft, from my experience, any remanufactured unit should work fine- just buy from a reputable outlet. Most CV joint failures are the result of the rubber boots tearing/falling apart or the bands holding the boots coming loose thereby allowing grease to leak out and dirt getting in. As the rears do not flex as much as the front you should not have a problem either way. Personally, I would not pay $700-800.
If I can help further...
@ILM-NC G37S your explanation seems spot on! This noise isnt happening upon start/stop so it definitely isnt the TSB issue. It happens even when coasting and gong over small bumps.
I think the side to side movement is something related to the rear axles like what you described above. What's wild is that BOTH sides are exhibiting this characteristic at the same time.
I hope to have time this weekend to jack it up and isolate the noise. My suspicion is that both have to be replaced. The 2011-G37 coupe is hitting that age where things are slowly being replaced (e.g. just had a $1900 water pump work done on it), 4 wheel brakes,... But these are amazing cars and extremely reliable!
Thx again for your expert opinion and explanation to back things up.
No expert by any means, just have had more than my share of aggravation with FWD cars and CV joint/boot failures. The shaft should not be able to "slide" between the two CV joints. I attached a copy of the FSM detailing the axle assembly and the suspected, failed clips:
Again, I do not think this would affect the performance of the axles- the shaft can only slide but so far- but should be addressed just to err on the side of caution. If you have to replace both axles then there might be a contributing factor somewhere. I can see one shaft maybe having a issue, but both?
I noticed you are in the Cary/RDU area? Is there a reputable transmission shop in that area that might be able to rebuild your unit(s)?
Update: Was able to get the car jacked up yesterday. Took a quick video (had to be shortened to about 2 seconds). Turn up the volume once i grab the rear axle and you can see and hear the noise. I'm suspecting this is the source of the problem.
I noticed one side where it felt like the inner axle was loose and making this noise. The other side it appeared the outer axle was making the noise.
Next step is to locate some replacement axles (I see Surtrack and TrakMotive on Rockauto, Auto zone,...). Seems to be the typical brand for aftermarket.
Also, will investigate if these could be repaired and worth the cost. Yep - I'm from the Raleigh area and hope there are some shops that could repair these. Fingers crossed.
Update: Was able to get the car jacked up yesterday. Took a quick video (had to be shortened to about 2 seconds). Turn up the volume once i grab the rear axle and you can see and hear the noise. I'm suspecting this is the source of the problem.
Tried both videos- both are not working.
It is very odd that you have one bad inner CV joint on one shaft AND one bad outer CV joint on the other. I have to admit that is a first for me.
Don't overthink finding a replacement. If you can't find a reputable shop to rebuild your units- at a reasonable cost- find a suitable replacement within budgetary reason. Again, the weakest link in any CV joint is typically the rubber boot.
Tried both videos- both are not working.
It is very odd that you have one bad inner CV joint on one shaft AND one bad outer CV joint on the other. I have to admit that is a first for me.
Don't overthink finding a replacement. If you can't find a reputable shop to rebuild your units- at a reasonable cost- find a suitable replacement within budgetary reason. Again, the weakest link in any CV joint is typically the rubber boot.
So the videos were generated for a MAc. I tried them and downloaded them and they work fine.
Next step is to contact local axle shops and get the price or else I'll look for two replacements. Would be a fun project to try to rebuild myself, but don't have the time. More updates to follow (and possibly do a DIY b/c i dont' see any one on this topic).
Have you looked into the sway bar endlinks?
My g37 has the same play as your axles in the video, but I do not have any noise when turning or driving. To see if it really is your axles making that noise try going into a empty parking space, and do tight circles and see if you hear any popping or creaking noise. But if you are going over bumps and hearing this noise it sounds more like a sway bar end links. I have had bad cv joint in my ford taurus once and it was due to a tear on the rubber boot which caused it to lose the grease, and would make popping and creaking noise when turning in parking lots, but it never has made that sound when driving on regular streets or even the highway.
Have you looked into the sway bar endlinks?
My g37 has the same play as your axles in the video, but I do not have any noise when turning or driving. To see if it really is your axles making that noise try going into a empty parking space, and do tight circles and see if you hear any popping or creaking noise. But if you are going over bumps and hearing this noise it sounds more like a sway bar end links. I have had bad cv joint in my ford taurus once and it was due to a tear on the rubber boot which caused it to lose the grease, and would make popping and creaking noise when turning in parking lots, but it never has made that sound when driving on regular streets or even the highway.
So this is good - someone else has the "play" in their rear axles. That could RULE out the axles. Thx for that.
As stated above, the noise occurs when i slowly drive (1-10 MPH) on straight road (no need to turn) and i hear this clicking/popping noises.
My next suspicion is it could be wheel bearings with some play in it. I've got 101K and the car is a 2011 G37 coupe.
Yep - I've not ruled out the end links, even though they are relatively new (front are OEM - ~ 2 yrs ago; Rear are about 3-4 yrs ago and non OEM (AC Delco)). Will disconnect and rule these in/out.
So I finally narrowed down the source of the noise.
What appeared to be a noise coming from the RIGHT REAR of the car (passenger side), it was actually coming from the RIGHT FRONT.
My wife confirmed the noise while driving with me on Sunday (I lost the bet )
By bouncing on the right front of the car, i was able to narrow the 'clicking' noise down to the passenger side stabilizer end link.
This part was only 2 years old and it went bad.
Took it off from the stabilizer bar, bounced the car - NO NOISE
So i tied up the end link into the control arm with zip ties. Took it for a drive and no noise.
So the part was ordered and hopefully I'll be putting on the new one tonight.
Thx to those who provided insight in various options. Lesson learned - take a person along for the ride when you are hearing noises b/c your ears will deceive you!
12-12-2019, 08:24 AM
)
