I have a 1998 5sp Maxima with both outer CV boots torn and clicking. I replaced the driver's side first and it went fine.

The passenger side axle will not come out because I cannot separate the bearing from the collar that's just inside the inner boot. The seem to be fused together! I've tried everything a home mechanic might have (I don't have acetylene) -- crowbar, crowbar with hammer, flathead screwdriver, flathead with hammer, 5lb sledge w/tools, 5lb sledge directly on the bearing flanges, PB Blaster, WD 40, and I even tried opening up the seam with a razor blade. I cannot get ANY separation between the bearing and the collar.

Any suggestions?

 

Take the driver side axle out and then use a flat head and hammer to hit the end of the pass. axle while someone else is pulling it. Be careful not to hit the piece of metal that is in front of the axle end though.

 

Dont take offense to this, but did you make sure you took out ALL 3 BOLTS that hold the bearing to the carrier????

If so, then I usually soak the joint in PB Blaster and let it chill for a few minutes to let the PB set in. Then I take a hammer and punch and hit one of the 3 edges of the bearing to try and make it spin to loosen it up. After I get it to spin I start tappin it with the hammer as I try and separate the two parts. After I get them apart a bit Ill usually use a screw driver or prybar to pry them apart.

If that doesnt work then you can go through the driver side of the tranny to tap it out, but I try to use that as a last resort....

 

good point...that too.

 

Make sure to take all three bolts out first. I had this problem and I forgot the third bolt thats on top. Use a hammer and screw driver try prying between the wedge. If that fails, Removed the whole collar (three bolts also) with axel attached then work on it outside the car in a more comfy place.

 

Check the bolts and if that don't work...then tie a tow chain to a truck and pull that bish out..

 

Thanks for the input, guys.

Yes, I'm absolutely sure the bolts are out, but I'm about 99.9% sure that coming at it from the output shaft end (through the tranny) would be a bad idea, and here's why: I can't get ANY kind of separation between the two parts whatsoever. I can't flex them enough to even see daylight. I can't get a RAZOR in between them. Usually when two parts mate and you unbolt them, at least you can flex them a bit to see that they're separate pieces of metal, but these two are acting like they've literally been welded together. I can see that they haven't been, but that's how they behave. If I knock at it from through the transmission I'm afraid of damaging that end because there's simply no give at the collar.

Taking the collar off the block is ... ugh, not something I want to try. The bolts are aluminum and I'm guessing they've never been touched. Trying to remove them is inviting trouble that simply cannot be fixed, I'm afraid. If they shear off, I might as well just buy a replacement engine for $500 instead of paying a mechanic to bore new holes and find a way to re-bolt that collar.

Good ideas so far, but ones that I'm simply afraid to try. On the other hand, it seems like there's not much else to consider. There is just NOWHERE to insert a prying tool. NOWHERE. And I think I pulled so hard on the outer part of the axle that I damaged it, because when I bolted everything back up, it slips. There's no MTF in the transmission yet, so I haven't tried driving it, but I can turn the axle by hand and see it's not biting properly at the inside joint. Will putting in a quart of MTF safely get me 3 miles to my mechanic if I drive easy? Can I damage the transmission with a faulty inner CV joint on the passenger side?

 

Im confused as to what you are referring to when you say the metal is mated together. Are you talking about the part that has 3 bolts to the engine?

If you are going to drive your car, put the right amount of MTF in it. If you are driving only 3 miles then just use some cheap gear fluid but dont ever drive with only one quart. Full with crappy oil is better than mostly empty with good oil.

 

Yes, that's the part. The collar that's bolted to the engine block mates with the bearing on the axle and provides stability to the axle between the transmission and the inside CV joint. Those flat surfaces that touch when bolting the parts together simply will not separate. There is a visible seam but I can't get a space to force a prying instrument into.

Thanks for the input on the MTF.

 

Put the bolts back in, but not all the way. Thread them in enough that they're secure. Take a hammer and an extension, and start beating on them one at a time, keep going around. It'll come loose.

Alternatively, get a dremel and cut a small relief in the bottom of the joint, on the centerline. Then get a pry bar or a chisel in there, and hammer away.

What bolts are you talking about, aluminum? AFAIK, there's not a single aluminum bolt on the car.

 

I've got the exact same problem. Were you able to seperate them w/o pulling off the driver's side axle?

 

Passenger's side, you mean?

Either cut a slit in the bracket and get a pry bar in there, or use a hammer on the bolts as above.

 

Another idea I saw in somebody else's old post: If you can put a punch or a chisel on one of the ears the bolts go though, on the bearing side (not the bracket side), and hammer it until the bearing rotates a little bit and the bolt holes are no longer lined up. Then put the bolts back in through the bracket side - the ends of the bolts should hit the edges of the rotated ears on the bearing side. Then start turning the bolts a little at a time, it should force the bearing out of the bracket. This was what I was gonna try, but mine popped right out (better to be lucky than talented).

