'06 G35X - Front Right Axle- Circlip on diff shaft end?

[munkle]

Hi all, the subject pretty much says it all. AWD, front passenger axle replacement. I did it myself last night, but when I finally broke the inner shaft free from the differential, I did not see a circlip on the grooved channel of the splined shaft about 1" from the tip.

The new, genuine Infiniti axle I ordered didn't come with one either. However, I did find a strange but very flimsy vinyl-coated metal piece on the ground after I pulled the shaft out of the diff, but all that was left was about a 1/2 of a complete circular ring. It's hard for me to believe that this piece could have been the circlip.

Has anybody else seen a circlip for the AWD front axle? What exactly does the circlip even do? Is it more of a seal to keep the diff fluids in and contaminants out, or does it also provide a little more hold for the axle as the two joints flex while driving?

Any info will be appreciated!

If anyone has any questions about he job or the difficulty, let me know - other than this question about the circlip, it was actually pretty simple.

[audtatious]

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/G35/Sedan/2 ... an/fax.pdf page 17 shows the circlip. As with any I would assume they help hold the axle in place. i've never pulled one to see how cheap they are.

[munkle]

Thanks - I looked at the FSM for quite some time before I posted - even looked at the RAX.PDF to see if they specified a circlip on the part of the shaft that is inserted into the rear differential, and they didn't there either.

Page 17 is referring to the circlip that holds the actual shaft joint assembly together (in case you're just doing a reboot), not the circlip that goes on the part of the axle assembly which locks into the front differential.

infinitipartscenter.net have been fairly helpful, as has the dealership parts center they're associated with in KC, and I have ordered the part for $.47 cents. They even provided me the part # (38225-W1200). I talked to a local Infinti tech, and he told me there is a circplip for the diff end of the shaft, and that to get it to engage you need somebody on the opposite front axle to jiggle the whell on that side while you push and hopefully engage the axle from the other site -he said it's a PITA.

I googled the part number above and the only results were in RUSSIAN!!!! Ugh...

[munkle]

In case any one else was needing this info...

I just ordered a new front differential (used) and when looking into the differential, you can see the clip which will fit around the groove on the axle's splined tip. It actually is fitted to the internal of the differential, and stays within its slot in the diff, rather than come out or have to be re-installed with the axle.

[audtatious]

Interesting. Thanks for the update.