Stubborn axle

[scitzz]

UPDATE


It was an interesting week having a large family and down to one vehicle!

Been there, doing that right now, hating it!

[fastivaca]

UPDATE

I finally got the axle out... I "dismantled":laughing6: the transmission with a hammer, chisel and air tools. Picked up a replacement transmission on Friday afternoon. Wasn't able to work on it on Saturday but had it back on its wheels and running on Sunday afternoon. Had to get it out so that I could get my core charge back and a refund on the axle as it was under warranty.

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions, I pretty much tried them all. What I discovered is that the clip on the end of the axle wasn't collapsing at all :cwm21:. There's a bunch of lovely imprints of the splines on the sides of the clip.

It was an interesting week having a large family and down to one vehicle!

[fastivaca]

UPDATE

I finally got the axle out... I "dismantled":laughing6: the transmission with a hammer, chisel and air tools. Picked up a replacement transmission on Friday afternoon. Wasn't able to work on it on Saturday but had it back on its wheels and running on Sunday afternoon.

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions, I pretty much tried them all. What I discovered is that the clip on the end of the axle wasn't collapsing at all :cwm21:. There's a bunch of lovely imprints of the splines on the sides of the clip.

[renny10n]

stubborn axles possible solution.

Howzit guys,

This is a copy & paste of a write up I did on the Festiva Yahoo group. Hope it helps!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is my story & by chance solution:
>
> I picked up a 93'L 5spd. approx. 3 weeks ago needing wheel bearings,
> tie rod boots, brakes, etc. After reading about the night mares of
> changing the wheel bearings/ brake rotors on the Festiva. I decided
> to strip out the steering, brakes in favor of doing the Aspire swap.
> So with everything removed with the exception of the axles and inner
> tie-rods.....
>
> .....Yesterday(wed., Apr.23rd, I decided I had the time to attempt to
> yank my axles out for replacement. Wanted to have them available
> prior to purchasing new ones, to avoid paying the $45 ea. up front
> core charge at Checkers.
>
> Anywho, I must have yanked, pried, on them for who knows how long to
> no avail. Though, I didn't apply to much pressure prying on them, in
> fear of cracking the tranny housing. Also, being too lazy, I was all
> grimmey and didn't want to go wash up to go to the parts store just
> to buy one of those slide hammers.(I'm sure you can understand!)
>
> Anyways, I didn't have to look too far for my solution. A matter of
> fact it was right next to me. My convertable 50-60 lbs. slide-
> hammer/ 3 & 1/2 ton floor jack.
>
> I tied a piece of rope tightly around the axle shaft(inside of the
> wheel cv joint) The other end of the rope just under the front part
> of the lift(do not rap it around the lift pad, it may fly off!) Make
> sure to leave approx. a foot of slack in the rope, between the jack
> and axle. Now, push the floor jack in towards the tranny's direction
> as far as it can go. Grabbing the F-jack lift handle, pull the floor
> jack out purposefully and ....wallah!
>
> The passenger side came out with a tug. However, the driver side
> took me approx. 3 tugs to pop it out.
>
> Anyways, thought to share, hopefully this may help someone?
>
> Take care & aloha! ....renny

[Icedawg]

So Ian, I read you saw a Festi on the way home from Pic n Pull. Did you get a new tranny? Any updates? Do you think you are going to get the old one apart?

[stefan]

When I pulled my B6 at the yards I couldn't get ITHER of the axles out, The joints ended up breaking! Which in that case atchuley made my life easier.

[90FestivaL]

this is one reason why i love solid axles Lol

[juryrigger007]

I had an axle that would not come out, either. I actually straightened-out a perfectly good prybar trying. I wound-up removing the tranny, with the pass. side axle attached. I mounted the tranny, in a vise, with the open side up. I found the smallest, straight punch that i had, to navigate beside that shaft, inside the tranny. I beat the crap out of that thing for a good hour, with no luck. I was just about to give up, and out of shear anger, went at it again. It popped right out. The circlip was totally mangled (and it was not a stock original).

I feel your pain. Wish I could help more.

Good Luck

Scott

[nonamekid]

Is the one that's shown in the link the correct one for the Festiva?

Thanks

Yes, the other one has a larger diameter and won't fit inside the main gear to get to the cv shaft. The larger one is only for the Toyota Camry. This one is 0.900" and the other one is 0.940"

Heck, you probably knock something up like that with a steel bar....

I have used screwdrivers instead. Line it up and hit the end with a hammer. When you shine a flashlight through the tranny, you can see where you need to place the screwdriver.

[nonamekid]

I don't know the answer to this question....but here goes...Now that the tranny is out of the car with the axle attached, cnn't the differential case of the tranny be take apart and the stuck spline be reviewed or removed?

No. The case will not come apart till the axles have been removed. I have tried. The axle(s) hold it together once all the bolts are removed. Real pain.

[scitzz]

Heck, you probably knock something up like that with a steel bar....

[fastivaca]

Snap-on makes a special tool for this. Sorry I didn't see this post earlier. Here is a link to the tool. It is designed to be used when you can get one shaft out and not the other. I have one but it is the bigger size, which won't work in the festiva.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?store=snapon-store&item_ID=63267&group_ID=16663

You can get it cheaper other places, but this is what the tool looks like and a description of it. It slides through the transmission where the other shaft was. Then you just tap on the end of the tool and it knocks the shaft out. It works great!!

Is the one that's shown in the link the correct one for the Festiva?

Thanks

[ericsmith32]

Could someone e-mail the picture to me, not the link, because Photobucket is blocked here at work. fastivaca@yahoo.ca

Thanks

email sent

[jglutz]

I don't know the answer to this question....but here goes...Now that the tranny is out of the car with the axle attached, cnn't the differential case of the tranny be take apart and the stuck spline be reviewed or removed?

[nonamekid]

Snap-on makes a special tool for this. Sorry I didn't see this post earlier. Here is a link to the tool. It is designed to be used when you can get one shaft out and not the other. I have one but it is the bigger size, which won't work in the festiva.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?store=snapon-store&item_ID=63267&group_ID=16663

You can get it cheaper other places, but this is what the tool looks like and a description of it. It slides through the transmission where the other shaft was. Then you just tap on the end of the tool and it knocks the shaft out. It works great!!