Other thing I thought of doing - if you're replacing the axles, just drill a big hole into the support breaking, stick a pry bar in there and push (this is a more drastic and primitive version of the cut-notch-with-Dremel technique). I don't know what happens when you return it for your core charge refund, though. Look dumb and say it was always like that?

 

OK, I'll officially call this thread Reason #2 why I don't want to pull 2 axles from each of 2 cars in my driveway just because I have a couple of torn CV boots.

Murphy likes to hang out at my house enough as it is...

 

trrop if you need work done ill drive in from vegas to help ya.

 

This problem occurred with the driver's axle already out of the car, and no, I could not solve it. My mechanic had seen the issue before and was able to handle the replacement for me. Sorry I don't have better news or more helpful information. I think it really just took a torch, a mallet and a crowbar.

 

Same thing happend to me when a 98 max came in.. pass side would not come out at all.. i just ended up removing the upper 3 bolts and taking the whole thing on a bench where i could have better grip of everything n seperated them that way.

 

LOL, maybe I'll just have the boys drive to Vegas and do it in your driveway!

BTW, anyone ever deal with autopart.com? They sell new axle assemblies cheaper than remfg'd ones, and no core charge. Junk or as good as OEM?

 

raxels.com

trust and belive.

 

I know that raxles.com has the best reputation around, but they are also twice the price and I have 2 full sets to do. The cars aren't performance modded or driven over 3000rpms, I just need something that will last another 85,000 miles.

Got a quote from raxles.com New axles; $120 driver's side, $150 pass side, $50 shipping= $320

autopart.com (Or Ebay seller) New axles; $120 for the set, $20 shipping, no core charge.

times two cars, that is a $360 difference... which means I could pay a shop to do the labor and still be ahead.

 

still no luck seperating it, and now i've yanked/pulled/punched it so much that the inner boot is distended and i think i've damaged the joint inside, outer was already bad so no big deal. could any of this be tougher because its a MT. And what does the dealer/mechanic do to get this damn thing off?

 

I had to replace the axles on both off the sides on my car but the passenger side was a pain in the ****. I had to litterly beat the damn axle out off the damn hub approx time was 3-4 mins and I had to use alots of PB blaster,It worked but I had to let It set there for a while. I had no room for the pry bar but I used it and it worked but I had to narrow it in and theres just alot off pulling and beating from the bottom of the axle and don't forget the 3 bolts have to be removed from the support collar. If you have gotten to a point where you just had removed all of the 3 bolts and the axle Is removed from the hub,I would try to push the axle back in to the housing a little so the bolts can line up and temperarely put the bolts back in there and grease the bearing part that goes in to the tranny housing and the 3 bolts. You will need to have 2 people to get this stubborn axle out one sitting next to the wheel well and one under the axle and where it joins the housing. one pulls and on yanks and twist while the on that's under the car will pry the axle out of the housing. It worked for me. Good luck.

 

yeah, all three bolts are removed. Is the PV blaster a penetrant? Can I get it at advance/auto zone? I appreciate all the help, i'll have back at it with daylight tomorrow. Pain in the **** is a understatement, I've thrown every sware word in the book at it, and that didn't help either.

 

try spanish. whats your location maybe another member in your area can assist.

 

I used an air hammer to get mine off, I don't think i would of been able to pry the thing with anything else seeing how bad they were fused together on mine. those passenger axle can be a b17ch....

 

yea an air hammer did nothing to me lol.. like i said just take the whole thing out n seperate it off the car

 

This is the same problem I had too....passenger side wouldn't separate at the at bearing hanger. What worked was as mentioned by one poster above, i.e., first I heated the flanges and hanger housing with a propane torch, then judicious amounts of Sili-Kroil (penetrant), wait a little while, then start hitting the flange ears at the two lower bolts (bearing side of course) and get the flange to rotate about 5- to 10-degrees. Then beat it back the other way, hitting the axle flange ears at an angle away from the companion flange of the hanger to help them separate. Once that process was started I used a large flat head screw driver to begin wedging them apart. Slow process but it worked.

 

this guy already have the best solution. This is how i got mine off. There was no way i would have been able to separated. Have you tried this yet???

 

Exactly! Thats how I got my 5 speed shaft from the JY, I tried taking it out of the bracket in the car but that was a no go so I just unbolted the bracket from the block and pulled the whole thing out.

 

Thank you, and Sucess!!! Anybody reading this, Take the Collar off!!! There are three bolts holding it and remove the whole unit. Now knowing how stuck this was there would be NO way to get it out without using a vise and beating the hell out of it. It's a tight fit getting the axle out with the collar still attached, but if you angle it just right, and take off the oil filter, should come right out. Wish i had started this way. Thanks again.!

 

Passengerside axles is always a PITA.

I was lucky to do mine on a hoist...but it was still hard...eventually it came loose using a hammer and a flat screwdriver.