Dave B

Just curious to hear your technique to getting the driver's side axle out. I know that in various shop manuals they recommend pulling the passenger side axle and using a screw driver to hit the driver's side axle out, but the manuals note that this technique is only for automatics (for what ever reason). It's my understanding the driver's side axle is a bit of a bear to get out because a circlip holds the axle in to keep it from falling out. Did most of you have luck just yanking on the axle to get it out or did you have to pry it out near the tranny case. I'm not terribly excited about prying an axle out when my pivot point is an alumninum tranny case.

Are there any seals I should replace other than the tranny seal?

How about removing the axle from the hub? I'm sure mine will be seized in there thanks to 7 years and 107K miles of driving. The Chiltons manual talks about taking a center punch and hammer to the dimple in axle and giving it a few wacks.


Dave

RedlineVQ

my drivers side axel just popped put when i did it, I haven't finished swaping in a new one yet but I think u can reuse the seal. When you do it get a little extra tranny fluid cause it will leak out. And I believe you have to tap out the passenger side and not the drivers side.

1FSTMAX

iTrader: (29)

I had to pry mine off. No problems yet..

nupe500

iTrader: (13)

I just pulled and it popped out..go figure

flashover

Mine was a bisnach. I ended up prying, but didnt hurt anything. The idea of taking off the pass. axle is a good one. But taking off that axle is another story if the mounting bracket is stuck to the axle.
A small piece of wood would help they prying process. Hind sight is always 20/20

Dave B

Thanks guys, the wood idea is a good one.

How much fluid comes out when doing this?


Dave

nupe500

iTrader: (13)

eh...not much...I want to say about 1 quart...but I forget now

flashover

None, if you drain your tranny first.
Otherwise... prolly still not much, because the gears splash the oil everywhere, and not much is sitting on the axles.

flashover

Anotherthing, the local nissan guy told me to replace some seal on the tranny. It looks exactly like the front crank seal, except its black and doesnt have the outer dirt shield/seal lips.
He told me that it was directly behind the imput shaft. I think that this piece may be for an auto tranny. (shaft seal?)
I am sure that it is not one of the two axle seals.

Ramius83

When you rotate the wheel hub down after you remove the two lower strut bolts, the axle will be stuck in it. All you have to do is remove the large 36mm nut/washer/clip, and hit the end of the axle once or twice with a hammer and it will release from the hub (rust wise). Then you just pull on the end of the axle to get it out of the hub.

To remove it from the tranny, usually they are stuck in there because of the C-Clip at the end of the axle. If the axle is already shot, then it won't matter if you pull and tug with all your might on it. It the axle breaks on the boot, it won't matter because you are replacing it anyways, so again, you can tug at it......

97SEMAXI

i had to pop mine out but it didnt hurt anything when i did it, only took a little bit to get it out. i didnt think it was that hard.
Not that much fluid should come out at all either, but it wouldnt hurt to have an extra bottle just in case.

JSutter

iTrader: (46)

I just pulled and pryed the axle out. No fluid came out of my auto or my cusins 200sx 5spd?! go figure. I reccomend new seals but they are not needed....just cheap insurance.

Pappa Grande

Man. I tried replacing both axles myself. I had no trouble getting that 36mm nut off. But when I tried "popping" the axle out of the tranny I just couldn't do it. I used a pry bar and a screw driver (and yes I know about the bracket and screws on the passenger side). I had to put the darn thing back together and take it to a shop. I envy all you guys that just popped it right out...

skeelo34

iTrader: (4)

its not that hard to pop it out. just yank it a few times. like push it in and yank it out. think of masturbation and it should be easy.

Requin6

iTrader: (36)

dave,

to get the axle off the hub, i took off the two strut bolts that hold the rotor to the strut then pulled the brake line clip. you should then have free play in the rotor/hub. get the 36mm nut off the end of the axle then turn your steering wheel to the extreme left. be careful of the brake line as it doesnt have that much slack. tap the threaded end of the exle with a rubber mallet and it should come out. i used this technique to get the axle in and out of the hub. getting it back in is the tricky part and it takes some worming of the axle to get it to start back into the hub.

getting it out of the transmission was just a matter of tugging on it until it came out. good luck.

ooh and i lost about 2-3 quarts of gear oil when i pulled it out of the tranny. make sure you have your catch pan handy.

