B Series Axles-- Problems and Solutions

EJ2 Track Rat: B Series Axles

If you road race or do HPDE with a Honda that has a B Series motor such as a B18B1, B18C5, B16A2, etc, then you’ve likely run into axle problems.

Figure 1: Integra Axle with Torn Outer CV Boot

Many cars with continuous velocity (CV) axles, even street cars, encounter torn boots every once in a while. But when you throw in hard braking from 100 MPH to 60 MPH once every minute-and-a-half, or when you subject your CV joints to excessive stress with a lowered car, or when you toss R comps and excessive lateral loads at your vehicle, you’ll quickly find the limits of physics.

Figure 2: Damien’s Dirt-Nasty Low “EK” Hatch Race Car

Excessive heat from rotors, loads from cornering, and aggressive articulation angles all result from the conditions mentioned above. With the added heat and stress, the components inside of the CV joint typically wear in an accelerated manner-- and for those who are racing, that could mean a DNF or last place. Either way you’re losing points toward your championship and wasting money with a broken car on track.

This writeup provides a solution for those of you who hate your axles. Do you want to drive on R comps? Do you want to be dirt-nasty low? Do you want to crack rotors with heavy braking? Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Figure 3: The Chaos That is Racing

Problem 1: Grease

The first problem associated with many parts-store brand axles that are made for B-Series-equipped Hondas is that they likely don’t have enough grease in them. Even if they do have enough grease, one has to question how high quality said grease is. When a single CV axle costs $35, do you trust it to hold up to the stresses of racing or track days?

Figure 4: These SurTrack Automotive Axles are Cheap at ~$35 from RockAuto

We solve this problem by replacing the old, crappy grease originally present in your axles with high-quality grease. For this DIY, I chose to use Redline CV-2.

Figure 5: Redline CV-2 “High Moly Content” Grease

Redline CV-2 is the grease of choice for rebuilding these troublesome Honda B-Series axles as it is made by a reputable company, withstands temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, high pressures, which are common in CV axles, and because it contains an “organic moly” as stated by Redline. This organic moly is likely a compound referred to as molybdenum disulfide. Due to its molecular structure, it provides superior lubrication like graphite but it also adheres to metal surfaces very well.

Figure 6: My Friend Alex Lubing up an Axle with Redline CV-2

Problem 2: The Heat

As I mentioned at the beginning of this writeup, the axles are subject to a lot of stress on a FWD race car. Heat is transferred from hot rotors to the axle spindle through the hub and heat is generated by the bearings in the CV joints as they rotate and articulate. The effects of this heat can be exacerbated by other factors mentioned in this article such as poor grease and poor manufacturing tolerances in cheaply made axles.

If the grease can’t handle the heat, its lubricating properties degrade, subjecting the bearings in the CV joints to excess friction-- compounding the problem. If the ball bearings are pitted, the bearing races are cracked, or the cages are cracked, the axle may begin to vibrate and eventually fail catastrophically.

Figure 7: Cracked Cage on a Subaru CV Joint

To solve this problem, we firstly use better quality grease. However, we can also vent the CV joints.

Venting CV joints has not been empirically tested to the best of my knowledge-- however, it is a practice that has been employed in the Honda road racing community for a long time by reputable axle manufacturers such as Gator, RAxles, Insane Shafts, and Driveshaft Shop. While the efficacy can be debated for days, it still doesn’t hurt to understand the theory and construction of axle vents.

Figure 8: Venting the Outer Boot of an Acura Integra Axle

When the axle is rotating at a high speed, it is believed that the centrifugal force generated by this behavior disperses any excess grease around the inner diameter of the axle boot. This, in theory, creates an air space in the center of the CV joint. Heat from the hot, rotating CV joint is transferred to the air space, and if the air is not vented, it is believed that this can accelerate axle wear.

Figure 9: Diagram Showing Air Pocket at Center of CV Boot

To evacuate this hot air, it is believed that a small “vent” (which is actually a tube inserted between the boot and axle shaft) can be used.

