Welcome to DIY episode #007. Today we are going to install half shaft spacers on a 2001 Honda S2000. The reason I am installing half shaft spacers on my car is because they alleviate vibrations that can develop on lowered s2000s. The vibration I’m experiencing only occurs during acceleration and gets worse as the wheel speed increases.
Difficulty: Moderate
Estimated time: 1 hour
Tools necessary:
- Impact Gun
- 14mm Deep Impact Socket
- 14mm Wrench
- Torque Wrench
- U-joint for impact gun + socket
- Sockets/Wrenches for your new nuts/bolts
Steps
1. The first thing you want to do is get the rear of the car on jackstands and climb under the car.
2. Next, you want to spray some penetrating oil on the driveshaft nuts and bolts. These bolts are highly torqued from the factory and even worse they are often rusted. This is why I only suggest performing this job with an impact gun.
3. Use an impact gun, u-joint, and a 14mm deep impact socket to remove the six bolts fastening each rear axle to the differential. If you can’t reach all six bolts you can rotate the rear wheels to make the bolts more accessible.
4. With the bolts removed you can now install the spacer. Pull the axle bucket away from the differential and insert the half shaft spacers so that the ridge is pointing towards the differential.
5. With the spacers in place you can now install the new nuts and bolts provided with the spacers. The size of the nuts and bolts will be different depending on the kit that you buy. In my case I used a 16mm wrench to hold the nut and a 7mm hex drive to turn the bolt. Once again if you can’t reach all six holds you can rotate the rear wheels to make the bolts more accessible.
6. With the fastening bolts mostly tight you will need to torque them down. Some people even use loctite for extra protection. Given that the nuts and bolts differ with every kit the torque specs you should use will vary. For reference the stock torque spec is 61 ft-lbs. You will need to put the parking brake on to keep the axle from turning as you torque the bolts. Torque 3-4 bolts on each side at a time. Then remove the parking brake and spin the wheels so the remaining bolts are accessible. Re-apply the parking brake. This will allow you to torque the remaining bolts.
7. Lower the car back down to the ground and enjoy your hopefully vibration free acceleration.
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