Halp!

I'm dropping my roasted front diff to replace it with a good one. I was under the impression that as long as the front springs were loaded, I'd have enough room to slip the CVs off the studs on the axle flanges and the chunk would drop right out. This is not the case - I've got the CVs off the studs, but there's not enough room to get the CV above or to the side of the axle flange so I can remove the diff. Now it's hanging in the front of my truck, with the axle studs hung up on either side by the CVs mounting plates.

While I head back to reattach the diff to the crossmember and get the thing supported by something other than friction, any advice? I guess I'll need to pull the CVs, but searching indicates that's not an easy thing to do either, for the same reason, and I'd really like to have this finished before the snows hit.

Somebody tell me there's a trick I don't know? Something that doesn't involve pulling ball joints and shock struts, or pressing studs out of flanges? It's got to be easier than that.

 

certainly a pain... when I did this last I used a couple come alongs to pull the cvs towards the tires. it got them outboard enough to clear the studs on the diff. i would consider pounding out those studs on your new diff and replacing with nuts and bolts. makes it much easier.

 

Drop it with the front crossmember attached to it. Just did this a week or so ago to pull a 4.88 front I just bought. Came out like butter.

 

I started like that, then ended up pulling the crossmember off to see if I could get a little side to side action going on. Did you drop it off the CVs one at a time, or both at the same time?

 

Start hitting it with your purse and it should come right out.

 

CV's stayed in, although we did take the drive flanges off the ADD hubs in order to spin them to get to all the bolts. Those studs should just knock out too might only take hitting it with your purse as above mentioned. Put the nut towards the edge and hit it with said purse, don't just hit the bare stud, you'll mess up the threads.

 

time for SAS

 

I know what you mean about the CV not fitting past the studs. I haven't touched the diff, but I've changed a CV, and they told me I could slide the CV inboard without unbolting the lower ball joint; they lied. The only way you're getting the diff past the CV (or visa versa) in my experience is to unbolt the lower ball joint to add enough slack to the system for the studs to fit past the CV. You may even have to disassemble the hub and completely remove the CV.

 

http://www.gearinstalls.com/ifs.htm

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...15componen.pdf

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...20removalo.pdf

 

Sometimes getting that front crossmember back in can be a bitch. That's why I try not to do that. Other than that it ain't that difficult on my 88. First thing I did after I bought my truck was replace a torn CV boot. It was a bit tougher than planned. But I didn't need to do anything non-standard procedurally. The CV shaft will come out as it says it should(on mine atleast). No need to mess with removing parts that don't need removed. Tight fit, but doable.

Try extending the suspension instead of compressing it.

And if you want another tip here's that: Loosening the camber/caster adjusting bolts and adjusting the lower control arms for maximum negative camber(both as far out as they will go) will also push the CV shafts out too(away from the axle). Messes your alignment up in the process too, so be advised, you will need to reset that when you're done.

 

Victory! I did have to pull one CV, which I managed w/o screwing with studs or ball joints by pulling it off the studs and rotating it below the axle flange (which only worked because the diff was only attached to the driveshaft and other CV at that point), and then yanking my sway bar (which I discovered the P/O had bolted to the frame on one side and welded on the other, WTF?). Once that CV came out, the diff swung away from the other, I disc'd the driveshaft, and now there's a neat little pit in my driveway concrete from the diff falling off the floor jack, woo hoo!

I'm officially 2WD right now, and I'm gonna stay that way until tomorrow because I'm done with laying on my back on the cold concrete right now. Hopefully the new one goes in easier. I'm going to try and build a little 2x4 cradle for it to support it on the floor jack, and I'm definitely going to replace those studs with bolts, long as that CV is out. Folks that have done that, have you used lockwashers or locknuts or just a little red loctite on the new bolts?

As always, ya'll rock, even if there wasn't an magic easy answer on this one. If nothing else, the stories of your experiences was helpful, much appreciated!

I thought about that, but my purse is too heavy. I think it's from the weight of all your tampons I'm carrying around.

 

I did think about that while I was under there, and I came close to it. If I have too much trouble slipping it back on I'll go there, but hopefully with bolts instead of studs on that flange I won't need to. Appreciate the idea, though!

 

I've never had an issue removing or installing my CVs...that's why I kid. And why would you carry around a purse full of tampons? Weirdo...

 

That seems to be the story, from what I found while searching - for some folks it's easy as pie, and it's a pain the neck for others.

I just knocked out all the studs and have a bag of grade 8 bolts to replace them, so for me all future CV removals should be easy as pie. Should be all I'll need that purse for now is smacking the axle shafts into the new diff.

 

I just dropped mine this week along with upgrading my brakes system to V6 stuff on my 86.

I was able to disconnect the cv from the short/passenger flange, but had trouble with the long/drivers side having enough slack to clear the studs. I wound up dropping the crossmember. This allowed the diff to lower on short side, at an angle, which released the long side.

Hope this helps.

 

Pretty close to my experience, except I couldn't work up enough slack on either side. I ended up pulling the drivers side CV, which let me maneuver off the passenger side studs.

Mudhippy has me worried about the front crossmember though. I've got the new diff gasketed up and ready to install in the morning, I'm thinking it might be easiest if I put the diff in place first, then install the crossmember, then lower the diff into the slot? Or should I install the diff to the crossmember first and then raise the whole deal? Thoughts?

 

one at a time,diff first then crossmember. i dont understand why you guys dont like to remove the 4 bolts of the lower ball joint pull a bit to side and you have a lot of clearance to to drop your diff.

 

With the CVs still in place, of course. That would have worked well, where the hell were you yesterday???

 

If you removed the studs to put in bolts upon re-install, why not pound the studs out while it was still in there like I touched on earlier? Would have probably came out without even removing the front cross member.
And any time you undo a ball joint, you run the risk of knocking the alignment off, that's probably one reason why some people don't like unbolting them.

 

Well, the front crossmember was already off at that point. And there's no way those studs were coming off while under the truck - some of them came out easy, but I hadda get out a 4lb sledge and whale on a couple of 'em. Never would have had room to swing like that under the rig.

S'ok, they won't bother me again now, and I've learned several lessons in the meantime.