im tryin to remove my axles to change the bearings but the screw inside wont budge. already broke 2 sockets. what can i do??? i may be done for tonight. dont wanna break the bolt!!

TIA

 

Get a good quality 6-point box-end wrench. At least a Craftsman one.

 

i tried it with a 6 point craftsman socket. short one then long one. both cracked. i'm afraid if i keep forcing it it's just gonna strip, or snap. heat maybe?

 

Get another 6 point wrench and use a small hammer to break it loose. Use your finger to keep the box end tight on the bolt and hit the wrench in the right direction. You don't have to kill the wrench, just hit it firmly.

 

2 different things.

Use a box-end wrench. The hammer suggestion is very good too; impact will break a frozen hardware loose much more easily than a steadily-applied force. You might even want to try just hitting the bolt head a few good taps with a hammer, just to un-bond the threads from each other.

 

If you do happen to break it, a new one will be in the HELP section at your auto parts store I used a cold chisel to get mine out lol

 

I would assume you have the rear of the car in the air...

Put the trans in neutral and make sure the parking brake isn't on. The wheels should spin freely.

If you rotate one of the wheels ever-so slightly, and watch the pinion shaft, you'll see a "sweet spot". When the pinion shaft jiggles just a little for and aft, you've found it. It's when all slack in the spider gears/posi unit (depending on which you have) has been centered.

The common problem is people try to keep the axles from spinning by holding one or both of the wheels when they're trying to loosen the pinion shaft retainer bolt. What happens is the pinion shaft binds up on the bolt and won't allow the bolt to spin.

If too much force is used, the bolt will snap. How do I know???

To keep the carrier from spinning, prop a tire iron in there. Don't try to use the wheels.

Here's a thread from when I broke mine. Vader (of course) posted a pic in there of the rear end. You'll see how the wheels will cause the spider gears to bind the pinion shaft on the bolt and make it difficult to remove.

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...t=pinion+shaft

When I removed the PowerTrax a couple of months ago (don't ask why ) I did it the way I just described to you and had no problems whatsoever.

 

thanks for the replies. AJ_92RS i will save that link in case i need it again. good explanation.

i finished the job already. i got the bolt out by hammering on a wrench. also the conduit came in handy. the bolt had this yellowish residue on the threads. maybe thread locker that was preventing it from moving.

so i took it for a drive but the problem is i still hear the noise. sounds like when you turn brake rotors by hand and they rub on the pads. gets faster as the car moves. could i have damaged one of the inner bearings or a pinion bearing??

 

You sure it the rear and not the exhaust on the drive shaft??? common sound that drive people nuts as it doesn't look close enough to touch but will do it when you drive.