Took my car to 3 mechanics, they cannot remove my driver's side axle.
 

I am going to take it to Nissan next, but I don't understand.

I am lowered about 2.5" on Nex Coilovers. I did the coilovers and both axles in November, axles started clicking a month ago. They are warranteed Autozone axles.

I took it to my usual mechanic and he could not get the axle out.

I took it to another mechanic, they got the passenger's side axle in but could not get the driver's side out.

I am thinking there is a serious problem now. I have vibration on acceleration, changing the pass axle helped a lot but I need the other one out I think to get rid of the problem.

Please help, this is impeding the progress of my car.

Where do you live? $20 says I can get it out :wall:

But seriously, your mechanics don't happen to be girly men, do they?

That's interesting, it's obviously stuck somehow. I'd assume that the 3 mechanics you've tried are using the proper amount of force. sometimes they can be pretty tough. Next step would be to remove the transmission and axle as a unit and work on it on the bench I suppose and see if there has been some failure which has jammed it in there, like perhaps a cracked spider gear or a mangled snap ring on the axle.

Is it even possible to pop the trans apart with the LH axle still seated? RH I could see, but not LH. I would imagine it would have to be driven out with a drift or something, if you could get to it from the RH side.

I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't be. It would just be hard to work on on the bench because it'd be sitting on it's side. The only thing you wouldn't be able to do was remove the diff from the bellhousing.

True, for some reason I didn't even think about removing the front case from the rear, instead of the opposite...:goofy:

Don't mind me.

If you cant get it out you can pop the passengers side off and putt a screwdriver or punch through the differential making sure your hitting the axle and it should come out.

thats how it says to do it in the fsm.

i've never had any problem just pulling them out

When I was pulling my car apart last summer I had a similiar issue. My drivers side axle STUCK. I tried the screwdriver through the other side, nothing. Finally, I yanked on it enough that I broke the inner CV joint, but the boot, bearings fell out, and everything but the stub shaft came off. Pulled the transmission, and had to pound the stud shaft out through the passenger hole. Took about 45 minutes on and off to get it out. From what I could tell, there was no oil on the splines at all. The c-clip looked Okay, I mean, I've seen worse and not had that problem.

Persistence and determination, that is what you need! :laugh:

Good luck.

It would be as hard as ****. U prob would have to basically dip the tranni out wards or just let it somewhat drop onto something like a tire. After removing the bellhousing bolts... Well that is what I would do anyway... they jack the car up more...

I had that problem on a cadillac i was working on, Instead i used my 5lb sledge hammer and a heavy duty pry bar and beat on the end of it, 2 strikes and the axle said **** this im coming out lol...

I'm pretty sure there's a special tool you can use for popping them out. Pry bar and sledgehammer work too though

I had the same problem over the winter. I bent the pry bar trying to get it out. Finally had to pull out the passengers side axle then punch the drivers out with a screwdriver. Ended up breaking the clip too.

I am guessing the snap ring has gotten caught and if you can drop the trans out with the shaft still in place, you shoul be able to pop the top off and remove the diff. Then the axle is there and you can see the problem (or remove the snap ring or whatever) but it sucks to think you have to drop the trans to do a 15 min job! :( Have YOU tried to pull it out? What do the 3 mechs say is causing the problem? I know being dropped puts more pressure on the CVs, but that shouldn't have anything to do with the axle coming out of the case. Very odd indeed.

Methinks it's the snap ring issue. I am going to get the dude who put my axle in to try the slide hammer or punch from the inside method soon.

i had this same problem when i put my exedy stage 1 in a few months ago. both axles were stuck in the tranny and i think its because my diff bearings are shot maybe not though like they were holding them back or something cuz theres so much play.i had to drop the tranny with both axles still in and i had ti unbolt the halfshaft,those 3 bolts from the block and smake it through the driver side.a major pita. ?????

stupid, i know, but try twisting the passenger side while someone pulls on the driver one...worked for me

In some cases fellas, I f the passenger side axle is removed first, the drivers sie axle get locked in. I learned this by trial & error. I had to put the passenger side back in, in order to get the drivers side out.

Weird...

Took it to a NYCMaximas dude, we tried to tap it out from the passenger side but it wouldn't come out. Though we did use a weak screwdriver, it just wound up bending. I don't know what to do at this point.

Pull the whole tranny. Sounds like your only option at this point. Then get a long drift and a small sledge and go to town through the passenger side.

Did you ever end up getting it? I am in the same boat right now. I have the whole tranny pulled, and no matter what I do I can't get it out. I've tried a prybar and hammer, putting the passenger side axle back in, twisting, pounding on a screw driver through the diff to punch it out from the inside, nothing has gotten it to budge so far. :(

Use a bigger hammer and stronger punch until you get it out, I bet your being a ***** about it, I know I know you don't want to spider that shatter gear (Yes, that is not a typo) But if you have been manhandling things in the vicinity of it anyways in previous attempts you might want to replace it anyways. Also, I know it would be a little trcky one but would heat help at all? Every time I've stumbled on to this thread I hate it because I swear removing stubborn parts & bolts is my forte', I could have had it out by now. Anyways, try CAREFULLY heating it, you might destroy your seals (might have already) but just be careful to not get close to anywhere but the dif or dif housing and go slow, there is plastic oil channels etc in there. You can try stuffing ice-packs around the stub as well. I know some of this sounds crazy, but I've had situations where hot and cold has worked miracles, vise-grips in the freezer for difficult studs etc, sometimes that extra little bit makes it turn like butter right away (for about 2 seconds, lol)

Yea man, I know what you are talking about. I've had incredibly rusted exhaust parts that I've gotten off before with vice grips, heating the exhaust pipe a TON, and using an upside down can of duster to freeze the bolt + ropes and tons of leverage.


So far no luck with this halfshaft though. Do you recommend I try heating the transmission or the axle? I would think heating the axle would make it worse since it would expand in the transmission.


Anyway, I've slammed it with a hammer and pry bar as hard as I possibly can. I think now I am going to look to try and borrow a sledge hammer.

YAY!!! Smashing a huge screwdriver through the diff with a 20lb sledge did it after about 8-9 hard knocks.

I am one of the few 4th gens riding around with a 5th gen tranny... some shop got the old one out, I think they had to remove the diff

I was low on gear oil for a while and we think that might have messed up the spline, kinda fusing it to the axle

No biggies

Someone bought my old tranny for $250 or so so I came out ahead on the deal.

Moral of the story: If you do any tranny work please refill the oil in the tranny. Capiche???

Nice! Or just have a giant sledge hammer on hand! :D lol

Highly doubtful. In fact, no, thats not what happend at all. Sorry.

and to think i was gona buy this car!

I definitely didn't hide the fact that the car needed a new tranny in any FS thread I made, but thanks