Figure 10: Diagram Showing Added “Small Tube” Which Serves as a Vent

Problem 3: Manufacturing

I’ve taken apart brand new parts store axles that have failed on my race car and discovered that they were adequately greased, but failed anyway. This, and other anecdotal evidence I’ve read online and heard about from other B Series drivers leads me to believe that “they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.”

This last section isn’t me saying that a parts store axle with high quality grease can’t last. Contrarily, I have seen and heard of people regreasing parts store axles with high quality grease and having great success at a reduced cost. However there is a generally true inverse relationship between quality and cost with auto parts that suggests machining tolerances and material quality may be compromised for the sake of pricing-- especially with economy-priced axles.

So, let’s not focus on how true the above statements are. Let’s just make sure that our axles are well made. The easiest way to do this is with visual inspection and with precision measurement tools.

Figure 11: A Starrett 0-1” Micrometer I Bought for $10 on OfferUp

When disassembling your axles to regrease and vent, measure any components you can and visually inspect the friction surfaces. Visual inspection should always be implemented as it is cheap and easy if you know what to look for. If you don’t have precision measurement tools, it’s not the end of the world, but they do help.

Starting with the outer joint of an Acura Integra CV axle, it consists of six ball bearings, an inner race, a cage, and an outer race which is integrated into the spindle. This type of CV joint is called a “Birfield joint.”

Figure 12: Diagram of Outer CV Joint

Disassemble the outer joint and begin visually inspecting the components. The following video is a great DIY on how to disassemble the outboard joint of a CV axle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-R11jtnyV8. Things to look for during inspection include: metal pitting, hairline fractures and cracks, and discoloration.

Figure 13: Discoloration on the Spindle Caused by Overheating

If you can see pitting on the metal surfaces, it could be due to contaminants in the grease such as sand that entered through a torn boot or corrosion from moisture. If you see discoloration, it is likely that grease was not lubricating effectively in the affected area and the metal is now distorted. If you see cracking, the affected area may have overheated at some point or may have been constructed from cheap metal.

Figure 14: Ball Bearings with Spalling

A well-manufactured CV axle, such as an OEM unit, will show minimal signs of wear on the friction surfaces. I have disassembled OEM Acura Integra Axles with over 150,000 miles on them and torn boots with nearly perfect looking wear surfaces.

Figure 15: Outer Races of Said 150,000 Mile Axle with Minimal Wear

Once you’re finished your visual inspection, measure whatever you can with precision measurement tools. Engine builders use this process when disassembling motors. Critical dimensions are measured to the nearest one-thousandth, sometimes the nearest ten or one-hundred-thousandth of an inch to gauge the health of various components. If the components are found out of spec, they are sent to a machine shop where they can be brought back into spec with specialized machinery.

Figure 16: Using an Outer Diameter Micrometer to Measure Ball Bearing Diameter

For the outboard joint of a CV axle, one easy component to “blueprint” is a ball bearing. Take several diameter measurements of the ball bearings and compare the results against all bearings in the axle set. Mark each ball bearing with dots so that outliers can be identified. Record your results for future rebuilds.

My OEM axles that I rebuilt all had healthy looking ball bearings with outer diameters that were the same to one-thousandth of an inch.

Figure 17: Recording Ball Bearing Diameter Results

The process is the same for the inboard CV Joint. Disassemble, clean, visually inspect, and blueprint what you can. The inboard CV joint used on B Series Hondas and Acuras is known as a “Tripod joint.” The picture below shows a cutaway view of the side of the inboard joint on the left, and on the right, a cutaway view of the front.

Figure 18: Tripod Type CV Joint (Image from: http://what-when-how.com/automobile/universal-joints-automobile/)

Below you’ll see the inboard spindle that houses the majority of components comprising the inboard joint assembly. Again, this is an OEM unit and looks nearly immaculate after years of abuse.

Figure 19: OEM Honda Tripod Joint Housing (“Cylindrical Pot Chamber”)

When I disassembled the inboard joints, I only blueprinted the outer diameter of the “semispherical rollers” as outlined in Figure 18. But I could have also disassembled these “rollers” and blueprinted their internals as well.

Figure 20: Semispherical Rollers Cleaned and Recently Inspected

Again, when blueprinting the inboard side, the more measurements you can take the better-- but remember, all of the measurements are relative (unless you’re an engineer at Honda and have access to the dimensions you need!) Regardless of what the measurements are, record them and keep them for future axle rebuilds. More data is always better.

