Possible donor problem with axle.

[wallace18]

I have a 2002 WRX donor. I have been working on getting everything ready as I can. Here is the problem I ran into. The trans. uses a female SFJ freering tripod joint held on by a circlip on the front axle shaft. The rear outer CV that goes into the rear hub/rotor assembly uses a SFJ double offset joint that is a internal snap ring that hold it on just like the front outer CV. We have to use the front outer CV housing to hold the front wheel assembly together. You can see it in the gocart video. The problem is the front and rear axle shafts have different splines and you can't mix the CV's. This leaves me with a major problem. Since their gocart used a newer donor this may not have happened to them. Can anyone help with this. I spent a lot of money getting my trans rebiult and new rear wheel bearings. Help please. Thanks.

[prematureapex]

I have a 2002 WRX donor. I have been working on getting everything ready as I can. Here is the problem I ran into. The trans. uses a female SFJ freering tripod joint held on by a circlip on the front axle shaft. The rear outer CV that goes into the rear hub/rotor assembly uses a SFJ double offset joint that is a internal snap ring that hold it on just like the front outer CV. We have to use the front outer CV housing to hold the front wheel assembly together. You can see it in the gocart video. The problem is the front and rear axle shafts have different splines and you can't mix the CV's. This leaves me with a major problem. Since their gocart used a newer donor this may not have happened to them. Can anyone help with this. I spent a lot of money getting my trans rebiult and new rear wheel bearings. Help please. Thanks.

The newer donor has the exact same axles as an older WRX. Except for the fronts, inboard, which has male splines vs. female (news trans has female inputs, older ones have stub shafts).

Maybe I'm confised as to your problem...but I don't think you're using the front axle CVs to hold the front wheels on. And if you are, everyone has an issue, because they have to use their front axles in the rear.

I is confused.

[wallace18]

Here is the problem. You must use the gutted out front outer CV to hold on the front wheel/rotor assembly. The CV shaft and nut hold all that together. The front inner CV goes on the trans which is now going to the rear of the car. The rear outer CV that goes on the rear axle shaft has different splines than the front axle shaft we haave to move to the rear because of the trans moving to the rear. The outer CV for the rear will not fit on the front axle shaft. The splines are different. I am not sure if this was investigated when donors were defined.

[Mechie3]

I had posted about this along time ago asking the same question. I forgot what the answer was, but it wasn't clear. This is why I wanted to know how they held the front wheel bearings together. Maybe they press apart the hubs and swap the splined flanges front/rear?

[wallace18]

I sure hope not. I put new bearings in my front and rear hubs already. This is a question that should be answered for anyone with an early donor.

[Mechie3]

Just went to the machine shop at the office where I have all of my hubs (redoing bearings myself as well). Even on the 06, the front/rear splines are different. The rear hubs don't fit the front axles because the axle stub itself is too big (didn't even count splines). Not sure how they're addressing it.

[Rick Masters]

You guy's are correct about the axles we will be supplying axles with the kits with the correct splines.

[PhyrraM]

Just a footnote....

You don't HAVE to use a gutted front CV cup to hold the front hubs together. Seeing as there in no longer any 'drive' component you only need to hold the bearings together. This can be done with any bolt and nut of suitable size and torque capacity. A 3/4" bolt with appropriately sized inside and outside washers will do a fine job if asked to.

A gutted CV is likely the cheapest and it comes free with your donor.


Do you mean just a custom shaft that you install OEM front inner and rear outer joints to? Or a complete ready-to-install shaft with new joints?

[wallace18]

Thank you Rick from FFR for answering this. I feel so much better now.

[riptide motorsport]

If I know FFR, it will be ready to go.

[freds]

I'm new here, and intend to build an 818. Been following the forum for some time and learned much...thanks to all members.

A few questions to help me decide what year Donor to aim at.

1.What year did the transaxle output change from a male pinion with splines to a female socket with splines?

2. Can you use an older male output dif in a newer transaxle?

3. Am I correct that ff said they would provide, in the kit, inboard CV's and axle to suit either male or female dif output shafts? Or did I get that wrong?

Thanks

fred

[RM1SepEx]

Do you mean just a custom shaft that you install OEM front inner and rear outer joints to? Or a complete ready-to-install shaft with new joints?

:-) Ditto, Just trying to be as prepared as possible!

[freds]

I'm new here, and intend to build an 818. Been following the forum for some time and learned much...thanks to all members.

A few questions to help me decide what year Donor to aim at.

1.What year did the transaxle output change from a male pinion with splines to a female socket with splines?

2. Can you use an older male output dif in a newer transaxle?

3. Am I correct that ff said they would provide, in the kit, inboard CV's and axle to suit either male or female dif output shafts? Or did I get that wrong?

Thanks

fred

I believe I can answer some of my own Questions now.

1.Changed in about mid 04
2.Yes. The casings and diff are the same. The side retainer, seals and bearings are the same. To change from male to female configuration, the two "stub" pionions must be removed from the diff (which apparently requires dissasembly of the unit to remove the two retaining "C" clips). After that the later axles with male gearbox-side-ends slide into the diff bevel pinions and are retained by a circular spring clip.
3. The choice will be to get male end axles or the slightly shorter female end type, depending on the diff you have.

[flatfourspec]

In response to #2, when going that configuration the circlip on the male axle does not fully engage the diff that has the stubs pulled out. I have a customer with a Baja that attempted this when doing a ppg gear set, he used an older style Kaaz 1.5 LSD. He is going to have to pull it apart and use stub shafts now.

I believe I can answer some of my own Questions now.

1.Changed in about mid 04
2.Yes. The casings and diff are the same. The side retainer, seals and bearings are the same. To change from male to female configuration, the two "stub" pionions must be removed from the diff (which apparently requires dissasembly of the unit to remove the two retaining "C" clips). After that the later axles with male gearbox-side-ends slide into the diff bevel pinions and are retained by a circular spring clip.
3. The choice will be to get male end axles or the slightly shorter female end type, depending on the diff you have.

[freds]

In response to #2, when going that configuration the circlip on the male axle does not fully engage the diff that has the stubs pulled out. I have a customer with a Baja that attempted this when doing a ppg gear set, he used an older style Kaaz 1.5 LSD. He is going to have to pull it apart and use stub shafts now.

Thank you very much for that information. That is very important to know.

If i understand correctly....there must be a "groove" in the later diffs that the spring clip locates into...which is not present in the earlier "stub-type" diff.

Summary: while all the parts will fit, the male axle stub will not be secured in an earlier diff. because of the missing groove.

Please correct me if I have misinterpreted.

fred

[flatfourspec]

You are correct.