problems removing axles please help!

forksports · Post by **forksports** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 3:28 am

Hey guys,

I have a '94 legacy wagon & I found out my driver side cv boots got torned out, so I decided to get a used axles. And now I'm having problems getting the axles to pop out the center wheel hub, I have hammered the dang thing until I gave up. The other connection from the tranny pops out real easy.

Funny thing is, I pulled out the axle from a similar car in the junkyard and it was real easy it just came right out as soon as I took off the 32mm hub nut. I don't know why is not as easy in my own car, could it be the teeth wasn't align right or is there a solution to this? anyone have this problem before?

Thank you!

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 3:53 am

I had the same problem. Passenger side came out like butter and the driver side wouldn't come out no matter what. Read this http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic. ... 4&start=30

forksports · Post by **forksports** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 5:14 am

I guess my next step I'm gonna torch the dang thing, what areas of the knuckle hub or axle should I torch it? I'm thinking the center of the knuckle hub where the axle is sticking out. And maybe I should get a bigger hammer, since I already mushroom the end of the axle anyways hehe

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 8:51 am

Harbor freight has a 20 ton press for 160 dollars if I remember correctly. I bought one a few weeks ago, they have a store just a couple miles away.

The 20 ton press uses a handle about 8 inches long. Sticking a pipe on the end of that can easily get you about 35 tons.....

HomeSlice · Post by **HomeSlice** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 7:12 pm

torching it you are prob gunna need new bearings. i ran into this prob too. here is a thread on nabisco http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... did=448218
cheers,
Jim

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 9:42 pm

I'm just curious, where on earth do you people go that would make the axle corrode into the hub???

Of course, I have never seen snow in my life, so maybe I shouldn't be asking that question

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 2:37 am

I would bet that I have the worst axle story. It would be easier to tell by mouth but in short we ended up needing new:
Hub
Knuckle
Studs
Bearings
Axle

Plus we lost core because the old axle was trashed. Near the end (trust me we tried everything) we got the thing glowing RED HOT on both the hub and the axle itself and put 45 tons of pressure on it, that was pretty scary itself.

We even tried getting some of that battery reconditioning acid and burning away the corrosion. Maybe I could post a picture.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 3:02 am

:shock: You're scaring me. I have to replace my front axles soon. Am I gonna need to invest in a plasma cutter and a spare Legacy?

Post by **Legacy777** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 3:18 am

@((*&^^ these mother@#$@ axles.......

Firstly I couldn't get the stupid bent part of the axle nut unbent.........and even with a 3-4 ft cheater bar it wouldn't budge an inch. I don't want to break the tools.....nor do I want flying tools hitting the car.

I'd rather take apart the entire engine then work on suspension shit!!

grrrr.

I'm probably going to take it to the buddy I got that works at shop tomorrow....see if they can break the axle nuts loose. If not.....I guess I don't get new axles........

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 3:34 am

It's strange, the passenger side was one of the easiest jobs i've ever done ( once I got the axle nut unstaked). Then on the other hand the driver side was the single biggest bitch i've ever gone through with my car. Had to torch it, replace wheel bearing ect.. and it kept my car off the road for almost 2 weeks

Getting the new one back in was a bitch too. I think my splines in the hub may have been flattened in one spot. If I have to ever replace it again I hope I don't go through the same thing again. I put a about half a bottle of anti-sieze on it.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 3:34 am

You hammered with a punch and couldn't unstake the nut?

I was planning on using a breaker bar closer to 10 feet in length... 3-4 feet isn't all that much. But if the nut is still staked then I'm not surprised you can't break it loose...

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 3:51 am

Contrary to what the book says the best way to loosen the nut is while the wheel touches the ground, before removing anything (except hubcap/center cap).

The axle I was speaking about actually twisted the end of a 3/4 inch breaker bar clear off! The surface where the socket attachment used to be was totally flat! We had to buy a slide wrench and put 4 feet pipes on BOTH ENDS, then I pulled up and my buddy pushed down.

By the way! ALL of you need to check out the all aluminum jack that Harbor Freight has on sale. Hands down its the best value I have ever seen. Good quality and I can EASILY lift it and carry it around.

Check it out, I got the silver one and my bud is going to get blue http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... mber=47246
I lifted the entire front of a Durango Hemi with it no problem. It even has a built in bleeder.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 3:57 am

Wow, that's a nice jack! Hydraulic jacks are usually soooo heavy.