The Finished Product

Disassembling, cleaning, inspecting, greasing, venting, and rebuilding your old axles can be a hassle, but if you’re looking to save a buck, the tips in this writeup should help. When you buy a project car, save the OEM axles! When your friend wants to throw out their OEM axles, save the OEM axles! And if you’re at a junkyard and you see OEM axles, save the OEM axles!

#SaveTheOEMAxles

Figure 21: An Assembled, Regreased, Vented, and Blueprinted OEM Honda Axle

Thanks for reading all. Your time is greatly appreciated.

Figure 22: Chelsea the Civic

Helpful Links

CV Joint Types: http://what-when-how.com/automobile/universal-joints-automobile/

How to Disassemble a Birfield Joint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-R11jtnyV8

How to Replace CV Boot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S-ofMoWsr0&t=329s

Band Tool Operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBsqyH6xhw0

How Does Moly Grease Work: http://www.nitronine.com/how-does-moly-grease-work/

Thunder at the Glen with NASA Northeast 9/28-9/30/18

Thunder at the Glen with NASA Northeast

9/28-9/30/18

Two weekends ago, I went to Watkins Glen International with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Northeast (NE) Region.  It was their fourth race weekend of the season and my third race weekend ever, so I tried as best I could to apply the lessons learned from my first two race weekends to improve my car setup and driving style.

My journey started at 5:00 AM when I left my apartment near Philly for my job in Central Jersey.  I had recently regreased the wheel bearings on my dolly for the first time ever and replaced the idler and tensioner pulley on my truck to try and remedy a noise that ended up being a water pump.  With no time left, I decided I'd keep an eye on my mechanical troubles and trudge forward.

After the work day was complete.  I conducted my four hour drive with my trusty steed and my speedy race car.  Once at the track, I met up with my friend Anthony and another fellow Honda Challenge driver, Mike Fries, and we all chatted for a while before I set up camp inside of my truck.

Normally I sleep inside a tent, but by recommendation of my friend Alex, I tried the truck.  And I have to say, sleeping inside a truck during the Fall at Watkins Glen is MUCH warmer than sleeping in a tent.  If you get cold?  You turn the heat on and let the truck run through the night.

The next morning, I got up, got in my car, put my NASA NE Volunteer shirt on, and I drove to the garage to help the NASA NE Volunteers with technical inspection.

With NASA NE, you have the option to volunteer and accumulate "credits" for track days.  If you've been volunteering for some time and you get the swing of things relatively quickly, you can even volunteer and drive at the same time.  You don't get credits in the latter case, but it's a great incentive to socialize and develop relationships with great people.

As a volunteer, you'll get to meet racers, learn driving skills, develop wrenching skills, and have a great time meeting new people.  In the pic below you'll see my buddy Alex helping me record data in his NASA NE Volunteer shirt with my good friend TJ who is an instructor with NASA.

Below, you'll see my buddy Ben adjusting scales after a Thunder Group car (a really fast Corvette) came through to check their weight.

The test day went well and the car was well balanced at this fast and relatively loose track.  Though I decided I would need to up my rear bar rate and increase my front spring rate in the long run.  I learned that my top speed was about 113 MPH on the back straight at Watkins Glen at the time.  Ken, the points leader in H4 wasn't there to shake his car down, but Damien was and he and I battled for a long time.  His car was down about 7 MPH on the back straight compared to me due ot his aerodynamics having more drag.  You'll see Damien's car below.

On Friday night, we enjoyed a track walk and a night out on the town.  Mike Fries of Honda Challenge H2 shared his expertise with us, discussing the corners and their constantly changing camber angles.  It served me and Damien greatly as we listened.  Kallie and Ken, our competitors were either off elsewhere or on their way to the track due to life catching up with them beforehand.

Saturday was the first race day.  It was a bright, sunny day, and our first practice and quali sessions resulted in providing the best conditions for me in the 139 car-- pumping out the fastest time of H4.  I blacked out my competitors' last names and times for their own privacy.

