Slop in Axles
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Slop in Axles
It's been a while since I've owned a front wheel drive vehicle (my 2011 TL is actually all wheel drive) and I'm curious as to how much movement is normal in the wheels with the vehicle in park. I had the front wheels off the ground individually yesterday evening to re-torque the lug nuts (dealer torqued them to more than 30 ft lbs over spec ) and I was able to rotate each wheel back and forth slightly. I could hear a loud clunking noise as I rotated them presumably from the gears meshing inside the transaxle. Is it normal to have a certain amount of "slop" in the transaxle when in park? There was also a bit of vertical play in the axles, but when I held the wheels tight (meaning fully CW or CCW and held in place) the axles were nice and tight.
#3
Member
Thread Starter
A little bit of play is normal, I'd be concerned about the clunk.
#4
Forum Topic Moderator
I just installed a new hub on my stepson's malibu and there was a little rotation play and in/out play while it was in park, not much - just enough to tell it moved. No clunk [by my definition] but there was a sound when you rotated it and it stopped.
#5
Member
Thread Starter
Clunk was probably not the appropriate word. More of a loud click as I rotated the wheel back and forth.
Meant to say transfer case, not transaxle.
Meant to say transfer case, not transaxle.
Last edited by mossman; 07-27-16 at 01:01 PM.