l3ftonm3

iTrader: (2)

So just as the title says anyone have a list of tools they used? I have a haynes manual and was flipping through it but it didnt mention anything particularly. Also what do I need to buy from the auto parts store, whether it be axle grease, power steering fluid, etc etc? Thanks

Vlasic

iTrader: (13)

needle nose pliers
big *** breaker bar or impact gun
19mm socket and 17mm wrench, or vise versa
pry bar
and i forget what size the big axle nut is, either a 24 or 26mm i think, could be wrong tho.

Fr33way™

iTrader: (23)

36mm, it's a big one, parts stores will rent it.

l3ftonm3

iTrader: (2)

thanks, also probably axle grease? any fluids like tranny or power steering?

BigLou93SE

iTrader: (10)

Your tranny fluid will come out - so it might be a good time to change that. I had only a few thousand miles on some Redline MT-90 when I changed my axle, so I just reused the same fluid.

And it is a 36 mm socket, 20 bones.

l3ftonm3

iTrader: (2)

alright thanks for the answers gonna go hit the parts store and tackle this.

renatonetmail

I would also get the FSM and with both books in your hands you should be in a good way. www.phatg20.net

Fr33way™

iTrader: (23)

WD40/liquid wrench is always nice as well.

f550maranello2

iTrader: (2)

if the axle doesnt come out easy... use a pry bar between the trans and the axle... simple job shouldnt take you more that 15 minutes...

Tim96I30t

iTrader: (2)

I heated mine up with a torch for 20 mins or so came right out. It was cold and stuck in there good, might have to use some heat with the cold weather. Not really bad once it is out, just getting it out is half the battle, good luck.

MaximaSE96

iTrader: (8)

SLIDE HAMMER...it will same u tons of time...again part stores rent them

Fr33way™

iTrader: (23)

Do you have a 15 min axle change on tape or anything?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

Yeah, don't use a prybar or heat on the axle. Heat will damage the boots, seals, and maybe the tranny bearings. A prybar will damage the labyrinth seal on the axle, so don't use that if you want to keep the axle.

Thread on the big nut an use a slide hammer to pull on it, or put on some sturdy gloves and pull hard while tapping the big metal part of the axle next to the diff.

Dave

matty

iTrader: (54)

Thats gotta be a joke. It takes me 15 min just to set up my tools and get the car in the air, "safetly", let alone the time to start wrenching.

-matt

l3ftonm3

iTrader: (2)

Alright well it seems I need a new driveaxle oil seal in addition to the new axle. I called nissan and the guy said he didnt have any for my year and would have to order it but did have others in stock and that I could go in and compare it to others. So my first question is...

does anyone know the part number for the oil seal?

Also does any other year driveaxle oil seals work on the car besides 95-99, ie 00-01 or 3rd gen?

oh ya this is for an auto tranny driverside.

Vlasic

iTrader: (13)

95-01 should be the same. dont know about anything else.

MaximaSE96

iTrader: (8)

i think altimas have the same ones too

l3ftonm3

iTrader: (2)

any idea what year altima's?

RockfordMax

iTrader: (2)

I did this about a month ago. First off, GET AN IMPACT. There is no way you will be able to remove the strut mount bolts if they are rusted on without one. I ended up stripping one of the bolts, which i now have to get torched off. The axle nut is 36mm. The socket only cost me 7 dollars, And i figure I have it on hand if i ever need it again. Also, I used a 1/2" ratchet with a jack handle to remove it. Didnt harm the ratchet.

In order to get clearance to remove the axle, You will need to remove either the lower ball joint, or the strut from the knuckle. BE WARNED! I did it the ball joint side, and ended up ruining the joint, and now I need a LCA. If you have a blown CV boot, get a big bottle of simple green and a pressure washer, and clean the axle grease and everything else in general off. Trust me, i had green hands for 4 days.

You will want to drain the transmission pan, It contains ~4 quarts IIRC. If you do not drain it, it will eventually drain, but through the hole that you pulled the axle from. While you are doing this, you might consider a complete trans flush.

