Home and Auto My Mom's CV Axle 2001 Ford Focus

**BigRichard** · 03-30-2019, 03:03 PM

SAUTO or anyone else that can answer a quick question your help would be greatly appreciated.

My mom has an old shit 2001 Ford Focus and she hit a pot hole that busted the lower control arm in two and busted the CV axle when the knuckle separated from the control arm. She hired a mechanic off of Angie's List to come out and repair it. Probably not the best idea but it is what it is at this point.

I got to supervise some of his handy work and I thought there was supposed to be two bolts holding the CV axle in but he said no and proceeded to user a slide hammer to pull it out of the transmission. This dumped a bunch of transmission fluid everywhere which is supposed to happen I think.

He put everything back together but after the car sat for a couple of days there is a huge puddle of transmission fluid sitting under it. I pulled the front tire off and I am trying to see if there is fluid coming out of where the CV axle goes into the transmission. I don't think I see any "fresh" drips just stuff from when it dumped out the other day. I also didn't see two bolts anywhere or holes where missing bolts would have been around the CV axle. I still may need to climb under there to see if I can tell where it is coming from.

My two or three questions are, isn't there any bolts holding the CV axle into the transmission? How else does the axle stay in there otherwise? Is it possible a half a quart of transmission fluid(maybe more) pooled somewhere under there and didn't come out, or at least slowly leaked out, until it sat somewhere for a day or two or three?

Thanks again for any advice.

**SAUTO** · 03-30-2019, 03:11 PM

Left side?

**SAUTO** · 03-30-2019, 03:14 PM

If he used a slide hammer to remove it then it was held in with a snap ring. Common.

Could definitely have pooled in any of those shields. Or the seal could have gotten hard and leaks now.

**BigRichard** · 03-30-2019, 03:20 PM

Driver side

**BigRichard** · 03-30-2019, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAUTO

If he used a slide hammer to remove it then it was held in with a snap ring. Common.

Could definitely have pooled in any of those shields. Or the seal could have gotten hard and leaks now.

If the seal is leaking does it all need to be pulled apart again to repair it?

LiveSteam · 03-30-2019, 03:23 PM

**SAUTO** · 03-30-2019, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRichard

If the seal is leaking does it all need to be pulled apart again to repair it?

Yes. If it was me I'd clean it all up and park it in a different spot

LiveSteam · 03-30-2019, 03:26 PM

That much loss of T-fluid should show on the dip stick.
If the level is fine on the stick? It's probably old fluid dripping out of crevices

LiveSteam · 03-30-2019, 03:28 PM

****ing potholes.. You can't drive at night in Omaha without risking major damage to the front axles..

**BigRichard** · 03-30-2019, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAUTO

Yes. If it was me I'd clean it all up and park it in a different spot

I actually have it in the garage with one of those oil drip foils under it. I am going to see what happens over night.

**BigRichard** · 03-30-2019, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiveSteam

****ing potholes.. You can't drive at night in Omaha without risking major damage to the front axles..

Yeah, I just bought a new truck and every time I hit one I start getting pissed off. My new truck has not been good for my health.

LiveSteam · 03-30-2019, 04:39 PM

It's like driving on bombed out roads

**BigRichard** · 04-07-2019, 10:27 AM

Hey SAUTO(or anyone else that might know),

So the seal had been mangled and I pulled it all back apart and put a new seal in. I put it all back together and I noticed the axle now just kind of slides back and forth in and out of the seal so it still is leaking horribly. I had to slide hammer the new axle back off, to replace the seal, obviously, but did this possibly ruin some sort of ring or something that might have been holding it in from sliding out?

If so, can that ring be purchased and what would it be called? Or would I need to just buy a new axle at this point?

**SAUTO** · 04-07-2019, 10:31 AM

There should be a snap ring on the end of the axle. Either it's not there or you aren't getting it in all the way.

Pull it back apart and post a picture if you want.

**BigRichard** · 04-07-2019, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAUTO

There should be a snap ring on the end of the axle. Either it's not there or you aren't getting it in all the way.

Pull it back apart and post a picture if you want.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GYZsNnEweMdStJ8h9

Shouldn't there be a ring in there?

