How to repair and replace a VAZ 2107 axle shaft with your own hands

Signs of a faulty VAZ 2107 axle bearing

When operating the vehicle, the axle bearing itself may wear out or its seat may break. Any bearing malfunction is easily determined by a number of signs:

• the buzzing of the rear axle increasing with speed, which can turn into a creaking or crackling sound;
• rear wheel play (you can check it by jacking up the car and rocking the wheel with your hands);
• loss of balls when the separator is destroyed (in this case, the axle shaft may move out of its seat while moving);
• jamming of the rear axle when the wheels stop rotating (if a wheel jams at speed, this can cause a serious accident).

Replacing the VAZ 2107 axle bearing

To carry out the work, there is no need to lift the car on a lift or drive it into a viewing hole. Replacing a VAZ 2107 axle shaft or bearing is performed as follows:

• jack up, unscrew and remove the rear wheel;
• remove the brake drum;

• remove the brake pads using pliers to remove the springs;
• using a 17mm socket wrench, unscrew the axle shaft;
• remove the axle shaft from the seat (for this you need to use a wrench, inserting it between the rear part of the axle shaft and the brake cylinder and using it as a lever);

  

• remove the old axle bearing;

• clean the axle shaft and wipe with a rag;
• put on a new bearing and retaining ring;
• Use a screwdriver to remove the old axle shaft seal;
• install a new oil seal, carefully driving it with a hammer through the spacer (it is convenient to use a 32 socket head);
• install the axle shaft in place and assemble the unit.

Preparing for replacement

The VAZ-2107 has a fairly simple device, so you can easily service it yourself, without specialists. Replacing the axle bearing on a VAZ-2107 can be done both in the garage and on the street. The presence of an inspection hole or lift is not necessary (although this will significantly speed up the process). The main thing is a complete set of tools and a flat, hard surface to work on (so that the car is stable on the jack).

Useful tips for replacing the VAZ 2107 axle bearing

When repairing a VAZ 2107 axle shaft, you must adhere to the following tips and rules:

To avoid damaging the axle shaft when cutting off the old bearing with a grinder, it is necessary to saw only the outer ring and the cage. It is enough to make several cuts on the inner ring, and then split it with chisels.

The new bearing is driven onto the axle shaft using a hammer. If you hit the bearing directly, there is a possibility of it being distorted or destroyed. Therefore, the bearing must be filled using a piece of pipe whose internal diameter is slightly larger than the diameter of the axle shaft.

It is unacceptable to heat the bearing before seating it on the axle shaft. A heated bearing enlarges and fits into place more easily, but this may result in “annealing” of the metal, worsening its physical properties. As a result of annealing, the ductility of the metal increases and the hardness of the metal decreases.

Replacing a VAZ 2107 axle bearing is a rather complicated task, but quite doable in a garage. The main thing is not to damage the surface of the axle shaft when removing and installing the bearing. When installing a new bearing, be careful when using a hammer, as the steel from which the bearing parts are made is very brittle. Otherwise, the procedure does not contain complex operations that require special qualifications and equipment.

Bearing selection

The axle bearing is a solid device and cannot be repaired. Therefore, if signs of wear are detected, you cannot simply lubricate it and tighten it tighter. Moreover, this can aggravate the situation - over time, the oil deflector will begin to collapse, and then the axle shaft itself with the rear axle housing.

When choosing and purchasing a new bearing, it is recommended to give preference to domestic products, since they are produced in accordance with GOST. The best option is the products of the Vologda and Samara bearing plants. An axle bearing from these manufacturers costs about 250 rubles. However, you will need to additionally purchase a locking ring costing about 220 rubles. and an oil seal (preferably) costing about 25 rubles.

The best option when installing a new bearing is the product of the Vologda plant

If the axle bearing has failed, having exhausted its entire life, then, most likely, problems will appear with the second bearing in the near future. Therefore, it is more advisable to change both bearings at the same time.

Replacing an axle shaft or its bearing on a VAZ 2101-VAZ 2107

Welcome! The axle shaft meshes with the gears in the gearbox, thanks to this, when the driveshaft rotates, the gears in the gearbox also begin to move, and the car starts to move. But the axle shaft, like any other part, has its own service life; axle shafts wear out especially badly when they are under heavy load: when you sharply take turns, for example, when you let the rear axle skid, etc. Therefore, take care of the axle shafts: when driving a car carefully, do not make sudden maneuvers - then they will live a long life. Severely worn axle shafts can cause one of the rear wheels of the car to fly out (see photo below), take this into account.

Note! To replace the axle shaft or its bearing, you will need the following: wrenches, a jack, a wrench for loosening the bolts that secure the wheel, and various other keys (socket wrenches, etc.). These tools are needed to remove the axle shaft from the vehicle; To replace the bearing you will also need a grinder, a vice, a new bearing, a new retaining ring and a blowtorch!

