I need to replace my front axles (2004 Fx4) and wondering for you lifted guys which aftermarket axle works best for our trucks? I was looking at the A1 Cardone axles but seen a couple others..Any input on this?

 

^bump
I too need to replace my cv axles, still in the process of searching but found nothing yet. Advanceautoparts i believe it was did have a few options.

 

whats wrong with your cv's that you need to replace them

 

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...1424&ppt=C0362

I ordered these....My driver side was poppin and clickin shortly after lifting it, 70k on it so i went ahead and replaced both axles and the hubs

 

I went with the "new" gsp cv axle from advance auto parts for roughly $80 for the driver side which was popping. I figure I would give it a try, I wheel my truck in the sand ALOT and hit the occasional mud hole so it will be put to the test. I installed it last Friday and everything was a perfect fit, then spent Saturday, Sunday, and Monday testing it out on the beach. I pulled several people out and drove around in very soft and hard sand all weekend with no noises or popping that I previously had. If I have any issues with it ill be sure to let you guys know.

I do have a new noise that occurred in my front end only once this past weekend that didn't sound good at all. It's possible the factory passenger cv has failed now but I have not had time to diagnose the problem yet. I only am saying this because I have not ruled out the possibility it is a noise that came from the new aftermarket GSP axle which is what this thread is based on.

How long have you been running the oreilly axle? Any issues with it or the quality, especially of the boots?

 

So, would you recommend them? I need 2 replace the 2 outer boots on my 07 F150 and I was just thinking about replacing the whole axle. I do have 3" lift spacers on the front. Do you have a lift?

 

No I would not recommend them for a truck with any size leveling kit. Just found this out the hard way by lack of enough research I guess. From what I read now these after market cv axles don't measure to the exact specs of the motorcraft axle. Looks like they will only work fine on a truck with stock angles. When in 4wd the new one pops a lot from binding up I guess. So I have a motorcraft replacement on the way to solve the problem for good.

I don't know how many miles you have on yours but I would either go through the labor of changing the boot or if you have quite a few miles buy a new motorcraft axle from rockauto for about $300.

 

Jamespyles are you running a leveling kit or a lift? Any input on the oreilly ones you went with?

 

I have an 8" BDS lift on my truck Right now Im in Iraq but my truck is at the shop getting gears, hubs and the new axles on it. I can have my dad tell me how they work out and get back to ya on em....The specs are the same as the OEM Motorcraft axles so I dont see why they will not work

 

hold on im fixing to upload and show you oem specs on the gsp axle I bought lol

 

here is two pics, the rusty one is the new gsp axle that was on my truck for about 3 weeks i think and the shiny one is my brand new motorcraft replacement. Not exactly OEM specs but close I guess, I reckon this is why they will work on a truck without a leveling kit. Who knows, may not be everyones case. But check out the center shaft length, that puts the joints at different angles than oem specs to begin with. Shorter shaft equals sharper angle, longer shaft equals smaller angle.

 

Hey BlackOut07, I'm right in the middle of changing the CV Boots on my truck now. Do I need to remove the whole spindle to get the axle out. Do you know where I could find some diagrams on removing the axles?

 

Don't know of any diagrams but I'm sure there is some out there. I did it in this order: jack up front, remove tire, take off the brake caliper and set it on a box or something to the side so you don't damage the lines, remove the nut on the steering end balljoint at the wheel and push the shaft of the joint out so everything now turns freely, remove the nut on the upper control arm ball joint and slide the joint's shaft out so everything moves around completely free now, remove metal dust cap which reveals the spindle nut for the cv axle, remove the cv axle spindle nut, take the 6 bolts out that mate the cv axle to the front drive shaft, and just wiggle the cv axle out. Reinstalling is self explanatory for the most part.

A few tips are after removing the nuts on the ball joints I specified, put a block or something safe under the control arm and lower the truck down on it. This allows you to very easily remove the ball joint shafts from the holes to free up the wheel and let you work the old cv axle out and work the new one in.

Another thing is when removing the 6 bolts on the cv axle, you can put the truck in 4wd to keep the front axle from spinning while your trying to loosen them. Then put it back in 2wd and spin it so you can access all of the bolts easily, then 4wd again to keep it from spinning. It's helpful to have a buddy sit in the truck for this to make it a lot quicker process.

Hope I'm not to late for you, good luck but be safe jerking and hitting on things while the truck is off the ground, I put safety blocks under my frame incase the jacks just happen to slip from me hitting or pushing on stuff.

 

http://www.fordf150.net/articles/idx...t--Part-1.html
Easy to do. I got the new (rebuilt) axles from NAPA. Have Motorcraft stamps on them. $55 with lifetime warranty. Been fine for more than a year.

 

Ya my next one will be the Napa reman cv axle, nothing aftermarket.