Help! Can't get front axle to come out.. (1 Viewer)

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Full_Throttle

1985 BJ73 RHD
Joined
Jun 4, 2005
Threads
60
Messages
329
Location
West Frankfort Illinois
Well dang if this isn't a pain! I have a complete front axle from an '83 toy pickup for a disk brake swap onto my '71 fj-40. I have already removed the passenger side knuckle and axle assembly on the '40 with no issues. I have removed everything on the passenger side of the Pickup axle EXCEPT the inner/outer axle assembly. I cannot get it to budge. as a matter of fact, it appears as though I could pop the birf off if I could get a good whack at it...(not gonna even TRY that , eheh). It is just plain stuck. Yes, yes I am sure I have the flat sides up and down. The Cruiser ones came right out. It appears as though something is bad/ stuck inside the 3rd member...but I just can't figure this out.
I can only think of a couple of options here....Use a torch and cut the axle housing/inner axle...(I don't have a torch). Remove the driver's side and use a long rod to smack it from the drivers side( is that possible?).

Any thoughts???

Mike
 
Well, I am not all that sure just how the 3rd member is put together...That is one reason I am asking.....:confused:
 
if you can pull the flat spots of the birf to the flat spots in the housing then it is not in the third, if that is all the farther you can pull it, then the housing ends are just tweaked. push birf back in and grindy on the housing a bit to clearence them. Someone was jumpin with that truck. :)
 
I can move the birf in and out, but the inner axle doesn't move at all. Looking down through the knuckle bearing race(I think that is the correct term) I can watch the birf move out along the inner shaft. It feels like I am compressing the balls and such on the inside of the birf. I can move it approx 1-2 inches until it stops on what I believe is the snap ring that must be broken when the two axles are separated. All the while, the inner axle doesn't move. I can spin the axle fine. This is the reason I suspect the inner axle is stuck, and not the birf on the housing. I could be wrong, however....I am new to Cruisers and 4x4.
 
Pictures

I took some pics, and I am starting to think you guys may be onto something. The first pic is with the birf pulled out as far as I can get it. You can see a snap ring on the inner axle.
birf1.JPG

The second picture is the birf in it's normal position.
birf2.JPG

This 3rd pic is the one that I find interesting. Notice the space at the top, and lack of space at the bottom.
birf3.JPG


Is this spacing normal? Are the axles getting into a bind and not sliding out? TOmorrow I will grind the lower part of the housing for some clearence and see what that gets me.
 
That my friend is a great idea! :idea: I have been trying to figure a way of prying...that is how I got the birf out as far as I did. I will attempt that first. Ido not have a need for the housing, so IF I have to, I can cut it up.....ah the things we do for our toys...hehe.:rolleyes:

Thanks...
Mike
 
The inner splines are stuck in the side gear cuz the outer snap ring is gone. Wiggle/vibrate/pry/beat the inner shaft back and forth (front back, up down) and it will ultimately unstick the splines. Maybe try a pneumatic hammer to vibrate it.
 
Pin_Head said:
The inner splines are stuck in the side gear cuz the outer snap ring is gone. Wiggle/vibrate/pry/beat the inner shaft back and forth (front back, up down) and it will ultimately unstick the splines. Maybe try a pneumatic hammer to vibrate it.

To add some detail to what Charlie said, the inner axle is NOT supposed to separate AT ALL from the birf if the internal retainer clip is in place. Since yours moves, that clip is not intact. If you've ever tried to break one, you know that it's nearly impossible to do under any kind of normal operating circumstances. That means that whoever put those axle shafts in last time left off the retainer clip. The retainer clip is there to keep the inner shaft from sliding in too far. If it goes in too far, the sealing surface on the shaft won't ride on the seal and you get oil in your knuckles. Also, the splines of the shaft will get jammed into the side gear of the diff - this is what happened to your axle.

If you're not going to run the clips, you need to run a Martack on the inner splines to keep the shaft from sliding in too far.
 
get the birf out!!! use method i said above, or just bang/pry it out but do not ding it bad or get the cage. or a combination of both, dont grind a ton but you can take off a decent amount. NO NEED to ruin something just for this.

then work on that inner shaft coming out, DO not mess up the splines, you can grab the axle behind the clip and use it to pull on.

if you decide later that you want to shorten the housing to run both short side inners with your old drum brakes for your rear steer 4x4 truck you built for your youngin well then so be it :) got to do something with all these parts. LOL

good third in that there? email me
 
I was able to use a 1/2" drive breaker bar to pry the birf out. e-rock, it was just as you said except the inner clip WAS there.....just broken. I am starting to think this axle has seen some hard days.....
The inner axle is still in the housing. I don't need it, so I am not too worried about it. Thanks everyone!
Mike
 
Just for the hell of it, see if it will come out....
 
Its possible that the inner axle was martacked and was tapped in with a hammer. The tack may have gotten wedged into the teeth. Try grabbing the inner with a visegrip. Clamp it on tight and then use a bf screwdriver against the edge of the ball and under the visegrip and lever it out.
 

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