87.5ea82txt Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 I've removed the front axles on my 87.5 XT in the past to replace the boots with no problems. The left rear however has been without a boot for the past 6k miles as I have not been able to get the axle to slide off the shaft with me prying with a 4' pry bar and my dad beating the crap out of it with a BFH. I just received a rebuilt axle and would like to hear what others have done to remove 20+ year old frozen axles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 plentyof heat and PB blaster, 3 lb hammer. I have gone as far as removing the entire rear sub assemnly just to remove axles from the diff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87.5ea82txt Posted April 19, 2011 Author Share Posted April 19, 2011 I suggested the use of heat, but my dad seemed to think that would result in cooked oil seals in the rear end. So heat won't hurt it? Are we talking a light even heat from a propane torch, or get the cup glowing with a cutting torch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 if you don't need it for inspection i'd suggest not wasting your time. i've put 100,000 miles on XT6 (same exact axles) busted rear boot axles in maryland because we didn't have yearly inspections and they never fail. wasn't worth my time. get your money back and call it a day? those rears are terrible. i've got some on my XT6 that are frozen on and i've got to take care of now that i live in a state that does yearly inspections heating with a cutting torch would be best. you want the axle cub hot, not the stub. this causes expansion when the two metals are at different temps. a cutting torch allows you to heat the axle cup up faster. try light duty heating, if that doesn't work step it up a notch....you'll have to wait an hour for the heat to dissipate though as you don't want the stub heated. propane works - it just takes longer and therefore the heat starts to get to the stub by the time a large outer cup like an axle starts getting hot. but i've used it before on other things and it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 I am talking about enough heat to dry out any moisture inside the splines, sweat it out, and the heat helps penetrant move into the splines. If at all you cannot get one end of the axle off, you can disassemble that end of the axle, rebuild, and reboot. If you got a new axle, just remove the cup from one end, and install the guts and boot on the remaining axle cup on the spline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 If at all you cannot get one end of the axle off, you can disassemble that end of the axle, rebuild, and reboot. If you got a new axle, just remove the cup from one end, and install the guts and boot on the remaining axle cup on the spline Sweetness Miles! I'm dropping my diff to install a rear LSD anyway so I could do the boots at the same time. Tips on making that happen? Would you be able to disassemble the axle with both ends still in place (probably not?)? So drop the diff and then disassemble the end closest to the wheel? Both ends are easily torn down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 I've taken off the boot clamp, pulled the boot back and popped out the wire ring that keeps the joint together, and then dropped the diff off the axle. Once you have the diff off the car, but still with both CV cups attached to it, you can use a chisel or sharp punch to open up a hole or pop out the steel plug in the bottom of the CV cup. That let's you get to the E-10 torx bolt that holds the axle stub into the diff. Then take the cup and stub over to the vice, pop the roll pin out if you didn't earlier, and set the vice up to support the cup with the stub dangling between the jaws. Heat the CV cup up where it goes around the stub with a oxy-acetylene torch, and use a drift punch on the bolt head in the stub shaft to pop it out. Put some rags underneath to catch the stub when it pops loose. Coat the splines with anti-seize when you put it back together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Ive managed to get the axles to come out by: beating the hell out of it with a hammer(like a crackhead,hard and fast) while turning the axle.Then spraying alot of penetrating fluid on it.then some more beating... Ive heard that if you drive out the roll pins and drive around the block for a while it will loosen them up a bit.may need to put it in 4wd and launch it hard,and floor it around corners... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Ive managed to get the axles to come out by: beating the hell out of it with a hammer(like a crackhead,hard and fast) while turning the axle.Then spraying alot of penetrating fluid on it.then some more beating... but what part and how do you get access to get the right punch with the hammer/ not much space/area to work with? are you talking diff side or wheel side? I've taken off the boot clamp, pulled the boot back and popped out the wire ring that keeps the joint together, and then dropped the diff off the axle. Once you have the diff off the car, but still with both CV cups attached to it, you can use a chisel or sharp punch to open up a hole or pop out the steel plug in the bottom of the CV cup. That let's you get to the E-10 torx bolt that holds the axle stub into the diff. Then take the cup and stub over to the vice, pop the roll pin out if you didn't earlier, and set the vice up to support the cup with the stub dangling between the jaws. Heat the CV cup up where it goes around the stub with a oxy-acetylene torch, and use a drift punch on the bolt head in the stub shaft to pop it out. Put some rags underneath to catch the stub when it pops loose. Coat the splines with anti-seize when you put it back together. DUDE That's intense!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 but what part and how do you get access to get the right punch with the hammer/ not much space/area to work with? are you talking diff side or wheel side? DUDE That's intense!!!! It's the Northeast, these cars disappeared in a puff of rust 15 years ago. I'm lucky to find parts in the junkyard, let alone get them to come apart. The salt welds everything together. First gen Legacy's are getting hard to find in the yards. What he's hitting is the shoulder of the CV cup. I've done lots of that in hope it would come apart, and cracked a cup doing that before. I was using a 5lb sledge though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 What he's hitting is the shoulder of the CV cup. I've done lots of that in hope it would come apart, and cracked a cup doing that before. I was using a 5lb sledge though. that's why i was wondering, i've never gotten that to work before either. rust here too EA/ER stuff is long gone. lots of EJ's falling apart too. that's why i bought an XT6 from Texas and California in the past year. it is really nice not dealing with rusted bolts. i replaced the headlight in one today and they have this thin metal ring with screws that I haven't seen work in many moons on the 20 or so i've had. this one, the screws came right and the headlight adjusters actually WORKED!? i didn't know that was possible. heck a lot of the 2000+ vehicles i'm coming across around here the headlight adjustment screws are shot, rusted, and the plastic bits are hosed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87.5ea82txt Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 the headlight adjustment screws are shot, rusted, and the plastic bits are hosed. Funny you mention that. I was just messing with the headlights the other day, trying to level them after putting the 2'' lift on her. I had to push on the light and turn the screw at the same time to keep from bending the bracket. I put some new brembo discs on the rear, $25 each @ partsgeek. It says in the manual to disconnect the lower strut mount and inner arm to get the clearance to remove the axle, but dropping the diff sounds easier than breaking the suspension parts loose. I have had no such luck with those bolts. I've been driving her around the last few days with no pin in the cup. This sounds like a dumb question, but say it does magically come loose, do I risk the chance of the axle falling off and flailing violently under the car, or is it just going to slide back and forth on the shaft? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87.5ea82txt Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 What kind of grease should I use for the axle bearings? there is a boot on the outer front that just needs graesed and clamped back on. Oh, and she sees lots of muddy creek laden dirt roads on my commute to work, so those last few thousand miles were harsh. That, and that rear left axle has been making clicking noises when making sharp turns with the diff locked. So that's why I'm replacing it with the $50 rebuit unit that I also got from partsgeek. (I was pulling gravel out of that rear inner cup.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87.5ea82txt Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 before.... .....and with the brembos My commute to work The car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Needs MOAR lift! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87.5ea82txt Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 More height would be nice, but if I went with larger blocks I would need to drop other things and I would have to lose or modify the sway bars. I like the idea of some 14" truck rims and a set of semi agressive tires 26" or smaller at a decent price if there is such a thing. I would feel more comfortable drilling out some rims so I can switch back to stock easily. Southern illinois is flat so it just has to be good in the mud and in deep snow in the winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now