03-30-2019, 03:03 PM
BigRichard Buddy Christ is a Chiefs fan Join Date: Nov 2008 Casino cash: $1609546	My Mom's CV Axle 2001 Ford Focus SAUTO or anyone else that can answer a quick question your help would be greatly appreciated. My mom has an old shit 2001 Ford Focus and she hit a pot hole that busted the lower control arm in two and busted the CV axle when the knuckle separated from the control arm. She hired a mechanic off of Angie's List to come out and repair it. Probably not the best idea but it is what it is at this point. I got to supervise some of his handy work and I thought there was supposed to be two bolts holding the CV axle in but he said no and proceeded to user a slide hammer to pull it out of the transmission. This dumped a bunch of transmission fluid everywhere which is supposed to happen I think. He put everything back together but after the car sat for a couple of days there is a huge puddle of transmission fluid sitting under it. I pulled the front tire off and I am trying to see if there is fluid coming out of where the CV axle goes into the transmission. I don't think I see any "fresh" drips just stuff from when it dumped out the other day. I also didn't see two bolts anywhere or holes where missing bolts would have been around the CV axle. I still may need to climb under there to see if I can tell where it is coming from. My two or three questions are, isn't there any bolts holding the CV axle into the transmission? How else does the axle stay in there otherwise? Is it possible a half a quart of transmission fluid(maybe more) pooled somewhere under there and didn't come out, or at least slowly leaked out, until it sat somewhere for a day or two or three? Thanks again for any advice.
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03-30-2019, 03:11 PM	#2
SAUTO Shit Join Date: Jun 2008 Casino cash: $10039067	Left side?
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03-30-2019, 03:14 PM	#3
SAUTO Shit Join Date: Jun 2008 Casino cash: $10039067	If he used a slide hammer to remove it then it was held in with a snap ring. Common. Could definitely have pooled in any of those shields. Or the seal could have gotten hard and leaks now.
Posts: 55,715

03-30-2019, 03:20 PM	#4
BigRichard Buddy Christ is a Chiefs fan Join Date: Nov 2008 Casino cash: $1609546	Driver side __________________ "You know, they lay down with their ugly wives in front of their ugly children and just look at their loser lives and then they look at me and say, "I CAN'T PROCESS IT!" Well, no, and you never will. Stop trying. Just sit back and enjoy the show .... You know?" Carlos Irwin Estevez
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03-30-2019, 03:23 PM	#6
LiveSteam The Constitutional Choo choo Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: homeof43conferencetitles Casino cash: $1895432	Yup __________________ Progressivism.. The Politically Correct way of saying "I'm a Communist slash Nazi" depending on what the issue of the day is?
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03-30-2019, 03:26 PM	#8
LiveSteam The Constitutional Choo choo Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: homeof43conferencetitles Casino cash: $1895432	That much loss of T-fluid should show on the dip stick. If the level is fine on the stick? It's probably old fluid dripping out of crevices __________________ Progressivism.. The Politically Correct way of saying "I'm a Communist slash Nazi" depending on what the issue of the day is?
Posts: 44,313

03-30-2019, 03:28 PM	#9
LiveSteam The Constitutional Choo choo Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: homeof43conferencetitles Casino cash: $1895432	****ing potholes.. You can't drive at night in Omaha without risking major damage to the front axles.. __________________ Progressivism.. The Politically Correct way of saying "I'm a Communist slash Nazi" depending on what the issue of the day is?
Posts: 44,313

03-30-2019, 04:39 PM	#12
LiveSteam The Constitutional Choo choo Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: homeof43conferencetitles Casino cash: $1895432	It's like driving on bombed out roads __________________ Progressivism.. The Politically Correct way of saying "I'm a Communist slash Nazi" depending on what the issue of the day is?
Posts: 44,313

04-07-2019, 10:27 AM	#13
BigRichard Buddy Christ is a Chiefs fan Join Date: Nov 2008 Casino cash: $1609546	Hey SAUTO(or anyone else that might know), So the seal had been mangled and I pulled it all back apart and put a new seal in. I put it all back together and I noticed the axle now just kind of slides back and forth in and out of the seal so it still is leaking horribly. I had to slide hammer the new axle back off, to replace the seal, obviously, but did this possibly ruin some sort of ring or something that might have been holding it in from sliding out? If so, can that ring be purchased and what would it be called? Or would I need to just buy a new axle at this point? __________________ "You know, they lay down with their ugly wives in front of their ugly children and just look at their loser lives and then they look at me and say, "I CAN'T PROCESS IT!" Well, no, and you never will. Stop trying. Just sit back and enjoy the show .... You know?" Carlos Irwin Estevez
Posts: 10,452

04-07-2019, 10:31 AM	#14
SAUTO Shit Join Date: Jun 2008 Casino cash: $10039067	There should be a snap ring on the end of the axle. Either it's not there or you aren't getting it in all the way. Pull it back apart and post a picture if you want.
Posts: 55,715	1 0