All in all, If you have the right tools, and basic technical knowledge, it isnt a hard project. If you dont have the right tools, ingenuity and perserverance will get you by, but you might end up breaking other things. If you arent comfortable being extremely dirty, cut up, and tired, dont try it. If you are too smart to drop 400 dollars for the labor, and want the feeling of pride that comes with a project like this, GO FOR IT! By the way... if you do fail... a 16 year old did it. you should be able to

RockfordMax

iTrader: (2)

It took me 17 hours total.............Hearing 15 minutes makes me cry inside

But to answer your question.... PB BLASTER.. GET 2 CANS, Breaker bar or gung ho 1/2" ratchet. 36mm Axle Nut. Large flathead screwdriver, 14,16,18,19,12mm sockets (deep if possible) a 14mm Box end wrench (if you remove ball joint), Needle noses to remove cotter pin, DONT HIT THE AXLE THREADS WITH A HAMMER....that cost me a LOT of time and anger. New cotter pin, because it gets flimsy after being removed. Torque wrench capable of ~255 lbs or whatever insane figure it is, or just jump on the breaker bar to tighten.... Anything else i forgot, but that is the major stuff. Either way, the whole project cost me < 100 bucks and that was with 12 quarts of trans fluid.

BigLou93SE

iTrader: (10)

Don't feel too bad - everyone on here said 45 minutes to an hour TOPS, and myself and three friends (two of whom had experience w/ DSM's and had torn their own cars apart, including axles) took about 4 hours to get it done. That's with breaking tools, and realizing that we needed new ones, and working out in a parking lot though.

I actually broke my 1/2" Drive socket trying to get that axle nut bish off, and smacked my head into my fender in the process (no damage done to the fender miraculously) I ended up realizing just how much better actual breaker bars are compared to a socket with a cheater bar...huge difference.

RockfordMax

iTrader: (2)

Honestly that was the easiest part of my experience. Ill take a pic of the ratchet, but its the biggest thing ive ever seen. the 36mm socket actually looked right connected to it. I had a 4 foot cheater bar, and took a full jump on it, and it came right off. And havent had a problem with any of it so far, so im assuming the same method torques it enough

l3ftonm3

iTrader: (2)

yah I didnt have any problem getting the axle out, a relative with a lift and air tools really kicks a**.

But back to my second question about the driveaxle oil seal. I need a new one and was wondering what year maxima's they are compatible with because my local nissan dosnt have any for 95-99 in stock. Someone above said that 00-01 max might work also and someone said that altima's might work too, but anyone know what particular year altima, or have a definitive answer? Thanks

Fr33way™

iTrader: (23)

Man that may take the cake! It takes me about an hour and a half but I usually prep and clean things as I am in there anyway.

Exactly.

quique

iTrader: (3)

you can get the oil seal from an auto parts store. i only found mine in some smaller shops that are suppliers to some of the chain stores (like autozone and pepboys) and they had a brand called federal mogul. otherwise try online if you can wait a couple of days.

RockfordMax

iTrader: (2)

Well my first day went like this. Got out the ol' scissor jack (1st mistake right there), Got the tire off, attempted to ratchet the strut mount bolts off (mistake #2), Stripped one, ran out to get PB blaster. PB'd the whole thing in the driveway (mistake 3, stained STILL), figured oh well, ill borrow an impact and get those. So i got the axle nut off. Could get the axle partway out of the knuckle, so i hit it with a hammer (4) thinking i could force it out with the wheel turned. Didnt work, threads screwed, the car wasnt going anywhere for a while. So i removed my FSTB and Strut (5), tried getting leeway through that. nothing doing. Put that all back together, rolled it into the garage, went to sleep.

Next day, *****ed about it to my parents some, they offered a tow to a shop, and i was 5 mins from doing it, but then my pride kicked in again. I posted up on the .org, someone mentioned removing the LCA, so i said wtf why not. To my surprise, a box end fit on the nut, and i cheatered it off. Broke the ball joint using a screwdriver (6) to pry it out. Got the axle changed, Put new one in, filled trans back up, Put all the goodies together. Then i drove to autozone to get more ATF for the flush, noticed the puddle from when i left the drain plug halfway open (7). Flushed it, cleaned up, and got an alignment.

