**NEW PIC AT BOTTOM**
Hello Everyone,
With a lot of patience and a couple of trips to Autozone for big sockets, I am halfway through my CV axle swap.

Everything was going good until I went to get the Transmission Seal for the pass drive shaft out. I was able to get the spring and most of the seal out, however that damn rubber FLANGE that sits on the outside of the transmission in a GROOVE will not come out. I have been picking at it for 2+ hours with little success. I need to get a better set of picks, but my question to you is: IS THERE A SHORTCUT?

I wish the car were warm so that the rubber would have been mallable, but it's too late now-shaft is out and I'm looking at GROOVE full of the old plastic seal. wtf!

Naturally heat is what you use on plastic, but I have Tranny fluid residue everywhere and I'm not about to go putting flame to it. What about a hairdryer? ANYTHING! I can't sit and pick at this for another 2 hours. My next bet is x-acto knives to carve that rubber out of there. Up to walmart...

 

The seal should've come out in one piece, or at least the outer metal ring. The seal doesn't have a "flange" that sits on the outside of the transmission, that I remember. It sounds like you might be peeling the plastic off the metal ring of the seal itself, while the seal is still in the transmission?

 

Just replaced the axle and the seal on the passenger side a few days ago. I used an 8" vice grip that i got from lowe's to pull the seal out. it took me a while to get it out. Just have to be patience with it.

http://www.hand-tools.us/irwinvisegr...108-p-247.html

Be very careful with the vice grip so nothing get scratched.

 

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...&brandName=OEM


Rent it from autozone had seal stuck in my bros geo prizm workin on it for hrs then rented the tool FIVE MIN MORE!!!!

 

holy cow that seal puller looks like it has potential!!! unfortunately, the area i have to work is soooooo limited. I am basically on my back, under the middle of the car with my legs forward of the drivers wheels and my head directly under the input for the drive shaft. The car is 6" above my face and that seal is barely accessable using only my left hand between the shifter rod and the support for the tranny. I'd have to cut that tool down to work, which is fine. Making custom tools was something my airplane mechanic passed along. Anything to get the job done i guess.

Is this thing super sharp with a blade that has to be about 1/16"? Thanks Br0nz!!!!!

 

So here is what I am looking at from through the CV support bracket. Unfortunately, my arms are thicker than the bracket and I can't reach this area, much less see what I am doing.
So I lay under the car, except the shifter rod linkage and the support bar go right infront of this as I am looking up at the bottom of it, right hand doesnt work. Left hand can fit to through a gap on the left and I can pick at it fairly good.

So the little gap is baked with the HARD @$$ rubber seal. This isn't the usual plyable seal, the new seal is not flexible when squeezed.

I just ordered a fancy set of x acto blades and will cut one down the handle to fit in the small area.

The shop wants $600 to drop the tranny. I figure if they can pick the seal out, I sure will try one more time with tools sharp as hell.

I dont mind taking it to a shop, but this HAS TO BE DONE RIGHT, and I hardly trust a shop here yet. That seal puller is just too big and plus, I have to go around the circumference of a circle, so the angle constantly changes.

The manual says this is the "differential oil seal"

Car is a 96 SE 5MT, with 82,000 miles. Ive put 20,000 florida miles on in 1 year, and it's been hot. The maxima sat for 10 years-only getting 20,000 miles from 40k-60k from 1999-2009. Maybe that's why this seal is stuck.

 

Try that, or get a propane torch and try to melt it away.

That is what I would do before I spent 600 on any shop

 

Have you pulled out the metal part of the original seal yet? I really think that flat washer-shaped ring of metal is what remains of the original seal. You've scraped all the plastic/rubber off the face of it. If you could get a 90-deg angled pick (a cotter pin puller) in behind that ring, you could pop it out. Or the tip of a seal puller. That "baked-in groove" you're talking about is all part of your seal. Once you pop out the old seal, you'll see the bright smooth steel of the tansaxle (no groove).

If I'm right it won't matter if you manage to burn away all the remaining rubber. You still have to get the metal part of the old seal out. Otherwise the new seal won't go all the way in.

 

Have you tried removing the CV support bracket? It is held in place by three 14mm bolts. Once the support bracket(and the strut) is removed, the seal is reachable by hand through the passenger side wheel well. At least, thats how i got mine out.

Edit : In addition, the splash shield in between the passenger side wheel well and the vq has to be removed.

 

Definitely take the bracket off.

 

I was able to x acto blade the old seal out and using a pick, i also picked out the big parts. In the end I was able to do circles in the groove with the pick, free and clear! I sat the new seal, however the 36mm axle socket was slightly too small. I looked for something that would seat the RH seal deep inside the car. My 6D Maglight flashlight fit the bill. The recessed portion of the flashlight clear lens fits the seal perfect and with a leather glove on the back of the maglight, i slugged away with a hammer, setting the new seal with vasoline very nicely.

Driver's side CV today should go easier!