I'm trying to change my transfer case front output shaft seal, and I've got the front drive shaft off but I'm stumped on how to remove the 30mm nut behind it. As you see in the pic, there's an 'indention' that's holding the nut to the shaft behind it. How on earth do I get this 30mm nut off? I have a 24" breaker bar, and it's doing nothing.

 

Alright...I've been trying a chisel behind it with no luck. The drill's next unless somebody stops me....

 

It is a STAKED nut...I always just beat the dent out w/ a punch or flat head screwdriver. You'll need a NEW staked nut afterwards as that one will be poop.

Don't booger your output shaft threads by being impatient or doing an impression of the incredible Hulk!

 

I'll pick up a punch later on tonight. Already broke a flathead screwdriver...

Thanks.

 

Also, you are going to need to make a contraption to keep that flange from turning when you use the breaker bar. Make sure you mark that flange (once the nut is removed) so when you pull it out of the case, you can match its position when it goes back in. I hope you did that with the drive shaft as well (could lead to balancing issues otherwise).

 

Alright...finally got it off. 5 feet of breaker bar/cheater pipe. Ended up buying a sharp punch at Lowes to get that stake out.

I stuck the xfer case in 4L to hold the flange. Probably not the best of ideas, but it ended up working in my favor. I failed to mark anything, so hopefully I don't have any problems related to that in the future.

Turns out that I have the incorrect seal from the dealer, so I'll have to pick up another one tomorrow. Wish me luck.

 

A dealer open on Sunday?

Remember, you'll need a new staked nut as they shouldn't be reused.

 

Ah, thanks for reminding me.

My dealer in CA was open till midnight 7 days a week, parts & service included (yes, you could get your oil changed at 11:30pm). I did a search out here, and every dealer within 3 hours is entirely closed on Sunday's. I can't believe you can't buy a car on Sunday!!!

Thanks for the tips, though!

 

Neil-

I don't think the dealer is closed, it's the parts department that's closed on Sundays in most places.

While Brian's advice is sound, it should be noted that I reuse those nuts all the time. Does that mean it's right? Absolutely not. I am just letting you know that I reuse them when I forget to pick one up. Never had a problem. Oh, and I had the same issue as you (leaky output shaft seal), and I also got the wrong seal from the dealer. Thankfully I was able to locate the correct seal at another dealer in town on a Saturday. :pat:

 

Just cause you got 10,000 posts don't mean you know anything yet! How many staked nuts do you reuse all the time? 1 a day? 1 a week? 1 a month? 1 a year?

It is staked on there for a reason and reusing a staked nut, while certainly you can do it, is not the best decision IMO.

If you have to buy the new seal, get a new staked nut.

Back to our regularly scheduled program.

 

I agree, it's not worth saving a couple of bucks on a new nut and having the old one come loose and wreck your new seal. And I may not have 10,000 posts but I've been wrenching longer than a lot of you

 

Guys-
I've trashed the old nut beyond re-use, so it'll be replaced with a new one tomorrow. If I used a punch to unstake it first, I probably could have salvaged it. Unfortunately, even the sales departments of all the local dealers are closed on Sunday's. Thats weird. Very weird.

Unless I can find an aftermarket part today, I'm putting this off until tomorrow.

 

I just did some googling...Michigan law prevents dealers from seling new cars, and new parts on Sunday's without a "Sunday Sales Permit". This law does not apply to motorcycles, or used parts..


WTF?!

 

Not weird I don't think. You come south and I think you would be hard pressed to find any dealership of any make open on Sunday period. Parts dept closes at 3 p.m. here on Saturday.

Good luck.

 

I have never replaced the stake nut, done properly you won't have any problems. I use a custom ground punch that unstakes without much deformation.

 

5 feet of breaker bar? Christ man... sounds like fun!

You gonna invest in a compressor and impact wrench anytime soon?

 

Ditto.....technically you are supposed to, but when I worked as a mechanic we rarely ever did unless the nut was mangled (from unstaking) or the threads were damaged. Most of the time when you retorque, the nut falls on a new area on the nut (ie a part of the crown which has never been staked before) so it can be staked just as well as a new nut.

 

Roger that. That's what I was saying, then Brian came after me. j/k

As for the impact gun, well I tried to use one on this same nut on my 96 and the sucker would not come loose. So, I used my trusty breaker bar; the long handle to my floor jack. That thing has saved me so many times but it's pretty akward.

Jamie, what do you think about putting the x-fer case in 4LO in order to get this nut loose? Should be ok right? (For future reference)

 

I'm curious about this, too. The FSM says to use a SST which just looks like a bar with holes for two of the four bolts. I couldn't imagine holding the SST _and_ a breaker bar.

 

My home made SST attached to one of the 4 threaded bolts, then to an "open" hole on the x-fer case itself (via a spare bolt I had). But like I said, as I torqued the nut with my breaker bar, the SST started to bend. Thankfully it held and the nut came loose (and allowed me to tighten it back up).

I don't see how human muscle, even with leverage, could damage the internals of the case (in 4LO), but you never know. Let's see what seasoned mechanics have to say about it...