Is it OK for an axle to get installed on the other side than the original side?

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by steved0x

I am putting new boots and new grease (Redline CV-2 grease) in my 2000 Boxster S axles. The old grease was getting worn out and turning to liquid and coming out the vent hole on the end, and on the driver side, it was starting to seep out of the big end of the CV Boot.

On the 2000 Boxster S with 6 speed, the two sides of the axle are the same part number, and I had heard you can swap the axles side to side to increase the longevity, since by reversing the rotation the load is going to a part that has previously only seen load when driving in reverse.

My other thought is that I have a spare set of axles from a 2000 S and I don't know which one was on which side so if I find a problem (lots of bad wear and pitting for example in my original axle) and I have to go with a replacement axle, it is 50/50 that I will be putting it on the different side than the original side and I was wondering if that would be a problem? If I end up having to go with one of my replacement axles, I am going to rebuild it to, and so maybe I can tell the original orientation by the wear on the inner CV Joint?

Is there any problem (or benefit) to running an axle over on the other side?

Thanks

Steve

Absolutely do not do this. Over time, all axles take a twist; if you painted a thin white stripe down a new axle and watched it over time, you would see what I mean. Reversing the axle rotation "unwinds" this twist and can lead to problems. A lot of track rats put lines on new axles and then toss them when the twist reaches near 90 degrees. Keep running them in the same rotation.