Control Arm and drive axle question, what a poopy day

[mechanicguy]

So I just bought this festiva to commute to school. I'm driving with my girlfriend in the car and oh sh*t there goes the tire up into my wheel well. We came to a grinding holt. I jumped out of the car to find that the ball joint on the driver side ripped apart. Well after numerous hours (over 5) in a liquor store parking lot getting the little festy driveable I decided to change both side control arms and drive axles. I got home and started wrenching. driver side control arm came out with eeze. I go for the torn up drive axle and this thing will not, I mean will not pop out of the transmission. I tried huge pry bars, hammers, and after about 4 hours of struggling and swearing it still will not come out! So I decided to come back to that project and move to the passenger side. Passenger side drive axle pops out no problem. I go to change the control arm and the welded nut isn't welded in the frame anymore and the bolt holding the control arm just spins. So please fellow festiva drivers I need suggestions on how to get the driver side drive axle out and the passenger side control arm out. By the way I have a red 93 manaul trans. I say red because that adds and extra 5-10 hp.
Thanks for the help,
Denny

[gdawgs]

Sometimes they just really suck to get out. Try this, worked for me before. Get your prybar in there like you are doing, then give it a good wack. Then rotate the shaft 1/8 to 1/4 turn, then try again. Rotate/wack, Rotate/wack.....

I tried this a couple times on stuck ones and they came out after 4-5 tries. Maybe I was just lucky though. Let us know if it works for you.

[69shelby]

pop a big screwdriver in the hole and pry the little piece of metal aside in there and you may be able to get a socket on it, or it it loosened at all, cut the head of the bolt out and force the rest of the bolt all the way thru, I am doing the same in the garage right now, I may even take the sawzall and cut right thru the contral arm bushing area and save some time. Wait until you try to remove the swaybar nut)

[packrat427]

There have been some here that used a sawzall and cut that bolt into 3 pieces .
I personally did not use that procedure , I sprayed mine with PB Blaster for 2 weeks before I done mine, I know you did not have that option .

[mechanicguy]

I am on my last straw here. I cannot believe this drive axle will not pop out. :evil: The drive axle won't pop out conventially with a crow+torque pipe+210 bobbing on the torque pipe. Anybody please help I'm about to attatch this drive axle to a train and let it drag the whole freakin car down the track. As far as the nut in the frame to hold the crow bar I just cut the frame open rewelded the nut and welded the frame shut. I love my car but it is a pain in my *ss. Anybody got any realistic suggestions to get this drive axle out?

[mechanicguy]

correction* As far as the nut in the frame to hold the control arm I just cut the frame open re-welded the nut and welded the frame shut

[5.0zone]

The last time I had to pull my drivers side axle, I couldn't get it out either.
But I was taking the transmission out anyway so after I got the transmission out it still took 2 large pry bars to get it to pop loose.

[Festy46]

Get a rolling head pry bar like in the picture. Try to pick the heaviest spot on the transmission to pry against.

[Kraig]

I used a similar pry bar a couple of weeks ago as I needed to change a CV joint boot. It took a couple of tries and some effort (and some muttering) and it popped out.

[wrestler3025]

Here is the easiest way to get that stubborn driver side CV axle out. I used a Craftsman 3/4 x 6-1/2 in. Cold Chisel Sears item #00942975000 Mfr. model #42975. It has the 42975 part number on the chisel.
Anyway, I have done quite a few festiva CV axles, and found this is the best way to get them out. Just place the chisel through the hole in the cross brace (where you drain your tranny) between the CV axle and the tranny. I use a 3lb sledge, and in one or two swings the axle pops right out. The chisel does not give AT ALL!! Some of the other pry bars will bend with all of the pressure that you apply to them and the axle still won't budge. This will certainly make your life MUCH easier. Let us know how it goes.

[mechanicguy]

"Here is the easiest way to get that stubborn driver side CV axle out. I used a Craftsman 3/4 x 6-1/2 in. Cold Chisel Sears item #00942975000 Mfr. model #42975. It has the 42975 part number on the chisel.
Anyway, I have done quite a few festiva CV axles, and found this is the best way to get them out. Just place the chisel through the hole in the cross brace (where you drain your tranny) between the CV axle and the tranny. I use a 3lb sledge, and in one or two swings the axle pops right out. The chisel does not give AT ALL!! Some of the other pry bars will bend with all of the pressure that you apply to them and the axle still won't budge. This will certainly make your life MUCH easier. Let us know how it goes."

When you put the chisel into the drain hole do you vertically strike the chisel or do you angle it as to hit only the drive axle? I have tried getting this thing out with just about every type of pry bar there is and I actually bent a craftsman pry bar in the process.
I sure appreciate everybody's help,
Denny

[wrestler3025]

I guess I better clarify a little bit. You don't put the chisel IN the drain hole. You have a square access hole in the cross brace where you can get to your tranny drain plug. You place the chisel in between the tranny and the CV axle and the end of the chisel will come down a little bit past this opening. You then use the 3lb mallet and strike toward the passenger side of the car on the end of the chisel that is sticking out of the bottom of the square access hole. If it wasn't raining cats and dogs here in Atlanta, I would go out and take a picture to illustrate it, but hopefully I was a bit more clear this time. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Joe

[mechanicguy]

Wrestler3025 thank you for further explaining the whole deal. I bought the exact chisel and I used a 3 pound hammer and there was a no joy on the driveaxle. I could easily see how this method would pop a "normal" axle right on out but for some reason my "dameon" axle will not come out. Is there any other suggestions because I think I may have to take it to a shop and pay somebody huge amounts of cash to get this thing out. Damn it, I just want my festiva back!

[Gforcefd]

Im about to attempt the same thing next weekend, chances are im screwed like you, I have a festiva with a busted axles, and the main part is stuck into the tranny on the drivers side, I have a feeling its not gonna play nice.

Good luck, let me know if or how you get it out.

Logan

[Festy46]

for some reason my "dameon" axle will not come out.

Your cir clip on the end of the axle may have come partially out of the slot and is jammed in the splines on the end of the shaft. Take the clamps off the inner dust boot on the shaft and slide the boot off the the CV hub. Take a hammer and try tapping the hub back into the transmission while you rotate the shaft. Once you have rotated the shaft a complete revolution and tapped on it, try to remove the axle again. If it still doesn't come out, tap the hub back in and rotate the shaft a half turn and try it again. You could also try tapping the hub in and rotating it slowly while tapping (quite hard) on the side of the hub. If the cir clip is half off the end of the axle, this may cause it to fall out of the slot. If you do get the axle out and the cir clip is not in the slot, flush the transmission to try to get it out. The transmission has an internal magnet which may have grabbed it, in which case you won't be able to flush it out.