CV axle removal.. any tricks?

[hoaxwalk]

First post. Just bought a 323, glad I found this board. The plan is to put a BP in it one day (local pick and pull has loads of them), but first I have to replace this berkeleying ^@#*ing axle.

It's the one on the driver's side. I *know* there's a bloody snap ring on the end of the axle that I can't see. Honduhs have the same thing. The last time I did this, the car was a Honduh Prelude, and I pried on the axle stub until I thought either my leg, the trans case, or the damned pry bar would break. Finally, with a huge "SNAP" noise, the axle popped out and the pry bar broke loose, making a nice hole in my garage wall.

This time, I'd like to avoid hurting myself, my tools, and my car if at all possible. Prying is not helping the axle on the 323. I can stand on the pry bar with both of my feet, using my entire body for leverage while hanging onto the strut for dear life, and all that happens is I get off center and the bar shoots out from underneath the car like some kind of a magic frapping bullet. Right now, it's a little over freezing in my neck of the woods, and chasing after rogue pry bars and then having to reposition myself underneath the car only to repeat repeat repeat the second the bar flies loose - this is getting old.

Searching has revealed that I am not the first to experience this problem. Another question: Is it absolutely necessary to install the snap rings when installing the new axle? I don't see the point other than making the axle incredibly hard to get out. Some cars don't even have them. Bah.

So? Any tricks from the 323 masters? What sort of tool works best? Is it OK to use *entirely too much pressure* when prying on this thing? What has worked for YOU?!?!?!

Any kind of help is appreciated.

[therieldeal]

http://www.wihandyman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34310&highlight=axle

and yes, the snap ring is the only thing holding the axle in there... without it, it could pull out of the differential as you turn. probably not enough to come out, but enough to spill fluid, rattle around, and probably break something.

welcome to clubprotege!

[wheresthericego]

I've had the best luck with a flatbar. Its a prybar designed for construstion/destrustion. Its a little longer than a foot and is flat (hints the name) I'll put it inbetween the axle and the trans and use a 3 pound sledge and hit that sucker and it usually pops out pretty quick

[XelderX]

You can also hire a friend with another pry bar to get on it from the top. Count to 3 and both of you pry at the same time. Sometimes bouncing the prybar on it is more effective than constant pressure.

[hoaxwalk]

insanity: doing same thing over and over, expecting different results.

<--- not insane. i think.

Since the new half-shaft won't fit into the old stub axle due to a triangular shaped boot fitting that goes over the NEW triangle-shaped stub axle, it looks like the stub axle MUST come out. Prying with all manner of screw-driver, wedge, chisel etc w/ help of hammer is not working. Calls for new game plan.

Went to Harbor Freight, bought big arsed slide hammer. Drove home. Spend thirty minutes looking for the drill before realizing I let someone borrow it. Call him, he's on his way with my drill. The plan now is to punch two ~3/8" holes in the stub, 180* apart from one another, then run a punch through the holes. Attach slide hammer to punch and pull until something (hopefully the snap ring) breaks. If this works, it might be the new "last chance" axle removal option.

[ghaze24]

I don't know if its too late or not, but I've found that a quick jolt get the axle out easier than prying it. Push the axle in as far as you can while still being able to get the pry bar in there and push it quick and sharp to get it over the ring. Hope that makes sense.

[therieldeal]

the problem is you are prying, you need to strike the end of the prybar like you are trying to pound it in like a nail.

[hoaxwalk]

Alright. There are now two holes in the stub. Last night, we bolted the slide hammer (14lbs) to the stub and my weight lifter buddy got on it hard and fast until the bolt broke.

That called for another game-plan switch. I'm so versatile, it makes me want to scream sometimes. Argh. At first it looked like I could just switch the bearings on the transmission side of the axles. Swap new for old, put new half-shaft into old stub with old bearing, trim the rotor-shaped nubs on the boot, make sure it covers the holes I drilled, if not JB weld them, then put it all back together. Turns out the old half-shaft was actually a little thicker, making the bearing way too big to fit on the new half-shaft. Back to square one. The stub must come out. I have a 14lb slide hammer. I'm buying stronger bolts.

If not, I'm going to the junkyard for a Kia transmission and a BP. I can have the old engine and trans out in two hours. An engine swap is starting to look like the "more feasible" option at this point, as weird as that sounds.. have hoist, have monies, pick and pull's down the street.. made sure the parts were there before I bought the car.. didn't realize I'd have to do this so soon.. bah.. *@*#^ argh....

[wheresthericego]

the problem is you are prying, you need to strike the end of the prybar like you are trying to pound it in like a nail.

