The Chrysler Minivan Fan Club Forums banner

Rear CV Axle Shenanigans - Please Help

4K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  Road Ripper 
#1 ·
So, I'm at the end of my rope.

For background, I took my van out exploring. I dropped down off of something and there was a loud CLUNK - never a good thing. I drove home in a self-enduced limp mode, and there was a slight squeak that sped up and slowed down with my speed. It eventually went away. But, a few days later, when I got on the highway, the back end started vibrating around 55 or 60 mph. I knew that was a bad sign, so I parked my beloved van and started looking for the issue.

I found that the outer boot on my passenger side rear CV axle is torn, and it is severely low on grease. It also seems to have a lot of play to me, but I can't find anything anywhere on what play is allowable from the rear CV axles, so I'm basing that off of judgement. During my inspection, I also thought the rear diff outputs seemed to have a little play in them, but it was much less noticeable than in the CV axle.

No big deal, I'll just get a new one. HA

As you may know, a new rear CV axle for the 4th gen van is apparently as rare as a dodo bird. I've tried NAPA, Autozone, Advance Auto, RockAuto, and every scrap yard within an hour of me, with no luck. I bought the only one I could find on eBay, only to be told that it was an inventory issue, and in reality they had no such thing. And now, I'm stuck with a 3 wheel drive van and no luck.

So, can anyone help me out here? I'd be incredibly grateful for anything you can offer. Ideas for where to look, part numbers, rebuild kits, anything. Thanks again.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
See if jorgenauto.com can help you out, they have an excellent reputation.
Dan
 
#5 ·
I took a look at their website, it looks like they're closed.

A local self-serve wrecker lists a 2003 GC ES AWD. It's been on the lot for a month, they have a high turnover, and you never know if the AWD entry is a mistake, but I could have a look for you in the next few days. If so, I'll need to know, are left and right the same or different? What size socket will I need for the nut?
If it's still there, that would be awesome. I've called any yard that has one online in New England and nothing seems to be working.
 
#3 ·
A local self-serve wrecker lists a 2003 GC ES AWD. It's been on the lot for a month, they have a high turnover, and you never know if the AWD entry is a mistake, but I could have a look for you in the next few days. If so, I'll need to know, are left and right the same or different? What size socket will I need for the nut?
 
#4 ·
The outer joint from either rear axle is the same and can be swapped. Only the center sections of the rear axles are different (lengths). Rear axle CV boots are hard to find too. One supplier was found on Ebay, but experience with installing that one said they pop off (user had a worm clamp installed to get it tight enough).

If you look at the VIN, the 5th character is a "P" for front wheel drive, or a "T" for all wheel drive for 2001 to 2004 vans.

Don't remove the stub shaft from the hub and drive the van, as the rear wheel will fall off!

A rear stub from an AWD Pacifica may fit (has the same # of axle splines) but is missing the tone ring for ABS. The axle itself is the wrong length. A front axle stub will also fit if you remove the tone ring. Not the whole axle itself, just the stub to keep your hub together.
 
#9 ·
Yup, jounce bumper.

To apply to the original post (again), we've found that 3rd gen rear CV axles are a direct swap for the 4th gen passenger rear! Read the pinned post at the top of this section to learn more about rear CV axle compatibility and how to rebuild 4th gen rear CV axles using new 3rd gen parts.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top