Summary:

Where are the axle shafts on a car?

The rear axle is an expression understandable to most car enthusiasts; to clarify, let’s say: it is a single whole that includes the gearbox, axle shafts and their housing (see photo below). The arrow in the photo indicates the axle shaft, which comes from the rear axle gearbox and onto which the rear wheel of the car is placed.

When do you need to change axle shafts?

1. The axle shafts are replaced if the threads on them are damaged (see photo on the right): the bolts that secure the wheel cannot be tightened and are twisted. The other end of the axle shaft is inserted into the rear axle gearbox (see photo on the left), at the other end there are splines (they are indicated by an arrow), if they come together, the axle shaft will stop rotating altogether, since it will not engage with the gears. Then one wheel will stand still and the other will spin.

1. There is another case in which the axle shaft must be replaced - this is wear of the bearing or peeling off of the retaining ring. If the ring has come off its seat, then the rear wheel will have play (by swinging it is easy to understand whether there is this play or not). If there is a problem with the bearing, then noise will appear at one of the rear wheels (play may also be present). For more details about this, watch the video below:

How to replace rear axle shafts or their bearings on a VAZ 2101-VAZ 2107?

Note! In general, it is better not to change the bearing separately, but to buy a new axle shaft assembled with it. You can press the bearing unsuccessfully: drive a few kilometers, and it will fly out of its seat, and the wheel will fly off the car. If you are sure that you will do everything correctly: seat the bearing well in place and check after a while that everything is in order, change the bearing separately. If you keep an eye on it, you can be sure that nothing critical will happen to the axle shaft while driving. And after 2000 km, you can completely forget about it, because if nothing happened during this time, it is already clear that the bearing is properly seated in its place and everything is working!

1. At the very beginning of the operation, you need to remove the desired axle shaft or both at once. Even if you do not change them, but only the bearings on them, the axle shafts still need to be removed from the car. For more details on the process of removing the axle shaft from a car, see the article “Replacing axle shaft seals on a classic car.”

Note! When the axle shaft is removed, you need to check whether it needs to be replaced. The first step is to check the threads and splined part on the axle shaft. We have already mentioned where all this is located on it and even showed it in the picture just above. If the threads are not broken and the spline part is intact, move on to the bearing and the retaining ring. First, the bearing: it should sit well, grab it with your hand and move it left and right (as shown by the red arrows in the photo below), it should not move (let's say an axial clearance of 0.7 mm). Next, rotate the bearing: its upper part should spin, but the middle part should stand clearly on the shaft and not move. Otherwise, the bearing is faulty and requires replacement. Now there is a retaining ring (indicated by a blue arrow), thanks to which the bearing stays in its seat and does not move out (if the bearing moves out, the axle shaft will simply fly out of the gearbox), the retaining ring does not perform any other functions. You can tell by eye that the retaining ring has slipped by shaking the bearing, as we said earlier, you can determine one hundred percent whether the retaining ring is seated properly. Sometimes it happens that the axle shaft cracks or bends in some place (usually in the middle part), in this case the axle shaft must be completely replaced!

Replacing the axle bearing of a VAZ 2106 car

The main sign of wear on the VAZ 2106 axle bearing is increased noise from the rear wheel when the car is moving.
Replacing the VAZ 2106 axle bearing is required if strong noise in the area of ​​one or another rear wheel occurs both when the vehicle is moving in a straight line and when turning. It is worth noting that, according to the factory instructions, if such a malfunction occurs, the entire axle shaft assembly must be replaced. Additional pressing or replacement of one bearing with a large axial clearance does not lead to a reliable solution to the problem. The permissible maximum axial play is only 0.7 mm.

The cost of a bearing is from 100 rubles for a Chinese one and up to 250 rubles for an original one. The assembled axle shaft costs several times more. However, it should be taken into account that for craftsmen the cost of performing work on replacing the VAZ 2106 drive shaft assembly is much lower. In this case, you can save money by doing the repairs yourself.

What are the signs that indicate a bearing needs replacement?

Since vehicles are operated on uneven roads, additional and constant loads are placed on the bearing, which leads to rapid wear of this element. If the load on the rear axle bearing of the VAZ-2107 is not reduced, it may fail at any time, even the most inopportune moment. This situation can only be prevented if the first signs of a malfunction are detected in a timely manner:

• when operating the car, a sound will appear from the outside, which intensifies when the car accelerates;
• when starting the engine, the bearing will refuse to rotate or begin to jam;
• a visual inspection reveals deformation of this element.

Sometimes the above problems can be solved by replacing the bearing itself, and in some cases the problem can be solved after replacing the entire axle shaft.

Replacing the axle shaft assembly

To perform the work you need to prepare the following tools:

• slotted screwdriver;
• beard;
• installation;
• wrench for “8” and “10”;
• head on “17” with extension;
• balloon key.

