Real axle removal, Step by step Options

[zonedoubt]

I know there's lots of posts with tips, hints, opinions, etc about rear axle removal. However I haven't found anything with a step by step method that suits my situation.

I've been trying to remove the axle from under the car so I can service the inner CV joint. I backed out the outer CV bolts but couldn't get it apart with the limited amount of space under there. So removing the big ol' castellated nut seems like my next option.

Let me know if I got the steps in the correct order so I don't break something...

1) Rear wheels on the ground, blocked, chocked, braked.
2) Breaker bar or impact wrench to remove 30mm castellated nut.
3) Put the nut on reverse so there's a better surface to hammer out the stub axle without damaging the threads.
4) Hammer out the stub using a brass punch (wheels on ground or jacked up?)
5) Remove the stub/CV/axle from underneath the car

[SLITS]

Add ... pull cotter pin

Use wooden handle of hammer to punch axle stub from hub.

Also understand that rolling the car with the axle stub removed may damage the bearing.

[Cap'n Krusty]

Experience tells me you're gonna have to remove the lower shock bolt so you can move the arm up and down to get the right angle to get the axle off. The left is harder than the right, 'cause the starter's in the way. Be sure you have a mouth fulla swear words before you start ............................

The Cap'n

[yeahmag]

Yup. I had to remove the starter and get the trailing arm "just so" to slip the stub axle in... A floor jack on the trailing arm can be your friend.

[Chuck]

How would one go about removing the castellated nut iffn' he no longer had any four bolt rims and wheels to mount and hold the hub?

[yeahmag]

Impact gun...

[Cupomeat]

Well, assuming one still has brakes, you could get a helper (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) to firmly put his/her foot on the brake pedal. This should provide enough torque to remove the nut.

I'd be rather concerned about putting that much torque on a car that was up in the air, but it can be done. Maybe lower the car onto large flat blocks or something like that before applying torque (and brake).

[Joe Bob]

How would one go about removing the castellated nut iffn' he no longer had any four bolt rims and wheels to mount and hold the hub?

Damn near impossible in most cases....if that thing hasn't been off in a while it ain't coming off unless you have 150psi+ and an impact gun from Hell....

[zonedoubt]

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to tuck into this tonight.

[bondo]

I was able to remove and replace a left rear axle without taking anything off the car but the starter and the axle. I didn't even have to jack the car up. (but I do have kinda big wheels, which probably puts the car a little higher)

I had to do it because the outer bolts came out about 3 blocks from my house. I wasn't going to lug a floor jack that far if I didn't have to. I had to remove the inner CV from the trans so I could pivot the axle enough to get at the outer CV bolts with an extension. I then attached the wheel side first (hafta roll the car to be able to get at some of the bolts). Then it was a simple matter of attaching the inner and reinstalling the starter. Was back on the road in under an hour.

It sounds from your description that you have the outer CV bolts loose, and the roll pins are holding it in. Thanks to the in-out slop of the axle, you can use the axle itself as a sort of slide hammer, just be gentle. 20 light slide-thunks is better than one or to slide-whams. CV joints are pretty darn strong, I think you'd have a difficult time damaging them by hand.

Oh, you can also leave the axle in the car and just remove the inner CV from the axle. That gets tricky though, as sometimes it's very difficult to get them off the axle.