Air hammer gets axles out of hubs. http://www.freeautomechanic.com/imag...axle-shaft.jpg

That's a good idea.

Thanks everybody for the input. Last night I tried the puller I mentioned with an electric impact wrench, then more hammer. Still nothing. * I left the puller in place, applying force. Maybe sitting in a hot car today will help? Not getting my hopes up though. This afternoon, I'll try an axle shop. Thanks for the advice!


* At least Autozone gives me more time to return the tool on their loaner program. 90 days. O'reillys told me 48 Hours or it was mine!

Wish I had one of those. Alas :(

I had the pleasure (displeasure??) of swapping out the wheel bearings on my passenger side. Funny thing is I expected it to not budge like when I did the driver's side, but it took minimal effort with the 3-jaw puller.

OP, there was a post here that suggested zip tying a nylon glove around the axle, cut on of the "fingers" off, fill with PB blaster/whatever, and letting it soak. Here's my thread about the same ordeal.

If it makes you guys feel any better, when I did mine I was able to push them out with my index finger


#cocksucker

Lulz, you sure you have everything off? All that stuff atleast knocked the rotor off, right?

Thanks ArmanRus. I think that was the thread I started with. Missed the Glove trick in there.

Yeah Scribbles, the rotor fell off once the caliper was out ofthe way. no significant rust on anything else.

Spec, :tool: JK. Glad it went well for Somebody.

What was the glove trick because I can't seem to find what you're talking aboit

@ArmanRus
Other than post 44 above, I did not find it either. Sounds cool though. Pics?

@Spec; @redneck4Christ; I found the thread.

http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...le-pix-163485/

I haven't tried this personally but it is worth a try.

Note that pinsol will also work really well rather than stuff that eats thru glove...not kidding.
Actually I dont know that it works great on rust, but it does work great as parts cleaner. But I would not be suprized if it worked with the glove method and no stink...

The other thing I did to remove a stuck ball joint was have tool have pressure on it like you did then hit end of tool with hammer and popped out. Think was the vibrations along with impact caused by hitting it while under pressure that caused it to finally pop.

There are a few other good chemicals to try if you can get your mitts on them. Kryoil, comes in an orange can and has a rather surprisingly pine like scent. Also, knock'r loose, which has a not so surprising scent. Smells like shit.

I FINALLY got it loose a couple of days ago. I had already pulled the hub out of the car anyway, so I put the knuckle in a vice with the lug studs pointiong straight up. That allowed me to pool the WD40 around the end of the axle, inside of the 'hub centric' ring without using the glove trick. let it sit that way for several days. Used the electric impact wrench a couple times in between. still nothing. Tuesday I decided to just hammer on it with the impact wrench for a while and see if I got Any movement. The main screw on the puller was turning real slow, but it was making some headway, so I just kept my finger on the trigger. eventually it started to spin a little faster and eventually came out.
I used picks, wire brush, brake cleaner, etc to clean up the splines afterwards. Nasty. But the hub does slide onto the new axle just fine. I should get the car back together and on the ground on Saturday, Finally!
I'm tired of driving momma's minivan. :( I did get the test pipe installed while it is in the air.

What was it that you linked? It just goes to a generic page about tool rental.


I'm currently stuck with the driver axle.
Tried a number of things to no avail. I've got a couple more ideas. I'm curious what this was. I have a ball joint separator but it's not wide enough to straddle the axle.i think if i modify it to fit , it'll lose too much strength.

I'm nearing the realm of cutting off the axle and leaving just the cup. I'm replacing the axle, any way.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...0fe11ef7b7.jpg

This is what ultimately did the trick. And quickly, too. Maybe five hits?

Also, Fuck that Japanese mother fucker who came up with this.

Also, Also, i don't think removing the passenger side to pop out the driver side will work. I tried it and there just isn't sufficient access in the 3.

Now i need more trans fluid. I wonder where to get the good stuff an Saturday afternoon

Mine won't come out either. First motor swap it stayed in the trans, clutch removal and replacement stayed in the trans.... Motor is out again, still in the fucking trans. Mine will not come out without destroying the axles

I just used a slide hammer and standard CV axle puller attachment, but I had to modify it by cutting it out to make it wider.

Buy one of these (you may have to grind the opening a little to fit our axle) rent a slide hammer from an auto parts store. Pops right out...

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...bc0089f2cc.jpg

Fucking assholes! !...where was this two days ago? Lol....

I was going to post that i talked to a mechanic this evening who did he attached cable to a slide hammer and uses that. The cable keeps you com damaging anything and the slide hammer provides the impact needed to free the clip.

Put a layer of high temp synthetic grease on the splines going into the hub and you'll be able to push it out with one finger next time!

Driver axle removal, so much fail
 

A punch will work if you have a long enough one to put through the passengers side. I've done this method twice. I have also placed a thick piece of steel between the trans and axle then wedge in a breaker bar in to give more leverage

It will pop right out. Done numerous times with zero issues.

Ok so what's the trick to getting the Bitch back in the transmission

Just slam it back in.

Just more proof that women are like axles.

