Passenger CV Axle stuck on 94 Cutlass 3100 Auto- Help

[Leadfoot]

Ok, It's a long story I will try to fill in the details later, but right now I am trying to fix this.

 

I have an aftermarket CV axle I installed last weekend. It's a Cardone It's a bit too long 3/4" longer than the OEM iirc. On the test drive it was clear the vibrations were from it being too long so I parked it.

 

I was only doing this because the boot on my OEM axle split. I have not gotten the boot replaced on the OEM and want to swap it back in. The Aftermarket CV Axle will not come out. I have bent a pry bar. The slide hammer won't budge it.

 

I tried taking the side cover off to see if I could get to the retaining clip and couldn't.

 

WTF do I do?

[55trucker]

sounds as tho the axle being toooooooo long has managed to lodge the axle spline deep into the female receiver in the trans housing.

 

Do you have the crowsfoot attachment on the end of the hammer slide?

 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachments/f101/116822d1239223713-drive-shaft-removal-puller.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f101/drive-shaft-removal-71232/&h=480&w=640&tbnid=5Imh8J6waY6zRM:&zoom=1&docid=OECZe2E25GklZM&ei=_EopVdzlB4KqyATRjoCYCA&tbm=isch&client=palemoon&ved=0CB0QMygAMAA

[Leadfoot]

Sure do. I wailed on it for a while with that with no luck. I may try it again for a bit. I have been sitting there thinking those 4 bolts on the diff housing would make the perfect way to mount something that would be a more substantial puller. However, fabbing on of those up is not high on my list of things to do.

[rich_e777]

Is there enough room to get some heat in the area? I've not done this job before so I`m not sure of the options for you.

 

Hey this is up there on the WTF list BUT just follow me on this. Do you have access to someone with a truck or hitch on their car? No bad idea...

 

Maybe fix a rope to the slide part of the hammer and use that to get some more umph behind the sliding hammer action. Sort of like starting an old stubborn push mower.

[Leadfoot]

Is there enough room to get some heat in the area? I've not done this job before so I`m not sure of the options for you.

 

Hey this is up there on the WTF list BUT just follow me on this. Do you have access to someone with a truck or hitch on their car? No bad idea...

 

Maybe fix a rope to the slide part of the hammer and use that to get some more umph behind the sliding hammer action. Sort of like starting an old stubborn push mower.

 

I seriously considered the rope idea. I have a diesel truck and a CJ7 with low gears. I decided I would probably destroy something else in the process.

 

After beating on it for a few hours I think I got it about 1/8" maybe a hair more of movement and it felt like the retaining ring was locked in and won't turn loose. I could not get it to budge any further. I am thinking of getting a 10lb slide hammer and or a long metal bar I can put between the trans and oil pan to use a bfh to beat on it and get it out. I am leaving on Wed towing the Jeep to the Hill Country of Texas for some wheeling and decided I needed to quit messing with the Olds and leave it so I could start packing stuff and checking my trailer/truck over.

 

There is a car identical to mine at the pick a part here in town. It was there 4-5 weeks ago. I am tempted to go grab the diff and cover off of it just in case I get carried away taking this apart.

 

Keep the ideas coming. I plan to resume this in a week or so once I figure out what my best plan of attack is.

[rich_e777]

Grabbing spare parts in case of an ambush is always a good idea.

 

Somehow I think that yanking it out with a truck would not be the brightest idea in the world. Would probably pull the car of the jackstands, ruin the rotors and cause all kinds of damage.

[vipmiller803]

I am guessing you know to turn it a little every once in a while. I would try to turn it a little after every hammer hit, keeping tension on it between hits. No heat there... You will ruin the trans axle seal and it is not like it is seized on, it is just a slightly larger than usual c ring.

 

About hooking it up to a truck. I would not use that method unless it is an absolutely extreme situation. It sounds like you have the right tools so keep going with it without risking much more breakage. If you do opt for the truck idea, put another car on the other side and strap the olds to it. Lateral stability via jackstands is not good enough at all. If you have a winch on that CJ then this would be a good use for it. If not, either a two strap or ratchet straps should do.

 

Also, I have heard of some taking that inner boot off (or cutting it), sliding out that inner cv, and getting vice grips onto the inner cv housing. Other than getting the rest of the axle out of your way, I do not see how that would be any more effective than the hammer tool end mentioned above that you have. Considering that this is a new axle, you may be trying to save it for a return or whatnot, so this idea may be more of a plan B.

[Leadfoot]

My thought on using a vehicle is that I am more likely to destroy motor/trans mounts rather than get the CV out. Plus, it needs to be "popped" as constant pressure doesn't seem to yield success with removing a CV.

[vipmiller803]

My thought on using a vehicle is that I am more likely to destroy motor/trans mounts rather than get the CV out. Plus, it needs to be "popped" as constant pressure doesn't seem to yield success with removing a CV.