--Paul

Ladzio

iTrader: (8)

I just yanked mine out, it went smooth like on butter in and out. Left original seal.

Mishmosh

iTrader: (3)

Just yanked a couple of times and it popped out.

Re: tranny oil seal.
If you go to get this from the dealer and they hand you one that has a metal surround instead of plastic, I would not get it. The seals with the plastic surrounds (like the one that came OEM) are much better to install. Not sure why Nissan went with the metal surround but I botched two seals before I went to Napa to get an aftermarket one. The metal surround seals are easy to deform when driving it in and near impossible to drive in flush very easily.

xsnowpig

iTrader: (1)

When i pulled mine the first time, it came out just tugging on it. when i pulled it out the second time, i needed to pry it out.
it sort of does sound like masturbation, doesn't it?
with regard to setting the new seal, find something that will just fit around the entire edge of the new seal to set it in straight. i used a small section (3-4" long)of a chain link fence post, and then tapped the new seal in place by hitting the end of the 3" post.

Mishmosh

iTrader: (3)

I have a seal driving kit. The metal seals are extremely difficult to install flush. I probably spent 2 hours trying and ultimately destroyed two seals. The Napa seal is almost identical to the seal that was initially installed on the car.

JAY25

iTrader: (38)

You northern folks that drive thru snow. I worked on many maximas that had that salt crap. I used some WD-40 and a very large sledge hammer to separate the axle from the hub. Two solid blows and off it slides. I leave the 36mm nut threaded in there so I dont damage the threads. Thats step one.


Yanking the axle out is good idea if your replacing the axle. If your not I would not pull it. I use a crow bar and. The bottom of the crowbar that has the 90 degree bend, I place a fence pipe and twist it and it slides right off.


To install new seals use your old seal on top of your new seal and hammer away w/out damaging your new one. Peace of cake 15min job

Dave B

Thanks for the insight. I recieved my axle from Raxles. Wow! I had no idea nearly all of the axle is brandnew plus you get a new axle nut, cover, and cotter pin. Very impressive plus they pay for shipping the old axle back. I know where I'm getting my axles from. Under the advice of Mishmosh, I went and purchased the NAPA "rubberized" tranny seal.

When breaking the axle to hub nut loose, did you guy just leave the car on the ground, remove the center cap, and break the nut loose that way? The way I see it, that's probably going to be the hardest part of the job. We're going to use a 4' breaker bar with an impact socket. The guy helping me has done both his axles on his 95 GLE. My car spends most of it's life in the garage and we don't get very salty winters in KC plus I wash my car all the time so I think freeing the axle from the hub won't be a huge ordeal, but I do center punches, dead blow hammers, etc.


Dave

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

First off my car is an Auto so heres my input..

My car came from Florida but has spent the past 2 salty miserable winters here with me. I changed both axles last October and my car was on a lift. The axle nut actually broke off relatively easily with a breaker bar. I had my friend help me and we didnt know we were supposed to take the passengers side out first...

Needless to say, the drivers side came out without a problem, just a few tugs and it slid out. I replaced the tranny seals and havent had a problem yet.

Thats my experience....

And please no, dont ever pry an axle out with the pivot being the tranny case. I work at an auto place for over a year... one of the guys did that to a Mazda Protoge and ended up cracking the case. My boss had to pay for a new transmission for the car.

sryth

I usually take a block of wood and hammer and tap it out from the opposite side. I use the same technique to get it back in.

As for the axle-nuts, I had to use my donut because the 36mm socket I have is too big to fit through my SE wheels. It's a pain in the butt, but it works.

Ant96GLE: I've never heard of cracking the tranny case that way...good information. I'll never do that again.

Dave B

Yep, that's my primary concern. Hopefully I can just yank it out.


Dave