QuestionMy friend recently had the front Driver side rocker arm replaced. (Auto Tr/ no ABS) The repair shop removed the
half shaft as part of the repair. When she got the car back, it vibrated like crazy. (She's knows nothing of cars). The repair shop told her she needed a new set of tires. She called me about the matter. I knew the tires, alignment etc, were fine so i drove the car. It was very apparent that there was nothing wrong with tires, engine, transmission, so I know the problem had to come from the "half shaft" connection to the differential. I jacked up the car, turned the driver wheel and saw the halfshaft was not properly aligned. I grabbed the shaft and could shake it back and forth about half and inch (not good). As I suspected, the play came from the "boot" connected to the differential. I pulled back the boot to take a look and had not moved it back an inch when a greased up bearing fell on my face. I moved it a little more, and another bearing fell out. These bearings, if proberly installed, could not have come "off" the inner shaft on which they ride. (There are three bearing/shafts inside the boot). Anyway, the repair shop had to just throw the bearings in the boot with an "over" grease job. For this my friend paid $800. Anyay, do you know if youi can buy the "clips" and needle rollers that hold these bearings in place? Or must I buy the entire half shaft assembly and replace it all? Any suggestions on what to do with the repair shop?.
AnswerThe rocker arms are underneath the valve cover in the engine. I'm not sure what repairs were done, but if they involved removing and reinstalling the axle, the rocker arm wasn't why the axle was removed.
You probably won't be able to find the individual pieces of the inner joint, but you can purchase the inner joint assembly separately through your local Hyundai dealer. It's likely, however, that the joint will cost more than a remanufactured axle from your local parts store, however. If you're going to do the repair yourself, your best bet is probably to call a few places, compare prices, and come to decision on preference.
Ordinarily, there isn't enough play in the axle for the bearings to come off the joint into the boot, so you should question how this occurred. Presuming the vibration wasn't present prior to repair and that the shop did indeed at least remove the left axle and reinstall it, you'd be reasonable in asking them to repair the problem at no expense to you. If they refuse, don't give them any more business.
I'd doubt the shop actually removed the boot or in any way disassembled the axle. It's far more likely that, if they removed the axle, they inadvertently pulled the bearings out of the inner joint, at which point they fell into the boot. Then, when they reinstalled the axle, it wasn't obvious that the bearings had fallen into the boot.
Consider the damage you've incurred from this problem. You could consider legal action, but I'm not sure you have a good enough case to win. Furthermore, it's not clear that your damages are enough to be worth the inconvenience of legal action.
