Is axle play normal?

[turbo6cyl]

Hey everyone. I have rotational play in both of my rear axles in the outer joints (nothing noticeable in the inner joint) so I disassembled them and found that the play is between the splined part of axle shaft and the inner ball bearing race (I hope that's the right term). There is no play in the joint mechanism (inner race, ball bearings, outer race/housing). Is it normal to have some rotational play on this splined part? There does not seem to be any wear on either part so I am wondering if they are manufactured like that?

There were no torn boots or lack of grease in the joints. They are OEM axles as far as I can tell.

It is hard to say exactly how much play but I would guess it's only a couple of degrees but its enough to make a clunk sometimes when I'm letting off the clutch especially with my 6 puck clutch that chatters a bit.

[turbo6cyl]

Does anyone know if this side of the inner race faces the end of the shaft (toward the wheel) or the middle of the shaft (toward the diff)? I read that on the E36 shaft, it faces toward the diff but when I took my axle apart, mine was facing the end of the shaft. The E36 and the E30 outer joints look almost identical so I am wondering if these were installed the wrong way around in a previous rebuild (by another owner) or something and that is what is causing my play? Anyone rebuild a E30 shaft outer joint?

The other side of this inner race does not have that lip on it, it is flat/smooth.

[ForcedFirebird]

Check that you do have OEM shafts. You will see GKN or Lobro stamped onto the CV. Also, the OEM shaft will have the "bamboo knot" in the center. GKN replacement shafts are the same diameter through, but are as thick as the "knot" on the OE shafts. Aftermarket stuff has play and the cages are significantly smaller - to the point that the Asian parts won't the OE parts. We tried aftermarket shafts in the race cars, they were lucky to see 30hr. New GKN shafts last us the life of the car.

[turbo6cyl]

Both axles have that "bamboo knot" in the middle and I do recall seeing some stampings on the outer joint when disassembling it but I cannot remember exact what it had stamped into it. That's exactly the reason why I have not put aftermarket axles onto it. I do not think they would hold up especially being turbocharged and I am quite certain these are the original axles but I cannot stand the clunking.

[turbo6cyl]

I took the outer joint back apart tonight and my previous post was wrong. That inner race lip faces inwards, not outwards so I think it is installed correctly. I cannot slide the inner race all the way onto the splines the other way either.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how well a weld around the circumference of the shaft where it touches the inner race would hold? Is that a better or worse idea than filling the splines with an epoxy to eliminate the play? May not be very serviceable in the future but the play and clunking drive me nuts and new GKN axles are not exactly cheap by the time they get to Canada.

The axles i have now are OEM for sure, they have Lobro stamped into them.

[moatilliatta]

It seems like a used original axle in good shape is better than a replacement GKN.