Cost of axle from .org member? 65 bucks
Cost of 12q of ATF? 40 bucks

Avoiding a 400 dollar labor charge and only breaking 200 dollars worth of stuff and spending 105? priceless

KINGMAX

we got the axle nut off of my friends by adding a pipe to the breaker bar and three of us bouncing on it lol

JSutter

iTrader: (46)

where are you mounting the slide hammer? if you are saying put it on the outer cv axle the whole axle will separate. so that doesnt help.

f550maranello2

iTrader: (2)

are you guys serious.... theres like 3 tools you need and a decent jack..you want me to tape it??? im doing it this week if i can get a axle in time

RockfordMax

iTrader: (2)

Lol, now that ive done it it would take me < an hour... but 1st 15 hours were completely trial and error. and trips to autozone... and waiting for my mom to get home with the gayvan to go on those trips. and having the van not start in autozone parking lot and getting a quick battery charge. thats fun

Tim96I30t

iTrader: (2)

Heat will not hurt your axle if you heat them slowly, and this is the OLD axle getting heated up. So who cares if it gets ruined they usually are if you are doing this job. Also this was in the middle of the winter about 20 degrees that day. This is how we easliy got it out, heat changes metal just as cold does. So some people in a cold climate may have to do this, without having to fight with it. Alot easier than trying to fight with it, and caused no damage to my VLSD in my 96 just be careful and use a low flame.

RockfordMax

iTrader: (2)

err... one error with that method. Heat expands metal. Cold contracts it. So if you heated it it would technically be harder to remove. If you kept the axle cold and heated the tranny though, it would work, but if common sense doesnt tell you that is a stupid idea.. i will. DO NOT BLOWTORCH YOUR TRANSMISSION!


peach!

Ka$hThaRipper

iTrader: (15)

tape it, i gotta replace both of my axles soon..never done it

Tim96I30t

iTrader: (2)

It was freezing out that day, and heat helped, I did not blowtorch my transmission the old axle. The heat was low and never held in one spot and would NEVER get the trans close to even operating temps. I could put my hand on it after, try doing that with your trans after a highway trip. Basically if done correct your only heating the bolts slightly not anyehere near as hot as it gets when you drive. So no damage can be done unless you have no clue what your doing.

RockfordMax

iTrader: (2)

Yeah thats what i was trying to say.... But if youve never torched anything before, its best to start using heat on something other than a 500 dollar transmission... Besides, its almost unneccesary. Bolts come out, knuckle moves out of the way, pull the axle out. ALMOST that simple

Tim96I30t

iTrader: (2)

You said it took you all day....it took me almost two hours. It is not always that easy, mine would not come loose at first on my I30. You try to make it sound easy when you screwed up your car doing it. It is not hard but it is not changing oil either, and people screw that up.

BigLou93SE

iTrader: (10)

That's very true. I went into changing my axle not thinking about how much force it would take to remove and install the axles into/out of my tranny. It took much much more effort than people had said to me.

RockfordMax

iTrader: (2)

Not trying to go back on anything i said. I thoroughly bashed myself over what i did, and you bringing it up to make a point wont affect me at all. All I was saying, is each person will have different experiences. Once i got the initial hardships done, removing the axle itself took all of 3 seconds. Replacement took just as long, and closing it all up took me 20 minutes. The smartest thing you can do ( if you plan on modding your car) is take your car to somewhere with air tools, break EVERY rusted bolt you can find loose, retorque it, and call it a day. 11 winters prawned my car, and had I done that, every single one of my mod experiences would be better. Looks like its time to get air tools eh?

And I do appreciate how youre not making this personal maturity FTW

Tim96I30t

iTrader: (2)

Not personal just saying that it is not as easy as you try and make it sound, and as I looked back and say how long it took you, it makes me laugh.

FishyMan

please tape it, take pics of tools and process.

thanks.