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Cannot get front drivers side axle out!!!!

16K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  punkboi26 
#1 ·
I have been working on this thing for over a month now and Im going CRAZY!!!! The inner part of the drivers side CV axle is stuck on the short shaft coming out of the fron differential. I have tried the "prybar pop off" technique the Chiltons and Haynes manuals suggest but no luck. I have since been trying to bang it off with a hammer but I am afraid to put too much swing into it for fear of breaking something. That damned snap ring will just not release. I have got to have my truck for transportation. I dont know what to do anymore and I cant afford to pay anyone to do it for me nor can I drive it anywhere as the outer CV joint is shot. Im trying to replace the entire unit. I have had the complete cv axle assembly for a month and a half now. It makes me want to cry. I miss my truck sooooo much.
 
#5 ·
BFH??? Big F**king Hammer? In the mean time I went out and stroked it good with a 3 pound short sledge. Im so scared Im going to ruin something. It is the original that came in the truck and I have 130k miles on mine (2001 model). I would try a fork on my air chisel but then Im sure I would bust that aluminum housing to bits. My truck is worthless at this point ^.^;
 
#7 ·
Okay, I promise this will be the last question I ask on this. Since some of you have had success getting your axle assembly out, I will ask just where were you getting a good solid strike on this thing at. Ive made a diagram so maybe somone can give me some detailed pointers on getting it out. I just dont see how it can be so stuck on there.

 
#9 ·
I was able to sit facing the drivers wheel well, grab ahold of the tripod joint (joint housing to labeled in the drawing) and pull while swinging at an angle to hit the back corner of the joint. That's the best idea I could come up with, puts the least force into the end of the case and the bearing that is right there.

Keeping everything taut (pulling on the joint) while you hit it will really help, that way you're not wasting energy pushing the slack out everytime.
 
#10 ·
Woo hoo! That little troublemaker is out!! It took getting the crowbar in at just the right spot opposite of where I was going to smack it I guess. My buddy put the bar in and started prying then smack! smack! POP! that puppy slid right off. Crappy thing was the axle assembly I had bought was the wrong one. The snap ring groove was in the wrong place and it was too long. Got the new one in today and she's purring like a kitten. Though, my check engine light came on after a few minutes of driving. The truck has been sitting for like 2 months since the cv joint went out in it. What would cause the check engine light to come on all of the sudden. I made sure everything was fine before I even started it. Oil, coolant, tranny fluid and so on. Could it be the O2 sensor maybe? I've heard of those going out after sitting for long periods of time. On a side note....this is the first time that light has ever come on, ever!
 
#11 ·
Do the run-off x3 trick to get the code and see. It seems every time my truck has sat for more than a few weeks, some random sensor has died. All that banging doesn't help either. I lost a crank trigger beating on the suspension with an impact wrench, and sitting all winter somehow killed both of my upstream O2's and my TPS.
 
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