Stuck axle...

[johnsonjaco]

Any tips for trying to remove a stuck passenger axle out of the transmission? In the middle of a tranny swap and can't get an axle out of the 5 speed

[Grey Vw]

Told you so on the chat. Cold chisel and a mini sledge is what I do. Also try having someone hold the axle up parallel to the ground and turn it in between attempts.

[johnsonjaco]

k... I tried the pry bar and a chisel but I'll try having someone hold and turn it tomorrow.. Thanks! The two on the 1st car came off easy just with my hand, but this one isn't cooperating

[Movin]

Told you so on the chat. Cold chisel and a mini sledge is what I do. Also try having someone hold the axle up parallel to the ground and turn it in between attempts.

:laughing5: But...do you have experience with transmissions?? :laughing5:

[Grey Vw]

k... I tried the pry bar and a chisel but I'll try having someone hold and turn it tomorrow.. Thanks! The two on the 1st car came off easy just with my hand, but this one isn't cooperating

Are you sure it's a cold chisel? It is blunt and has a steeper slope then a wood working chisel. You just have to beat it to death with the hammer and chisel til it comes out.

The pry bar never really worked for me.

:laughing5: But...do you have experience with transmissions?? :laughing5:

Just a bit

There was one axle that wouldn't come out that I ended up splitting the case and trying to beat the living poop out of the axle from inside the diff and had no success. That thing was welded in.

It was the two minute lifespan tranny.

[bravekozak]

If you remove both halfshafts, the gear will fall imside the transmission.

To remove a halfshaft, do not use brute force. Just insert a large screwdriver or a prybar and apply gentle force while continually tapping on the halfshaft bell housing with a small hammer, just like a bell!. Gently tap all around the bell. It will pop out like butter and you will be very surprised how little effort is required. The shop manual even says to use a flat blade screwdriverand not to yank it, otherwise the oil seal may be damaged. The goal is to get the circlip centered by gentle tapping from all around. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

[Grey Vw]

If you remove both halfshafts, the gear will fall imside the transmission.

To remove a halfshaft, do not use brute force. Just insert a large screwdriver or a prybar and apply gentle force while continually tapping on the halfshaft bell housing with a small hammer, just like a bell!. Gently tap all around the bell. It will pop out like butter and you will be very surprised how little effort is required. The shop manual even says to use a flat blade screwdriverand not to yank it, otherwise the oil seal may be damaged.

The chance of the gear falling inside is pretty slim, just stuff a piece of cardboard. I've never had a gear fall inside and I've done it several times. And if it does fall it takes 10 minutes to reset them.

You must have had some really easy axles. Sometimes there are axles that absolutely will not come out without the use of brute force. If you read my post above trying your method would be like trying to cut down a tree with a butter knife.

[bravekozak]

I tried a huge prybar the first time I did it., but it wouldn't budge. I couldn't believe that this method would work when I first read it from another member. Its all about feel. Once you have done one and have been pleasantly surprised how easily it comes out with the proper technique, the other ones are a piece of cake. Try it. As I said before, the goal is just to get the circlip centered with a very gentle pressure combined with gentle tapping.

[drddan]

^ This true

I havent had a LOT of experience with axles ....but I have had a lot of experience with circlips. This is the little circle shaped wire on the end of the shaft that makes it so hard to remove axles. They are made to collapse into the groove they are in, when pulled through the bore of ...say a transmission! If not done right, they dont wanna collapse



.....But here is the trick to getting a circlip to collapse

Take a close look at the end of this axle. You can see the circlip in the groove.
Take special notice of the gap, in that circlip. This is key to getting that clip to collapse.



The clip is made so it is a little bigger than the shaft. The groove on the shaft will allow the clip to collapse down into the groove. Once you have the shaft out, you will see, you can push the clip with one finger, down into the groove, and the clip will stick out on the opposite side. Here, gravity can help, and is the key to an easier removal.
You want that clip's gap, to be to be sticking out of the groove when trying to pull the axle out, not the opposite side of the clip, which is solid.
The gap side, will collapse WAY easier thah the opposite side.

So how do you do this when its in the tranny, and you cant even see it?

This is where a little finese can come in handy, instead of force, as Bravekosak stated.

It is important that you keep the axle as straight as possible when pulling on it. I mean up and down, as well as left and right, to keep the axle from binding in the tranny as well. Now ROTATE the axle slowly while keeping the axle as straight as possible. Did I mention keeping the axle straight? :p
Now using the axle as - a - sort -of - slide - hammer, push it in till it stops, and then GENTLY pull it towards you, bumping it against that darn circlip, as you rotate the axle...Rotate, bump, rotate, bump, rotate, bump ....etc
What you are looking for here, is that GAP in the clip, to be in the DOWN position, so the gap is the part of the clip that is sticking out of the afore mentioned groove in the axle. Gravity should be letting the clip stick out of the groove, on the down side. You are rotating the axle to get that gap, where it is the down position. When the gap in the clip gets to the down position, it will collapse into the groove MUCH easier.
I work with these clips all the time in my trade, and that is how to get the clips to collapse

This pic shows how far a clip can stick out, and if it is sticking out of the groove on the solid side of the clip, it is like hitting a wall, and the axle will not want to come out. Using force here, will only tend to smash the clip wire flat, and make it even harder to remove!!!!



I hope this helps you out!

I also bungee the knuckle up out of the way so I have plenty of room to get in there and hold that axle straight.

Once the axle is removed, remove the clip and squeeze the clip smaller with pliers to make it smaller, and put it back on the axle. If you have to pull an axle in the future, this will also make it easier. Every little bit helps!

[scitzz]

Dan, I am going to keep that in mind the next time I do an axle!

I know that beating rarely helps, but that if I have a difficult one, sometimes it helps to be getting force coming from two sides, approx 180 degrees apart.

Like, two long handled slot drivers, one on each side, a little pop, and usually it slides right out.

[GenevaDirt]

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35674

[georgeb]

Slide the inner boot back and remove the snapring with a small screwdriver and pull the guts out. Once you get the trans out of the car the cap can be removed with a slide hammer clamped to a 2-jaw puller.

[denguy]

I just did 2 axles. I had a 12" long piece of 1/2" x 1/2" steel bar stock that I ground a 30* angle on one face, about an inch back, to where it that end would just fit up between the axle and the trans case with the ground face against the case. On the driver's side I had to place a short 1/2" square piece up against the case under the bar for a fulcrum. One careful pop on the end of the bar with a small 3# sledge and out she comes. We shoved some 7/8" OD pvc pipe with some duct tape on the end into the each side gear to keep them in place in case the trans is turned. We put the axles back in without sirclips. Any guesses on why they are in there? I say, bottom line, it's to avoid sidegear issues during assembly line and future maintainence activities.

[scitzz]

:banghead:

[bravekozak]

I tried the two prybar on each side routine. It was a waste of time. Again, I urge you to try the ringing around the bell routine with a single screwdriver with gentle pressure. If necessary, rotate a little with srewdriver pressure still applied and try again. It really works. Don't tap or turn it if you don't have any screwdriver pressure, otherwise you will have to start over again. The goal is to place the screwdriver at the high point of the circlip and have the tapping vibrations collapse it downwards into the groove. I remember the first time I did it, and I laughed out loud because the shop manual never said anything about tapping to generate vibrations. But that is the secret knowledge for halfshaft removal gurus.