A calculated risk... One c-ring about to pop out vs. 3 powertrain mounts shearing... Either way, hammering for a "popping" out is definitely better overall, like you say. When in doubt, get a bigger hammer! I see you already mentioned that so that might be your next step. Don't forget to turn the axle a bit after every hit.

[Schurkey]

What have you ALREADY destroyed inside the final-drive case?

 

I have a bad feeling about the differential bearings..

[Crazy K]

You can remove the four bolts that hold the differential housing to the trans case and the entire diff should follow the housing as a unit if you pull on it. You might have to replace the differential and diff housing if they won't separate from the axle, but that's actually quite easy to do, and those parts can be pulled from vehicles that don't even have an otherwise compatible transmission (any 3.33 diff ratio 4t60e will do, excluding 96+ reverse ring pattern gears, unless you are willing to switch the planetary gears, which is very easy, actually). Once unbolted, spin the axle back and forth while pulling and it should slowly ease out.

 

 

You might be able to knock the center of the axle from the diff with a punch and hammer if you can some how strategically hold the differential and/'or housing. It's also possible you can see the c clip and pry it out.

 

 

good luck!

Edited April 14, 2015 by Crazy K

[55trucker]

^ That's not entirely accurate,

 

The carrier assembly is held onto the end of the sun gear shaft by a snap ring, that ring is removed by using a pair of pliers down thru the carrier openings and getting around it & pushing it off, if the axle is jammed into the carriers output side spider gear then one can't get the extension housing off. The axle has to be out of the way before the extension housing can be removed so one can get to the carrier. The OP has a dilemna here, if he continues to hammer away with a slide to try & free the axle he may be doing damage the carrier spider gear & the sun gear shaft, every time he takes a *whack* at the axle he is pulling on the sun gear shaft.

[Crazy K]

D'oh! my instructions work with a "loose" transmission. When you remove the diff cover on a regular trans, there is a clip to remove from the internal shaft going to the driver's C/V axle. However, the shaft can be pulled though the trans in either direction as I recall. Simply pop the driver side c/v axle and the internal shaft going from the differential will now be loose tol follow the differential out of the case as you pull it, with some wiggling and turning.

 

The sun gear shaft can be removed from the transmission with the differential removed.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Crazy K

[Leadfoot]

I finally had time to tear it down again this afternoon. I didn't get too much time to try and get the axle out, but it didn't come out for the bit that I tried. I started thinking that I should grad the CV shaft from the junkyard if it is still there and swap everything except the inner cup that I cannot get out. The difference in length is in the center shaft anyway. I don't know if the yard is open tomorrow or not. The website says no, but the phone recording says yes.

[Leadfoot]

I am starting to wonder if this is the best next attempt before going nuclear on it? http://www.steckmfg.com/71410_AxlePopper.html Has anyone used this or something like this before?

[Leadfoot]

Ok, finally got this fixed. I had some time yesterday to work on it some more. I was about to give up and decided to take some 1/2 steel tube that was 30" long and a 1/2 drive extension that was 12" long. I hit the CV at an angle with one or the other tool near the oil pan. The different length gave a different angle between the tools. I was switching back and forth as I rotated the CV in small increments. I was about to give up and grabbed my 5 lb sledge and figured I would give it a little more love. I had almost made a fill rotation with the CV while hitting on it and the shaft just popped out. The retaining clip was gone. I searched everywhere inside and used a small magnet to check for it. It was nowhere to be found. I put about 40 miles on it yesterday after swapping the stock CV with a new boot back in and it ran perfect. I like to think the clip fell down and is in the trans pan, but it doesn't seem to be causing problems right now.

 

I want to throw the Cardone CV shaft at the person at rockauto who swore it would fit even though the length was too long and that I should just try it and I would see they are right.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Leadfoot

[vipmiller803]

Glad to hear that worked out. It sucks that the clip did not come out. If it is not causing trouble though, then who cares. You will probably find it at your next pan drop, like you said. I had a leaky inner cv boot one time and just stuffing it with some grease and resealing it got me another two years out of it, so your plan B sounded good too.

[Crazy K]

Clip vanished??? You need to remove the diff cover and inspect the innards!!!

Edited April 28, 2015 by Crazy K

[55trucker]

Ok, finally got this fixed.

 

I like to think the clip fell down and is in the trans pan, but it doesn't seem to be causing problems right now.

 

I want to throw the Cardone CV shaft at the person at rockauto who swore it would fit even though the length was too long and that I should just try it and I would see they are right.

 

I don't think the circlip will be in the oilpan, it more than likely will be sitting in the bottom of the extension housing possibly under the carrier, you might take the time to pull off the the extension housing cover & check for damage to the spider gear that the axleshaft was forced into and the thrust bearing for that gear as well to see if it has been crushed by the *hammering* loosening up the preload clearance for the carrier.

Edited April 28, 2015 by 55trucker