However, as usual, Ken pulled a rabbit out of his hat and managed to FLY by the competition.  With Spencer of Honda Challenge giving him LoBuk Motorsports Coaching, he really had some great knowledge backing him up.

I secured P2 by the skin of my teeth, getting lucky when an ST5 car wouldn't let my competition, Damien, by as I struggled with fuel starvation through corners and overheated tires.  Below you'll see a picture of myself and then Damien and Kallie on track (silver Civic and dark silver Integra, respectively).

After Race 1, Ken, Dame, and I went to WalMart to get some beer, some fire wood, and a pumpkin that we put on top of Kallie's car while she was asleep.  IT WAS HEAVY.  They made me grab it from the bottom of the cardboard bin!  You'll see a pic of Dame holding it.

The next morning we woke up and it was damp out.  The radar said that it would be dry for the whole day, but it ended up raining throug practice/quali...  I utilized the conditions to my advantage despite being scared and qualified first once more!

Given the results from the previous race and from previous race weekends, I was confident Ken would secure first, but what I thought would be a predictable race ended up being a tight race between me, Kallie, and Dame.

We all ended up finishing.  There were a lot of incidents and two major full-course cautions accompanying those incidents.  However, Ken, Damien, Kallie, and Myself were able to get through with no major issues.  Kallie did give me a little love tap (my first race contact), but I was able to catch it in T1 and win the race!

In a way, I was lucky that there were so many incidents.

My driver side, 35-dollar axle from RockAuto ended up failing after one practice session and 2 or 3 laps on track.  When I inspected it after the race, the heat damage was apparent...and very blue!

After the race, Anthony and I drove home together since we live so close and we got back safe.

It was a great weekend to be there and I am thankful for people like the Casellas who help organize events like this and to organizations like NASA that make it possible for amateur racers to have such a great time.  Papa Joe Casella is shown policing the event (and his dog Axle) in the pic below.

Lastly, thank you all for reading!  Until next time, keep following my Instagram account at @EJ2_TRACK_RAT and my Facebook Page.

Thanks all :)

#ChelseaTheCivic, Part 1: The Beginning of EJ2 Track Rat

Nowadays, it’s easy to watch people bask in the glory of their accomplishments without seeing the hardships they encountered along the way. Social media connects us to thousands of people so easily, and with a wider lens always comes less detail.

Figure 1: Ken and I Repairing my Civic at 2:00 AM After I Hit a Gigantic Pothole on the Way to the Glen for a Track day

In this fast-pace, modern culture, we praise people who can “stay out of the weeds”-- quickly assessing situations and solving problems efficiently. But sometimes, we gain a better perspective on not just racing, but life, when we dive in head first and learn the back story behind the success.

Figure 2: Getting Focused Before my First Ever Race

My story begins in 2016 after I graduated college with a humble 1993 Honda Civic. I named her, “Chelsea the Civic.”

Figure 3: My 1993 Honda Civic

I bought Chelsea because I wanted a second car so I could start taking track days more seriously. I wanted something that I could push to the limits, not worrying about the cost of damaging my daily driver, while improving my driving technique at the same time.

Figure 4: Autocrossing Chelsea the Civic with the Philly SCCA on Hoosier Slick Tires and Stock Suspension

The car possessed several little-known performance benefits to the general public.

From 1989 to 2001, Honda Civics were designed with optimal suspension geometries, similar to those seen in sports cars. With a double wishbone suspension up front and a rear trailing arm suspension in the rear, the 92-95 Honda Civic is a great track car platform to start with.

Figure 5: Front Double-Wishbone Suspension Typical of 1989-2001 Honda Civic

Figure 6: Rear Trailing Arm Assembly Typical of 1989-2001 Honda Civic

Additionally, the 92-95 Honda Civic, colloquially named the “EG” for its Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) counterpart and American Si hatchback, shared the same basic chassis design with the 94-01 Acura Integra, resulting in a vast level of aftermarket support and interchangeable parts.

For example, one can easily swap an Integra Type-R motor into a 92-95 Honda Civic-- a motor with >100 HP per liter and a redline of 8,400 RPM.