Exactly. Constant leverage is far onferior to a blunt impact.

[1967cutlass]

Here is everything you need to know:

Keep tension on it to keep the pressure on the snap ring, and THEN hit it with a hammer and it will come off. If you don't pry against it and keep tension you can be down there banging on it with a 5lb sledge and nothing will happen. Ask me how I know..

[therieldeal]

i never needed to do that, but i can see how it might help if its badly stuck.

[downtube]

I had a similar problem with my 2000 DX. Ended up being a two-man job.

We had the car way high on jackstands.

First we removed the inner CV joint and clamped vice-grips on the inner axle flange to have something to bang against.

With a 24" prybar and pushing with my leg, hanging on the fender, I put constant pressure on the axle using the transmission to lever against.

My buddy got under the car and used an air hammer to bang against the vice grips.

Popped right out.

Neither method worked alone.

[hoaxwalk]

Well guys, it looks like the transmission has to come out. Assuming the axles come out of at least one working Kia transmission at the pick and pull, that's what I'm doing.

My "last straw" attempt consisted of the following:

pry-bar on the bottom, leveraged with human leg

chisel on top, leveraged with a hammer

bolted to the bottom left, a 14lb slide hammer.

Working all of these tools at the same time, hitting the chisel from the top, prying from the bottom, and raising cane on the slide hammer.. Everything firmly connected, unbelievable force applied in all directions.. nothing. *nothing* that axle is *stuck*.

i do not give up. now everything comes out. BP + Kia trans going in in its place. God wants this engine swap to happen way, way more than I do. I'd rather spend the last weekend of my winter break warm and cozy in the house and not worrying about cars, but that's not going to happen. so effing weak, sooooo weak...

can it be done? from running B6 to running BP in 4 days? i have until Sunday. a reasonable schedule sounds like:

Wed, pull stock engine + trans, prep for swap

Thurs, pull BP + Kia trans @ Pick 'N Pull

Fri-Sat-Sun, complete swap. It might snow. I will need to be strong.

Mon, drive to class @ 8am

they always said i was a little crazy. i ain't a religious man, but, if you would, pray for me - that the parts at the yard do not have anything so wrong with them that they prevent me from making my journey on Monday.. and that my tools can be found when I need them, and that no fasteners are so stuck that I can't get them off with a little love and care.. yes, pray.. the hoax's gonna need it.

[therieldeal]

i think a 4 day swap would be easily feasible. it took me 3 days working 6-8 hours a day by myself to swap out my BP/busted tranny for another BP/tranny. one whole day was spent regasketing and prepping the new engine/tranny to go in... if you had a buddy to work on that while you did other things, you should be done in no time. also, drinking less beer than i did might help too... haha.

really the only additional things you'll need to do is to swap the engine wiring harness, ecu, and vaf out for pieces from a protege lx.

[wheresthericego]

Well guys, it looks like the transmission has to come out. Assuming the axles come out of at least one working Kia transmission at the pick and pull, that's what I'm doing.

My "last straw" attempt consisted of the following:

pry-bar on the bottom, leveraged with human leg

chisel on top, leveraged with a hammer

bolted to the bottom left, a 14lb slide hammer.

Working all of these tools at the same time, hitting the chisel from the top, prying from the bottom, and raising cane on the slide hammer.. Everything firmly connected, unbelievable force applied in all directions.. nothing. *nothing* that axle is *stuck*.

i do not give up. now everything comes out. BP + Kia trans going in in its place. God wants this engine swap to happen way, way more than I do. I'd rather spend the last weekend of my winter break warm and cozy in the house and not worrying about cars, but that's not going to happen. so effing weak, sooooo weak...

can it be done? from running B6 to running BP in 4 days? i have until Sunday. a reasonable schedule sounds like:

Wed, pull stock engine + trans, prep for swap

Thurs, pull BP + Kia trans @ Pick 'N Pull

Fri-Sat-Sun, complete swap. It might snow. I will need to be strong.

Mon, drive to class @ 8am

they always said i was a little crazy. i ain't a religious man, but, if you would, pray for me - that the parts at the yard do not have anything so wrong with them that they prevent me from making my journey on Monday.. and that my tools can be found when I need them, and that no fasteners are so stuck that I can't get them off with a little love and care.. yes, pray.. the hoax's gonna need it.

Since you're replacing the tranny also will you be replacing the axles? I am unsure if the B8 axles work in the BP Gseries. If you're trashing them then just cut the boot and pull the axle out that way. Then you don't even need to worry about pulling them out of the transmission