Yes, I know, the topic has been covered. However, my search(s) havn't provided me with the exact information I require.

I managed to get the passnegers side out...not sure how, but it came out.

Unbolting everything was the easy part, and I even managed to pound out the studs with the axles still on, so the axles move around real easy.

Problem: I can't manage to get the flange on the axle, past the flange on the diff. I've tried compressing the suspention, but I'm always just a few millimeteres short of getting it out.

I've read about people dropping the lower a-arm, I tried...bad things ensued ( ie stuff falling apart, and dangling = bad). I couldn't figure a good way to compress the suspention, and drop the lower a-arm at the same time.

I really don't want to pull the steering knuckle. I'm trying to limit what I do, to what I would be able to do on the trail.

Anyone came to share their tips and tricks? I was thinking about clearancing the lower a-arm, but I'm not sure how much extra material their is there to grind away.

 

are you talking about removing the axle itself? f dropping the a-arm....just unbolt the 4 lower ball joint bolts, and swing the whole spindle off the axle. you will need a 35 OR 36mm socket to remove the nut, and a soft hammer or malet to bang the axle through. but once it is out, the whole spindle will spin out of the way. then you have a straight shot to remove/replace the cv. real easy. 30 minutes is all it takes this way.

 

I'm not so sure about everything on mine swinging apart the same way. Could be a difference between the 2nd and 3rd Gen's.

I know I'm not the only one that changes their CV axles, so come on, someone has to have some ideas.

 

I just did my cvs a little while ago. I also took out all the studs and could not get the shaft out. I found that instead of drooping the susp. I had to flatten it out by jacking the a arms up. I disconnected the sway bar, bottom shock connection, and lower bumb stops. I put the truck on stands, took off the wheel, then I put my floor jack directly under the lower ball joint nut at the outer end of the lca right behind the rotor. I jacked the arms up almost as far as they could go, until they were almost horizontal to the ground but not quite. The shaft should then be able to come out through the hole in the lower control arm. This will create space for cv flange to clear the diff flange by sliding under it. That's the only way I could get it out without disconnecting the steering knuckle. Hope this helps

 

if i am reading your first post correctly. (its been a long day and the brain just isnt fireing at full speed) you got the CV dis-connected at the diff side, but its binding on the lower a-arm trying to remove it from the spindle side? to get around this move the floor jack to under the lower ball joint. this should push the a-arm up enought. if not, the redneck way of doing it, is get the stock bottle jack and wedge it between the front side of the upper a-arm and the metal bracket for the uptravel bumpstop that attached to the frame. the jack has to be upside down to fit. so base of jack on the a-arm. this will cause the fram to move down / a-arm up and should make a big enough hole.... hope this helped. i've replaved 6 CVs since owning the truck over the last 2 years (bad luck wiht BJ spacers for some reason keep tareing boots) let me know if i can help.

 

Yep - have to jack the suspension UP as far as possible. I have even had to have a buddy sit on the truck to get a little more travel out of it than just the weight of the truck would do.

 

So, the spindle side isnt held in with anything? No pins, snap rings or anything?

 

it has a gold safter bolt/washer wiht a c-clip past that.

 

so if I take it out and it doesn't have that stuff, the PO was being lazy?

at least this damn thing was wedged in there so good there wasn't any hope of it coming out

 

Bottom out your suspension and turn your wheel. Did mine in under 45min this way.

 

apparently you didn't read why I bumped the thread LOL

the axle is out just wondering why there wasn't a nut/washer/clip on the hub side. if it helps I have an '89 pickup (22re) with manual hubs