Figure 7: EG Civic with a Type-R Swap Belonging to 2016 NASA East Coast Honda Challenge H2 Champ, Spencer

Chelsea the Civic started out as a street car before I turned her into a Honda Challenge H4 race car, and the journey has been wild. I drove the car hundreds of miles to and from events for two years, doing over 50 track days during that time.

I only did basic maintenance and ran a relatively simple setup with the stock D15B7 engine, producing a whopping 102 BHP from the factory. And only recently, I made the jump into wheel-to-wheel racing-- swapping a new motor into the car and caging it.

Figure 8: Damien and I Entering Turn 1 at Lime Rock Park

This EJ2 Track Rat Blog Series will document the build progress of Chelsea the Civic over the years and my progression from autocrosser to track day enthusiast to race car driver. Similar to other posts on EJ2 Track rat, my goal will be to show readers how easy it is to develop as a driver and get on track. But also, I hope readers will learn that racing is not a much larger expenditure than track days-- if done right.

Thanks for checking in.

--Dillon

Rusty Bottom (The Magical '93), Part 1

Rusty Bottom (The Magical ‘93)

Part 1

When I was in college in 2013, I was sent to Wisconsin by a co-op employer to work at a chemical plant. I picked up my belongings and drove eleven hours in my RSX Type-S from my home outside of Northeast Philly to Janesville, Wisconsin.

Figure 1: My old RSX Type-S

At the time, I was really into car meets and car shows. I liked having a clean car and making it faster, but I didn’t know a lot about performance driving.

When I got to Wisconsin, I realized I had no friends and went to Facebook (FB), as millenials do, and typed “Wisconsin Honda” in the search bar. After a short time, I was connected with a friend named Mike out in Illinois who autocrossed a black EK hatch with the Sports Car Club of Rockford (SCCR).

Figure 2: Mike and Me in his Autocross Civic

Mike had a “unique” approach to motorsport. For him it wasn’t about having brand-name this or rare that, it was about driving the car as hard as possible, and that approach stuck with me.

Over the winter, I began speaking with an acquaintance from Home that I had met through the car scene in Philly, Alex K.

Figure 3: Alex K Washing his ‘93 Miata

Alex had seen my autocrossing through social media and with piqued interest, he wanted to do an event with me when I got home. So, I registered for a Philly SCCA event and we both went together.

Figure 4: Alex and I at Autocross

As we got more serious about driving, we got less serious about aesthetics-- and so we began to fall down the slippery slope. Like Mike in Illinois, our goals had shifted and we began to care less about car setup and more about actually driving our cars.

Figure 5: Alex Karate Chopping his Dented Fender

My friends and I began to call Alex’s car “The Magical ‘93” because it seemed like no matter what, the car was always competitive in local autocross events with minimal car prep. For example, the picture below documents when he beat the modded S2K sitting to his passenger side and got first in STR vs. well-prepared competition.

Figure 6: Alex at a Pocono Infield Autocross with the Northeast PA Region SCCA

We all soon realized that it wasn’t just the car that was magical. It was the combination of driver and car that was fast. Alex spent his time driving...he didn’t worry about upgrades or aesthetics. He worried about driving.

Figure 7: Alex Driving at Pocono

Eventually, when Alex graduated his technical institute and got a job working as a technician at a good company, he sold the car to my friends Sam and Franklin who are now engaged. Sam and Franklin are a pair of adrenaline junkies who ride mountain bikes and race TAG Karts when they’re not tracking the Miata they bought from Alex.

Figure 8: Sam and Franklin Working on Their New Miata

Sam and Franklin renamed the car, appropriately, as Rusty Bottom after they bought it from Alex-- since the car was in pretty rough shape from constant abuse, winter driving, and sitting outside. And they soon after began tracking it.

Figure 9: Franklin Rounding Turn 5 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) Thunderbolt Course

This EJ2 Track Rat blog series will document the build progress of Rusty Bottom and the driver development of Sam and Franklin, and maybe even Alex. Stay tuned to see the car fully caged, augmented with full safety gear like seats and harnesses, and maybe even receive a paint job.

Figure 10: Franklin Chasing an S2K at Pocono

In memory of Alex’s Father, Chris.

Figure 11: Alex's Father and Our Friend: Chris