What size is the mammoth nut holding the axle to the hub on a VG auto? Is is 37mm?

 

36mm - pep boys has big axle sockets for $10 ea usually

 

the braker bar i had for thoes 2 nuts where steal pipes the size of my car... funny sight

 

Carquest charged me 25$ (WTF!!@()&$!@$!#@$) for the socket and the nuts came off pretty easily. I stood on the brakes and a friend used a 2.5' cheater pipe.


Now how do I get the flippin axles out of the transaxle? Haynes says to pull them out, but they dont seem to want to come out. They came out of the hubs no problem, but I stuck them back in untill I figure it out so I wouldnt mess up the CV joints

 

stickies has the procedure. You yank them out basicly

 

I wrestled with this on my '92 GXE for the last two months (not the entire time, I mean on weekends here and there...). Anyway, the driver's side is fairly easy. Grab by the axel and yank the #$@% out of it. Make sure you drained tranny fluid though or you will be in for surprise.

I replaced outer joint and boot and it was also relatively easy. After I put the axel back, the steering wheel seems to "wobble" during acceleration.

As for the passenger side, it's tougher. There are three screws that hold the bracket that NOBODY seems to have mentioned. Follow the axel to the transmission, and on the passenger side, there is a large bracket that the inner shaft seems to go into. On the engine side (not the wheel side), you will see three screws. It's so fun trying to get these off. Afterwards, you have to pry at the bracket. But you don't pry between the bracket and what seems like the inner CV joint. You pry on the engine side of the bracket. The inner CV joint on the passenger side has a really long shaft.

I hope this helps and I hope someone can help me with my wobble problem...

 

I've seen it mentioned and discussed many times. It's also here
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...3d801f558b.jsp

 

Yes, I got those 3 bolts out. Wont yanking the axle mess up the CV joints? Do I have to grab it right by the tranny, or is it ok to just grab the axle itself and yank?

 

For the driver's side, I just couldn't reach a prybar in there, so I just grabbed the axel shaft in the middle and gently started tugging (and gradually started to tug harder), and it really comes out easily.

Passenger side is another story... I don't think you can yank it out (I couldn't imagine how one could w/o damaging the joints).

 

For the passanger side itis pretty hard to pry it loose. Theree isnt really any roow to get something in between to pry it, and the two halves are really tight together. Try hitting it in this spot (see pic) to get the axle to spin and loosen and then it will come out easily.

 

I got the passanger one out pretty easily. I used a plastic hammer to tap the tab on the bearing towards the front of the car on the axle untill it was in a position I could tap it out with a hammer and a screwdriver. I'll take a pic tomorrow.