Replacing a VAZ 2106 axle shaft is done as follows.

1. First you need to loosen the bolts securing the corresponding wheel.
2. Then you need to place bricks under the front wheels to prevent the car from rolling, move the gear shift lever to the neutral position and release the handbrake all the way.

1. After this, you need to jack up the rear of the car, unscrew the bolts and remove the wheel.
2. Next, you should place a support under the rear axle beam (under the place where the spring is attached), unscrew the pins (if any) and remove the drum. If the drum does not give in, you can compress it by screwing in a couple of bolts so that their ends rest against the axle shaft flange.
3. Then you need to turn the flange so that the large holes in it are above the two nuts securing the oil deflector.
4. After this, you need to unscrew the 2 nuts along with the washers and, repeating operation 5, unscrew the remaining nuts.
5. Next, you need to take the removed brake drum and, turning its outer side towards the brake shield, screw it with two wheel bolts to the flange so that the bolts are located opposite each other and are not tightened 1 turn all the way.
6. Then you need to sit opposite the flange, grab the drum with both hands and with a sharp jerk pull the axle shaft out of the beam by at least 10-15 cm.
7. After this, you need to unscrew the bolts, remove the drum and pull the drive shaft out of the beam.

Operations 8 and 9 should be done very carefully so as not to break anything or tear the rubber lip of the oil seal. The new unit is installed in the reverse order, with the flange positioned with the screws down. At the same time, the bolts securing the rear axle beam of the VAZ 2106 to the oil deflector must be turned with the large edge towards the axle shaft.

The procedure for dismantling the unit and removing the bearing

Repair of the rear axle of a VAZ 2107 is carried out in the following sequence:

1. The machine is installed on a level surface, secured with a parking brake and stops. The desired side is raised with a jack, the wheel is removed and the body is lowered onto a strong support.
2. The screws securing the drum to the hub are unscrewed and the part is removed. The brake mechanism is cleaned of dirt and disassembled. Using a socket wrench, unscrew the bearing cap bolts through the windows in the hubs.
3. If the brake pads are worn excessively, they will need to be replaced together with the pads.
4. At the next stage, we try to remove the faulty axle shaft; this is easy to do using a special tool. If there is no such device, then pressing is done using a wheel disk. We fasten it to the hub with two bolts and knock the bearing out of its seat with sharp blows on the rim.
5. If the axle shaft assembly is being replaced, then we put a new one in place of the faulty unit and reassemble it in the reverse order.

If you plan to repair the unit of a VAZ 2107 car, then it is necessary to disassemble it and then replace the bearing.

Removing and installing the bearing

If there is not enough money to replace the complete unit, and the bearing is badly worn, you can try to replace only the part that has become unusable. True, the bearing will have to be replaced along with the locking ring. To carry out this operation, you need to buy the necessary parts and prepare the following tools:

• hammer;
• installation;
• hand-held electric circular saw for cutting metal (grinder, grinder);
• gasoline or gas burner;
• blacksmith's pliers or pliers.

In addition, to press parts onto the drive shaft, you need to have a special mandrel. To do this, you need to find a metal pipe with an internal diameter of 32 mm and cut off an even piece of at least 80 cm in length from it. After this, you can proceed with the replacement. The work must be performed in this sequence.

1. First you need to cut the locking ring crosswise on two opposite sides, being careful not to damage the axle shaft.
2. Then knock the 2 parts of the ring off the shaft using a pry bar and a hammer.
3. After this, you need to use the same tools to knock the bearing off the axle shaft in the direction opposite to the flange.
4. Next, you should clean the seat from dirt and, putting a new bearing on the axle shaft from the spline side, carefully press it into place using a prepared mandrel and a hammer.
5. Then you need to heat the locking ring with a burner to such an extent that it becomes ash-gray in color (it is important not to let it turn red) and, picking it up with pliers, put it on the drive shaft with the reduced side facing the flange.
6. Next, you need to very quickly and carefully hammer the locking ring, using a mandrel and a hammer, into its proper place. The ring should sit close to the bearing.

Immediately after installation, the ring must be cooled with used engine oil. If the work is done correctly, the inner race of the bearing should not rotate on the shaft.

Installing a new bearing

First we need to remove the old element from the axle shaft. To do this, you will need an anvil or a steel object similar to it (this could be a piece of railway rail). We install the axle shaft on the anvil so that the flange of the part does not touch the surface of the rail. Cover the bearing with a thick rag and check the position of the part again. Distortions of the axle shaft are unacceptable. Using a hammer and chisel (we install it in the upper part of the bearing race), we strike the element. Our goal is to break the clip, then remove the separator and knock down the intake sleeve. This can be done with the same chisel. Next, remove the inner race. It can be cut using a grinder.