Drive axles?

Tiny
JONES57
  • MEMBER
  • 1994 HONDA ACCORD
  • 2.2L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 125,000 MILES
Have replaced both drive axles, have vehicle up on jack stands.
Both axles seemed to click into place properly. I can turn axles by hand with transmission in park. Is this normal?
Sunday, April 13th, 2025 AT 10:41 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 34,350 POSTS
Yes. When you rotate one wheel forward, the other one will turn rearward. It's when both tires are on the ground that they can't turn in opposite directions, so the car can't move.

This is the job of the differential assembly. It is what allows one wheel to rotate faster than the other when you go around corners. This article:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-a-differential-works

explains it better. It is for a rear-drive axle, but the differential assembly on front-wheel-drive vehicles works exactly the same way, except it is built in as part of the transmission.
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Sunday, April 13th, 2025 AT 2:47 PM

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