. . . .I was replacing struts and ball joints on our 2012 Chrysler 200 and I must have let the axle come out too far and causing the cv joint to disengage. I suspect this is what happened because once I put the ball joint back in the lower control arm, I can't swing the steering nuckle in enough to insert the 2 strut bolts. I had to take the steering nuckle completed out of the car to get the ball joint out. None of the ball joint sets would fit the 200, so I had to jerry rig a few things and while doing that I let the axle come out too far, at least I think that is what happened. does anyone have an article on how to do this on the 6 speed automatic on the drivers side?
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Attached image shows a typical front wheel drive axle shaft, driver side. Can you push the shaft and compress the inner joint boot? If YES then the inner tripod joint did not separate and you can reinstall.

It can be difficult to get the inner joint splined shaft snap ring clip to compress and seat within the transmission. See YouTube video.

. . . . Does anyone know if the axle from the 4 speed and the 6 speed are the same? The axle was good so I am going try to reassemble the cv joint and see if I can use it, if not i will have to buy a new axle. Need answer asap. thanks for any help out there. . . . .

Go to RockAuto.com and find axle shafts for 2012 Chrysler 200. Listing shows different part numbers for LF axles shaft for 4 speed and 6 speed transmission. So they must not be interchangeable.

 

Attached image shows a typical front wheel drive axle shaft, driver side. Can you push the shaft and compress the inner joint boot? If YES then the inner tripod joint did not separate and you can reinstall.

It can be difficult to get the inner joint splined shaft snap ring clip to compress and seat within the transmission. See YouTube video.

View attachment 115983

Go to RockAuto.com and find axle shafts for 2012 Chrysler 200. Listing shows different part numbers for LF axles shaft for 4 speed and 6 speed transmission. So they must not be interchangeable.

Thanks for the info. I did come across that video, wasn't sure if it applied to the Chrysler. I also saw a video on what normally happens when the inner cv joint gets extended and comes apart. I will try to snap the axle back in place but I think the cv joint came apart. I was aware to not allow that to happen, I had it tied up but I think I know what happened. When reassembling the front end, I should have connected the knuckle to the lower control arm with the ball joint in place, then installed the strut nuts, and finally put on the axle nut. I installed the strut, then tightened the axle nut to just snug it. I think that pulled the axle out too far because the lower control arm had the knuckle about 1" out from where it goes due to the ball joint not being attached and the arm was against the inside of the knuckle instead of sitting under it. A dumb mistake on my part.

I think you are right about the axles, I am waiting on Mopar to give me the axle part number based on my vin # to make sure I get the right part if I can't fix the cv joint. Mopar wants around $800 for the axle which may not even be the right one.

I will post how I got this fixed, trying to think positive. It was a very hot and frustrating day,

Lon Johnston

 

If the spider has come apart & a ball case separated, the needle rollers will scatter. You will need an inner joint boot kit, disassemble the joint on a clean workbench & fish the needle bearings out of the grease with a magnet.

Reassemble the completed spider into the tripode & reboot with the new clamps & fresh grease.

 

Thats a pretty awesome video. thanks for spending the time to help me. I decided this morning after watching a couple of videos about the noise cv joints make that I should just buy a new one. The noise is still there after changing the struts and it does sound like the noises described in the posts on the internet that the cv joints make when starting to fail. The cv joint has 165,000 miles on it and I don't want to reassemble and discover I need to change it. I found ones by TRQ for $100 that fits the 6 speed T6E transmission. Now I hope I don't separate the new cv joint while installing. Fingers crossed. If the noise is still there I am going to dissassemble the old axle and clean and re-assemble and give it away to someone who might need it. Are there videos showing how to avoid pulling the cv joint apart that might help?

 

I got the replacement front left axle, it looks the same but is about an inch shorter than the one I took out. I am guessing that is why they list the length as compressed length and mine came apart inside. One question; The original axle had a shim between the axle end and the steering knuckle, the new one doesn't and none of the pictures of various manufacturers show a shim (1/32" thick). Should I use the one that was on my old axle? I am assembling it back together tomorrow, I hope it goes as planned.