But not all axles are women....ask me how I know

Got it, thanks. Didn't even need to be slammed. I got the splines aligned first. Then slid it back slightly. And then finally just firmly pushed it back in. Easy peasy

@Zdraveca Hopefully yours comes out more easily, but fyi just in case.

Our local old car club newsletter had a tidbit of information that could be helpful for some.
This is 3rd or 4th hand information that I have not verified. Reportedly, the April/May 2007 edition of Machinist's Workshop (Vol 20, #2 ) published a test of penetrating oils where they compared the force required to loosen rusty test devices. I am not sure of the details of the test. I have not found and read the article yet. Here are the reported results:

Penetrating oil: Average Load*: $ per fluid oz:
None 516 lbs
WD-40 238 lbs $0.25
PB Blaster 214 lbs $0.35
Liquid Wrench 127 lbs $0.12
Kano Kroil 106 lbs $0.75
ATF-Acetone mix 53 lbs $0.10

ATF-Acetone mix was a 50/50 mix, but has a short shelf life so only mix in the small quantities needed.

For something off the shelf, Liquid Wrench looks to be the best bang for the buck.

*I think these units should be lb-ft, not lbs



@Zdraveca Hopefully yours comes out more easily, but fyi just in case.

I hope i get it replaced by warranty :)

yeah this side is a bitch...done it 4x. never fun. whatever you do, if you got it out, and the C clip is deformed at all, DO NOT PUT IT BACK IN. i.e. the ends are bent inwward or outward. Get a new clip or repair the existing one. if you get a bent clip back in there...well you just thought it was a bitch to remove this time :)


ask me how I know? @Tomas;

on my 3rd removal and replace..well apparently I put a bent clip back in...lol This last time, (4th) about 1 month ago...was a P I T A. I went a few rounds with my heavy bag between attempts but the axle eventually came out.

My methodology double tap and out she came.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...82210768a2.jpg

nice...can't remember if there is a CV boot clamp on that dust boot but did you have to cut one off and get another?

Cut the metal basnd off that was on the boot.

got cha, I guess it safe to assume that you have to get a replacement and have a tool to install? can one pick those up anywhere? I hope to never do this again, lol, but it good to be prepared.

nvrmnd...google told me what I needed to know...time for another tool purchase...

Post link Dan :)

Amazon.com: Lisle 30800 CV Boot Clamp Pliers: Automotive

Thasnks Dan!

I got boot clamps at napa And I think the pliers at O'Reilly

The clamps at O'Reilly didn't fit

I'd just like to add some comments to this thread on front axle removal based on my experience, since this is the first thread that seems to pop up when searching. Hope this saves some folks time when they're searching these forums.

I recommend having a slide hammer kit ready to assist in removal; it's the most reliable method to generate the sudden force needed to pop the axle C-Clip past it's retaining position. Rent or buy one before starting this job. They're handy to have for many other tasks (pulling hubs, bearings, etc), and if you rent, worst case is returning it for your refund if you don't end up needing it.

If you don't intend to re-use the CV, you can save a buck or two by using the vice grip method some folks posted above. Just remove the boot from the inner CV joint, pull the guts and axle shaft out, firmly affix the vice grips to the CV housing, and use the standard slide-hammer-to-vice-grip adapter to pull the axle. Most slide hammer kits will have one of these - I know my OTC 4579 9-Way Slide Hammer Puller Set does, and that kit is the basis of many other similar knock-off kits as well.

If your intent is to re-use the CV, then I would recommend using OEM Tools 27058 axle puller attachment for a standard slide hammer. It will work with any 5/8 in x 18 thread shaft slide hammer, which is the "standard" thread you'll typically see. You'll have to grind out the opening to fit the Mazdaspeed 3 CV's, but once you do, a single slide hammer hit should remove them. I tried every other method, including opposed pry bars from behind, hitting pry bars with a hammer, etc. and none would work. The slide hammer method was simple. The OEM 27058 is only about $20 and took about 15 minutes to modify.

Before you re-insert the CV, validate that the little metal cup on the CV axle seal surface that mates with the transmission seal lip has not become cocked from the OEM Tool 27058. I had to straight mine by tapping it with a hammer. The OEM tools wedges in between this metal cup and the CV housing, so it's easy to displace it.

Also be sure not to hit your transmission seal when removing the CV. They're delicate - mine leaked when I accidently knicked it.

Good luck.

Interesting thread with a lot of understandable frustrations. The first time I ever dealt with an impossible-to-remove CV axle was on my 1996 Protege. I was getting into that thing with a crowbar, slamming it in frustration, hoping the car wouldn't fall off the jack stands. I felt victorious when it finally popped out of the transmission.

Later, when mentioning the utter hell I endured trying to remove it, a tech told me the clip is the major impediment to removing the axle. He said the secret is to rotate the axle while prying with the pry bar or using the slide hammer. The combination of the rotation and vibrations will cause the clip to move flush inits groove, thereby allowing the axle to slide out of the transmission.

I did this when working on my 3 about a year ago, and it worked like a champ.