Well im in the process of replacing my bent axle, and im at the part where i need to remove the pinion shaft enough to push in the axles so i can get the C-Clip out. NOTE:This is the way i got the axle out of a open diff. but it might not be the way to do it on a posi? Im not sure. Ok back to the problem, Well i started to punch it out with a hammer and punch , and i ended up pushing the shaft to out to much and i cant rotate the diff very much because it, because it hits the case. Well at the moment i havent found a way to get the shaft back in so i can turn the diff completely. I can get a curved pry bar in there but i cant move it back in. So unless someone has an idean to pull it back in, i was thinking that i might push it in somemore, and i might be able to get the axle out, but will i be totally screwed then? Or might that relieve the stress off the shaft so i can slide it back in easy. Btw the pinion shaft is pointed towards the top of the diff and hits the case if i move it one way and the pinion gear it i move it the other. Any help would be great.

 

I actually did the same thing and then reminded myself what a dumb *** I had turned into. Take off the carrier bearing bolts and you should be able to get enough movement out of it to rotate the carrier around. It worked for me.

 

Well its not one of my most smartest moments But i dont know if i can get enough clearance, its probably has to move down and out for me to get it clear. Do you get a good bit of movement when you remove the carrier bolts

 

That's the only way. You can get about ¼" of clearance in there; enough that you can jam something in there, tighten the carrier bolts, loosen them again, jam something bigger, etc. until it's to a point you can deal with it.

 

Ok fellas thanks for the advise. Is removing the carrier going to mess with the gear pattern of the teeth, or are any shims gonna fall out when i do this. I dont really want to mess with all the adjustments that are involved with that. Also just to make sure, is removing the pinion shaft(or up enough) and pushing in the axle, to remove the C-Clip the correct way to pull out the axle, or am i doing this wrong.

 

No, removing and re-installing the carrier will not alter the teeth contact pattern, as long as you put it back like it came out (same shims in the same places)

If you do as described, the carrier won't "come out", it will only move out a fraction of an inch at a time; so the shims should all stay put.

Yes that is the correct way to pull an axle.

Next time, to avoid this happening, make sure you drive the car in a straight line for a couple of feet before you jack it up; it sounds to me like you were making a sharp turn, and stopped the car while turning, then jacked it up. That will leave the posi all in a state of torque.

 

The best way is to remove the carrier. Just make sure you put the shims back from where they came. Also, take care not to damage the shims upon re-installation. The best installation procedure is put the races on the bearings, with only the left shim (driver-side) in place. Set the carrier in place.. Then, with your left hand, pull the carrier flush against the left shim, while inserting the right shim with your right hand. The right-side race must be perfectly straight. The shim should go about 1/3 of the way in by hand. Then, using a brass punch & hammer, lightly tap the shim into place. Torque the bearing cap bolts to 55 lb ft
Hope this helps.

 

Well after a few hundred cuss words, about 2 hours and some dirty scraped hands, i got the pinion shaft unstuck from the case. I removed the carier bolts as sugguested. I havent attempted to push/pry the pinion shaft up any more to remove the shaft but man, its in there good. The one in my parts car moved really freely enough to move it with my hands. About the only good pry spot is through the spiders and to pry on the springs on the posi, but i dont want to do that. So i will probably have to figure out some other alternative.

 

You may find that if you push the cross shaft (that's not the "pinion shaft") back in, and pry the spring plate back to take the tension off the posi clutches, the whole thing may loosen up dramatically.

 

Use a 24" prybar, and pry on the ring gear bolt heads, from the driver side. This will get the carrier out at least most of the way. Then you should be able to fit a large screwdriver into the carrier hole (on the inside part of the bearing).