R53 Passenger Axle Replacement
 

What a fun project! Pulled off the wheel, dropped the lower control arm, took off the steering arm. Took off the skid guard which was a nightmare. 3 bolts held hte carrier bearing, 2 were cake, 1 was a nightmare. Got the new one in with ease. everything back together, started it up, put it into gear, and it didn't move. back in the air, wheel off, hub off, axle off. Put them side by side, and the new one was 3/4" short. The difference was so small i didn't notice it when i installed. Back to pop boys and they confirmed it was the wrong part. New one should be here thursday.

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Good luck we've seen people order 7 of them and none of them right from local parts stores like that.

Also the aftermarket ones are very prone to failure so be cautious as we've had them last as few as 2 weeks. That is why we just rebuild the originals in our shop or replace with original MINI axles.

The axle side was perfect, but the trans side was obviously wrong. I'd be weary about rebuilding as it's already had metal on metal grinding, the tollerances just aren't there anymore. The OEM's are a bit out of budget. It seems that it was an error in pep boys site though, the p/n on the website came up as incompatible with the in store number vs the web number. I'll definitely do a side by side comparrison when the new one comes in though.

It's not just a pep boys error. We see this all the time as the aftermarket doesn't realize how many different variations there are for length based on model and trans so they all the time are wrong.

Yes I see your concern on a rebuild, but that is why we are vary particular on our rebuilds as we repair all the joints and replace the rollers. And not with made in china parts.

What should the overall length be for the 6 Speed axles? I recently bought a new RH axle (not from WMW, because Canadian), but haven't installed it yet while I wait on some other parts (PS pump and fan, Tensioner). If I can measure it before I tear the car apart that would be nice.. could save a bunch of hours and walking to work (Which isn't really an option..).

That's actually my wife, i needed her to put that top bolt in because my hands are to big to fit up there. Those blocks are for leveling my motorhome when the hydraulic levelers don't come down far enough. They are stackable depending on how many i need. I figure if it can hold a 22,000lb motorhome, it can hold a mini.

It's really close, The thing to look for is in the last picture, notice the spacing between the cv joint and carrier bearing, and how it's absent in the new one. Also the distance between the carrier bearing and the end of the shaft that goes into the axle. That's actually the real issue, the wheel side is the same length and everything bolts up nicely, the trans side is the side that is 3/4" short.

Perfect; I see what you're talking about. I'll check my new axle tonight when I get home. Came from a reputable source (so far for me, anyway), so I'm fairly confident it's correct...

It is such a PITA, that there are so many axles out there, that are not correct. Know this: There is a difference between the manual trans and auto trans models. Plus aftermarket axles can be a nightmare, but OEM will break the bank!

New axle came, and it's perfect! Didn't have carrier bearing or dust cap. The snap ring was a nightmare, my pliers weren't big enough. Tapped it out gently, cleaned it up, covered it with assembly lube, and tapped it in the new one. Dust cap came off and back on easily. Slid it in, put the 3 carrier bolts in, reattached the hub, 2 bolts in the control arm, attached hte steering, , wheel hub nut, wheel back on, took it for a test drive. still had noise from the front end. I think it's the wheel noise, but the axle needed done, so it got done.

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Congrats to you and a nice repair!
The hub packs come with bearings and are held in with 4 bolts. An easy job, but you need to take off the axle nut and pull the hub off of it.
The rears are super easy to put in, with no axle to slow you down! (they go bad and need replacing)(buy the best ones you can afford, as there are some crap ones out there!)
Keep us posted on you work and trips, with you little go-cart!

I think i can tackle taking off the axle nut, 32mm nut at 134ft/lb. When i had hte front end up, there was absolutely zero play in the bearings. It was the first thing i checked before the torn axle boot.I don't want to throw parts at it. I put it in the air and accelerated to 60mph and wasn't able to reproduce the noise, that's why i'm leaing towards road noise. They're aftermarket wheels and tires, there's wheel spacers as well. I think i'm going to look for a set of stock set of wheels/tires.

I never throw parts at my cars either, with th exception of tires. I take off the run flat tires whenever I have them on a car I get, as not only are they noisy, but they wear out the suspension. I carry a 12 volt portable air compressor and a radial patch kit. If I am traveling far, I have a spare from a Justa model. It makes a huge difference in ride, road noise and wear!