I think the book warns against loosening the nut while the wheel is touching the ground because you risk putting too much shear stress on the wheel bearing. Though if it's just barely touching the ground I would be willing to risk it.

My plan was to have someone stand on the brake pedal (potentially with the engine running for brake boost) while I used a big breaker bar... I would imagine the brakes would be strong enough to hold the wheel in place, but am I being silly?

Post by **Legacy777** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 4:22 am

I didn't unstake the nut all the way.....it was partially undone.......

I was bending a 1/2" craftsman breaker bar.

I'll see what we can do tomorrow at the shop.......without another car to drive I'm not going to deal with this right now........

I jacked up the car slightly to remove a little bit of pressure on the bearing......but when I can turn the freaking wheel with the breaker bar.......I don't think the bearing is going to matter.

10ft cheater bar may give you more leverage, but you'll bust a 1/2" breaker bar easily. I'm sure I could've with mine......it just wasn't budging at all.

I've read a few posts of people having issues with that jack. a piece on it breaking. I don't remember exactly what part.......but something to be aware of.

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 4:39 am

Geez!! I feel lucky! I just used a breaker bar and the end of my hydraulic jack handle as extra leverage length, and I was able to get the nut loose! I don't even bother unstaking it! Try hard enough, and the staking will bend out... No wheel turning, no breaking anything...

I loosen the nut with all the weight on the car, but only a little bit. I don't loosen it enough to take off by hand while weight is still on it, since you can damage the bearing that way...

But wow! I'm really starting to appreciate my car now!

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 4:40 am

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... mber=37401
Done. The last Breaker bar you will ever need.

They actually have a 1 inch drive ratchet that I may get

vrg3: It warns about loosening it meaning until the bolt is loose. I mean loosening it until it turns 1/8 (just to get it spinning). Power assist is a good idea, I tried using the brakes with the car off and spun the wheel....

Legacy777: I bet its not the stake keeping you from spinning it. Its probably corroded together. Try to find which part brakes on the jack for me!

Post by **Legacy777** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 4:43 am

That breaker bar looks very similar to the ones I got.....it's the head portion that swivels that I'm worried about. I actually started using the ratchet since it didn't flex.

yeah, I'll let ya know when I find the info on the jack.

HomeSlice · Post by **HomeSlice** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 4:52 am

ciper wrote:I would bet that I have the worst axle story. It would be easier to tell by mouth but in short we ended up needing new:
Hub
Knuckle
Studs
Bearings
Axle

Plus we lost core because the old axle was trashed. Near the end (trust me we tried everything) we got the thing glowing RED HOT on both the hub and the axle itself and put 45 tons of pressure on it, that was pretty scary itself.

same ish happen to me and with two diferent subarus.. i mean same exact ish.....ARGH except i got money back on the axle cause i covered it in grease

the axle nut aint a problem with air tools

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 5:05 am

I used a 550 foot pound impact wrench and the nut laughed at it. This is with a compressor rated at 6.5CFM at 100 PSI.

All of it started over a ripped boot too

If I had known we would have used a slip on boot. We even removed the lower control arm and in the process damaged the ball joint

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 5:22 am

Hmm... maybe I should just get a socket and weld it directly to a long length of 1" rod or something.

I have three ripped boots, and split boots cost like $15. It seems silly to spend $45 on a ghetto hack job repair when it'll probably fail again pretty soon anyway.

eastbaysubaru · Post by **eastbaysubaru** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 5:22 am

I also had to take my car to a shop to have them remove the axle nut. It was on there SOOOO tight. The guy at the shop I brought it to didn't believe me and tried to remove it with a breaker bar. He was also at least 50 lbs. lighter than me:lol:.

-Brian

Post by **Legacy777** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 5:23 am

Here's some various threads on the HF jack.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... floor+jack
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... did=139619
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... arbor+jack
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... light=jack
http://www.vorshlag.com/tech_jacks1.asp

I had another window open....accidently closed it.....and don't remember which one it was. There's one or two main issues I read about......however it's nabisco.....so you gotta take it with a grain of salt too.

The vorshlag jack shootout is pretty good. I ended up getting the 2.25 ton norco jack. I've been very happy with it. My only complaint is it makes sqeaking noises when jacking....not exactly sure what's going on there.

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problems removing axles please help!

problems removing axles please help!