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.
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.