Front driver side carrier bearing removal, HELP!!!

[GreenScrew]

OK, I've read the tech article and I read dozens of threads found through searches. Replacing drivers side front axle - everything says to just persuade (aka; pound) the carrier bearing off the shaft.

I spent hours trying to get the carrier bearing off, to no avail. Even fabbed a puller and it just rolled the 1/4" steel holder I made to pull it off with. Finally, I pulled the seal and guess what. Ain't know way that bearing will be sliding off the end of the axle. It moves, but only back and forth about 1/4-1/2 inch. The axle diameter gets bigger one way - so the bearing cannot physically slide over - and the other way the large cup portion of the CV joint stops it. I pulled the boot and cleaned the cup out, it looks like a plug in the bottom center of this "cup" and I'm wondering if the shaft somehow can be removed from the CV cup. Is there a nut under this mystery plug? HELP!!??!! Why has nobody else run into this?!?

I can post pics if necessary, but not sure how well it would show that the shaft is bigger than the diameter where the bearing rides.

 

[Darksyne]

OK, I've read the tech article and I read dozens of threads found through searches. Replacing drivers side front axle - everything says to just persuade (aka; pound) the carrier bearing off the shaft.

I spent hours trying to get the carrier bearing off, to no avail. Even fabbed a puller and it just rolled the 1/4" steel holder I made to pull it off with. Finally, I pulled the seal and guess what. Ain't know way that bearing will be sliding off the end of the axle. It moves, but only back and forth about 1/4-1/2 inch. The axle diameter gets bigger one way - so the bearing cannot physically slide over - and the other way the large cup portion of the CV joint stops it. I pulled the boot and cleaned the cup out, it looks like a plug in the bottom center of this "cup" and I'm wondering if the shaft somehow can be removed from the CV cup. Is there a nut under this mystery plug? HELP!!??!! Why has nobody else run into this?!?

I can post pics if necessary, but not sure how well it would show that the shaft is bigger than the diameter where the bearing rides.

Ok, I had trouble following some of what you were describing so I'll go over the procedure since I just had to replace my driver's side half-shaft a little while ago.

The carrier bearing is the part that bolts to the block, you do NOT want to pound this off the axle. What you need to hit is the back of the inner CV cup to separate it from the inner half of the axle (with the carrier bearing) that goes into the transmission.

There's no nut holding the two axle halves together, just splines and a C-clip.

I was unable to separate the two sides with the axle in the car, it wasn't until I removed the full axle and pounded the back of the inner CV cup that I was able to separate the two.

Good Luck

 

[GreenScrew]

Ok, I had trouble following some of what you were describing so I'll go over the procedure since I just had to replace my driver's side half-shaft a little while ago.

The carrier bearing is the part that bolts to the block, you do NOT want to pound this off the axle. What you need to hit is the back of the inner CV cup to separate it from the inner half of the axle (with the carrier bearing) that goes into the transmission.

There's no nut holding the two axle halves together, just splines and a C-clip.

I was unable to separate the two sides with the axle in the car, it wasn't until I removed the full axle and pounded the back of the inner CV cup that I was able to separate the two.

Good Luck

Sorry, was tired last night. You ARE my saviour. CV cup has been separated from the shaft. Probably if I had the new axle in front of me I would have realized what needed to happen there. The write up really made it sound like I only needed the carrier bearing, and not the axle it is on! My bad, but thanks ever-so-much for steering me in the right direction.

Now I need a new seal, and probably a new bearing with all the force I subjected it to trying to take it off the wrong way!