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Axle Removal Need Help

Discussion in 'Intermediate CJ-5/6/7/8' started by engraveyard, Dec 25, 2006.

  1. engraveyard

    engraveyard New Member

    I am new at this. We just pickup a 1975 jeep that we are starting a groundup restoration. I have already removed the body, engine and now I am removing the suspension. I am trying to remove the rear axle from the differential to check the bearings etc...(Dana44). I have the 6 bolts off the back plate. The flange is solid. I tried a slide hammer (rented from the local auto parts store) to loosen the axle shaft but it wont grab behind the flange. Should the axle pull right out or is there a pin somewhere that I am missing?
     
    engraveyard, Dec 25, 2006
    #1
  2. dvader

    dvader Member

    The axle should pull right out. They can be pretty tight. I use a slide hammer that has a flat plate that bolts to the out side of the flange.
     
    dvader, Dec 25, 2006
    #2
  3. engraveyard

    engraveyard New Member

    so once I remove the 6 bolts the axle should pull right out.
     
    engraveyard, Dec 25, 2006
    #3
  4. w3srl

    w3srl All-around swell dude Staff Member

    The outer bearing race is a press-fit into the axle housing, this is what actually holds the bearing in place. Once you bolt the backing plate onto the housing, THAT holds the bearing race in place.

    A quick & dirty way to get the axle shafts out is to put the brake drumback onto the axle BACKWARDS, and thread the lug nuts on 1-2 full turns. That should leave you about 1/2-3/4" of stud and you can then use the drum as a slide hammer to pop the axle out. It make take a little while, but it should work.

    <edit>

    Resist the temptation to beat on the drum with a hammer. It *might* get the axle out but it will almost certainly destroy the drum. AMHIK. :oops:
     
    w3srl, Dec 25, 2006
    #4
  5. Fax Ayres

    Fax Ayres New Member

    And where do you get replacements for those 6 bolts, which I hear you are not supposed to re-use...?
     
    Fax Ayres, Aug 26, 2019
    #5
  6. sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2024 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    I have reused the bolts with no issues but any decent hardware store should have the bolts.
     
    sterlclan, Aug 27, 2019
    #6
  7. timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    What does the TSM say about this? Should be no issue reusing the bolts. They may call for the nuts to be replaced. Self-locking nuts are supposed to be for one-time use, but there's nothing really wrong with them other than they don't grip as tightly as when they were new. Blue Loctite may be appropriate for reuse.
     
    timgr, Aug 27, 2019
    #7
    FinoCJ and Focker like this.
  8. FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    When I redid mine a few months ago, I cleaned up the bolts and nuts and re-used with some blue loc-tite. The bolts on mine did have some grinding on one of the hex points so it was flat and would have the clearance needed with the axle tube - this also acts to hold the bolt when loosening/tightening the nut as fitting a wrench on the backside would have been tight. In a perfect world I would have replaced the nuts with new lock nuts but they old ones still functioned enough that I could not spin them on by hand (so loc-tite it was), and its hard to go to the hardware store when the jeep doesn't have axles in it.
     
    FinoCJ, Aug 27, 2019
    #8
    Lockman likes this.
  9. joltes

    joltes Member

    I used the brake drum as a slide hammer, as mentioned above... It worked great for me.
     
    joltes, Aug 27, 2019
    #9
    Buildflycrash likes this.
  10. timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Looks like Jeremy Knakmuhs hijacked this thread. It should be split off and moved to the Early forum.
     
    timgr, Sep 21, 2019
    #10
    Hellion likes this.
  11. Focker

    Focker That's a terrible idea...What time? Staff Member

    Actually Fax Ayres (post #5) brought this 2006 thread back from the dead, but you're right, it needs split and moved.

    Good catch.
     
    Focker, Sep 22, 2019
    #11
    Jeremy Knakmuhs likes this.
  12. Focker

    Focker That's a terrible idea...What time? Staff Member

    Split and moved. (y)
     
    Focker, Sep 22, 2019
    #12
    Jeremy Knakmuhs likes this.
  13. Jeremy Knakmuhs

    Jeremy Knakmuhs Jknakmuhs

    Sorry about that guys. I'll be sure do check the folders better when posting.
     
    Jeremy Knakmuhs, Sep 23, 2019
    #13
  14. timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Please don't interpret this as a scold at any level. IMO, there are two "netiquette" mistakes here. It would have been better to start a new thread with your question, as well picking the right forum. Again IMO, Fax Ayres should also have started a new thread, asking about replacement of the axle bolts. When you start a new thread, and apply a descriptive title, that's very helpful in developing the answer-base that the forum represents. You're also more likely to get into the right forum when you pick where your new post will go.

    I only noticed this because I went to the top of the thread to look for the subject vehicle, and it did not match where the thread went. So I read through all the thread to find how we could be discussing a tapered axle - since there never was a tapered axle delivered in a CJ after about 1970. (Except for the AMC Corporate axles used from '76 on, which are nutted axles).
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2019
    timgr, Sep 23, 2019
    #14
    Jeremy Knakmuhs likes this.