[Zags21]

Hi
My Acura was making a loud metal to metal clunking sound when I turn the steering wheel left and right.
I put it up on some car ramps and got under it and had my wife turn the wheel back-and-forth and found the CV axle was pulling away about a quarter inch from the backside of the hub/knuckle assembly when She turned one way, And then pushing back towards the knuckle when turning the other way.
I removed the entire knuckle assembly since I assumed there is a bad wheel bearing and the whole assembly is pressed together(bearing, hub, knuckle)
The tire/wheel also has some movement when lifted off the ground(wobble back and forth)
My question is the wheel bearing bad or the cv axle bad or both?
And how is the bearing and the hub pressed out of the knuckle?
Thank you

 

[habbyguy]

Which is the culprit depends on WHERE the CV axle was pulling away from the knuckle.

If the axle nut (meaning the end of the axle that goes through the knuckle) is moving relative to the knuckle, your bearing is shot.
If the axle nut is not moving, but other parts of the CV axle is, then it's your axle.

FWIW, I'd guess "axle".

If it is a bad axle, I'd stay away from the el cheapo (Chinese) axles. I've had good luck with Cardone remanufactured axles, and there are no doubt others, and of course you could always mortgage your house and buy an original Honda / Acura axle from the stealership.

The hub / bearing is just pressed out of the knuckle with a shop press. IIRC, it wasn't difficult with my 12 ton press.

 

[Zags21]

I’m not sure if the axle nut was moving since the wheel was on the car while I was inspecting the undercarriage. Maybe it would be a good idea to replace both.
I did notice there was some movement in the wheel when I pushed the at the top and pulled at the bottom of the tire while it was attached and in the air. This is a sign of bad wheel bearing isn’t it?
Do you know the sequence of pressing out the assembly and pressing back in?
Press out hub, then bearing. Then press bearing in and hub last?
My neighbor is a machinist and is willing to press the bearing and hub, but I was just wondering the order, if it even matters.
Thanks for your help

 

[habbyguy]

Yes, if you can move the wheel with the car on a jack, the bearing IS bad. That's not to say the CV axle couldn't also be bad, but I always like to replace things one at a time.

I never did the wheel bearings on the MDX, but they look really standard, though they do have a lock-ring that has to come out (not a big deal, but not all bearings have those). Just remove the knuckle, press out the bearing / hub, and press in a new one.

 

[Zags21]

Well the noise is gone. Just took a few hundred dollars in parts.
I decided to replace wheel bearing, cv driveshaft, and the lower control arm bushings since they were cracked. The car drives a lot smoother now.
The hardest part, believe it or not, was getting the the axle on the passenger side out. There is a heat shield covering the end and no way to pry the axle out. The Heat shield I eventually unbolted, but didn’t give me enough room to work with. I ended up getting an open end wrench between the two exhaust pipes below the axle and catching enough axle surface to pop it out by hitting the wrench with a hammer.
There is only a 3/8 inch gap between the pipes so it has to be something skinny to get between them. Hope this helps someone
Thanks for your help

 

[hagarin]

When your lifting up on the abs sensor, spray the WD40 UNDER THE GAP WHILE THE SENSOR IS BEING PULLED UP LET THE SIT FOR A LITTLW AND TRYING LIFFING UP AGAIN THE WD40 WITH THE STRAW.
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