Drive axle replacement

[Chasema]

Hi everyone, I've been a lurker for a while. I have a 2001 x with just a pml and 32" mudterrains and my drivers side drive axle is toast. I picked up a new one but my jacks and jack stands don't lift high enough to reach the frame rails ( I came from lowered subaru's).

My Question is, can I just turn the wheel all the way over to one side, unbolt the hub and the axle from the diff and slide it out that way or am I going to have to lift the whole thing and remove the tire, steering and upper control arm like the manual calls for ( I would prefer to not do it that way if possible..). Thanks!

 

[granitex]

you do have to pull the tire but not the upper control arm. you will need to take off the castle nut off of the upper joint, as well as the lower mount for the shock. that will give you enough room to do the deal.

Do yourself a solid and pick up a set of truck jack stands.

 

[Chasema]

I tried just removing the shock and tie rod end but there isn't any way I could wiggle it out.. I have moved on to removing the upper ball joint but have not had any success with that because the damn pickle fork isn't doing it's job, I guess I;ll be on the market for upper control arms because now the boot is all screwed up ( I knew that going into it but I don't see any other way other than removing the ball joint).

 

[Chasema]

If I got the 3" lift UCA's would I be able to use them with just my PML and still be able to get it aligned properly?

 

[TJTJ]

If I got the 3" lift UCA's would I be able to use them with just my PML and still be able to get it aligned properly?

Yes...the alignment range would work. If you added an AAL to that order, you'd essentially have what you needed for a 3" SL though....food for thought.



(The 3" Lift UCA do not provide lift, they ONLY allow alignment at higher ride heights. The T-Bars are still what you adjust to change the front ride height)

 

[Chasema]

Thanks for the reply, I jsut didn't know if the UCA for a lift would put it out of alignment range because I only have a 1.5 inch lift.

Last night I attempted replacing the drive axle to no avail, I couldn't get the upper ball joint off even after pounding away at the picklefork for about an hour... so I put it back together and added a new balljoint to my list of stuff to pick up for the boot on it -.-

 

[Muadeeb]

That's why I hate pickle forks. Grab a hammer and beat the crap out of the knuckle where the ball joint goes through. Vibration will (eventually) knock it loose.

 

[Chasema]

Well I will have to get a new control arm for the ball joint boot... Now I know When I put the new stuff on maybe I will put never size on the ball joint shaft for when I get 3" lift arms in another 6 months or so

 

[TJTJ]

If you remove the nuts and the pickle fork and hammer is not cutting it...you can also drive one side up to pivot the other side down to pop it out with the truck's weight.

 

[TheFauxFox]

That's why I hate pickle forks. Grab a hammer and beat the crap out of the knuckle where the ball joint goes through. Vibration will (eventually) knock it loose.

Careful and strategic use of a butane torch help, too.

 

[robcarync]

Careful and strategic use of a butane torch help, too.

Propane bottle torch for the win. When I installed my UCAs 2+ years ago now, my stock ball joint was stuck for real. I spent over an hour with a 4 pound sledge and a pickle fork and it wouldn't come out. Propane bottle torch and 5 minutes...POP Shoutout to Midget28 for that brilliant trick. First time I had to use a torch...and I find more and more uses for it ever since.

May not be as hot as MAPP or Oxy Acetelyne but a plain old 15 dollar propane bottle torch has removed more stuck hardware for me in the last 2 years than I know what to do with. Never leave home without it now...what use is all of our spare parts we carry if you can't un-do the hardware holding the old parts in?


Also, if you are planning on going to lift UCAs in the somewhat near future, I would ride it out with a ripped boot, as long as the joint is still tight. The lift UCAs have servicable ball joints (1995 pathfinder ball joints), so you can replace them easily...another benefit to maybe push up your time line.

Another thing to note, at least in my experience, it takes a long time to get the ball joints stuck like that again. When I changed my upper ball joints last year, they had been installed for 2+ years, and they popped right out just by hitting the spindle/knuckle with a hammer. I figure, my truck is a 2004, so it took 8 years to get that stuck...and it was a breeze once I got them broken out the first time

 

[Intender]

The other option is to drop the front diff. I just did mine to put in a locker and with a motorcycle jack it was a breeze if you drop the front cross member. Cv bolts on the diff, 6 bolts holding the diff, 4 bolts holding the frint drive shaft to the diff and a clamp on the breather. Your front cross member might have some tack welds on it (mine did not) but a few minutes with a grinder solves that.

Without a motorcycle jack it is apparently a pain do to size and weight. I would say I could drop it out in less than an hour.

 

[Chasema]

Thanks for the replies guys, I'm postponing the replacement until next weekend but I have a torch and I will also be in a nice warm garage instead of 16 degree weather haha. shouldn't be a problem anymore, and it's been soaking in pb blaster for a few days