Removing axles from 91 Corolla Auto

[davekmdmd]

Folks, I'm trying to put new outter CV boots on the axles of my 91 automatic . I've freed the outter axles from the wheel hubs but I can't get the axles pulled from the tranny, either one. For the passenger side I've tried several crow bars and even tried wedging some tappered blocks of wood, pounding them between the tranny case and inner CV hub. No deal. I can get the axle/hub to move back and forth in the tranny housing perhaps 1/8", but that's it. (I have drained the tranny). I gave up on that and tried the drivers side. The drivers side axle sits in a flange bolted to the tranny. I first tried prying the axle but got essentially nothing. I've got two crow bars, one is 24" long, the other is perhaps 16". Nothing is working. Then I thought perhaps I needed to removed the flange, so I tried that. I removed the two 12mm bolts holding a cover over the inner CV joint and then removed the 5- 12mm bolts holding the flange to the tranny. I was able to move the flange out about 1/2" but then it hit a strap holding a stamped cover in place. I removed the strap (2 - 12mm bolts) and got a little more clearance but the flange will not get past that stamped steel cover. I tapped the cover back in place and gave up to post a question here.

I'm stuck. I'm not sure how to proceed. Has anyone that has done this job before on a 91? Why are these axles SO difficult to remove?

Thanks in advance, Dave K.

[Tercel GTS]

The hub end is completly out of the hub?

[davekmdmd]

yes, the hub end is out of the hub. I'm trying to free the 'tranny' end of the axle (the inner cr joint) from the tranny, both sides. The passenger side does not pry out. I've used a huge crow bar and the inner cv joint will not budge from the tranny. On the drivers side I can't make heads or tails on how that inner CV joint get removed from the tranny. As I indicated in my initial post I thought the whole flange, which the inner CV joint fits down into, would unbolt and come free, it does not.

[Tercel GTS]

I asked as some people saying it's free only means the nut is off. You may try lining the shaft up and drive it into the transmission a few strikes then attempt to pry out again if you haven't tried that as of yet. All it consists of is a splined shaft with a spring clip. Sometimes the spring clip will be too loose and bind instead of contracting. After this aggrivation I'd suggest replacing the whole axle or better yet carry it to a local rebuilder in your area.

[davekmdmd]

I didn't think there was much to it, but geez why would BOTH axles be problematic? I've tried pushing them in and prying them back out to no avail. Does the driver's side short axle just get pried out too?

I'm really stuck. I've used a huge honking crow bar. How to I get the axle given that the snap ring/circlip could be hanging up? I"m frustrated beyond belief. I've only had to pull axles from two cars, a honda and this (*&^% car. Both times the axle bound in the tranny due to the clip. I might be a bit more understanding but why the design flaw with axles if this turns out to be fair common? On the Honda I had to seperate the axle and leave the inner hub jammed in the tranny, but the cv joint and boot was different and it wasn't that hard. For this car, it's much more cramped.

Any ideas how to pull the axles if BOTH are binding on the clip? Thanks.

[toyomoho]

Can you move the inner axle in and out of the differential a little bit? An indication the axle is free, but just held in by the spring clip.

The spring clip can do a very good job at keeping the axle in place!!! Some axles have a slot on the side of inner CV joint body where a bar can be applied. Even then, it can be a job to pop the axle out of the differential. If you pull on the complete axle, you may just pull the inner CV joint apart with no success.

Make sure nothing besides the spring clip is holding the axle in. Then go to work at attempting to apply a rapid popping force (for use of a better word). A rapid jerk or impact to pop the axle free. Just pulling at the axle does not seem to do much. You might also try rotating the axle a little each time you try. This may give the clip a chance to position itself with the slot on the clip at the bottom of the axle shaft.

Once out, reinstalling the new axle can also is challenging. Make sure the spring clip slot is faced down when installing. Again, it requires sharp, firm shove to install.

The Camry forum had a few threads on this problem.

[tashirosgt]

I've found it easiest to pound out the passenger's side half axle and pry out the driver's side one.
http://www.corolland.com/forums/inde...opic=19128&hl=
What do you use for a fulcrum for the crowbars?
Are you turning the axle between attempts to get it out?

[davekmdmd]

The driver's side axle sits way down IN a flange that is bolted to the tranny. The only part available for prying is a groove at the outter edge of the tulip. There isn't much there to catch. Were you able to pry using that outter edge?

I will however try to fast pop rather than pry. I'll also get a pry bar as indicated instead my crow bar. I didn't try rotating the tulip but will. Failing that I'll disassemble the darmed joints at the tulips to pull the *&^% axles. I'm just trying to replace the outter boots. The inners are fine. I'm hoping I can find the boot clamps for the inners in lieu of buying entire kits. The outter kits, of course come with boot clamps.

As for pounding out the passenger side, how did you do that? Did you go in from the drivers side with a drift an knock the passenger side out?

[tashirosgt]

Of course the very outermost edge of the tulip is under the boot, but before that is a slightly raised ridge that I used. (One wishes it were taller.) It is an interesting question why this ridge seems to have notches cut in it instead of being uniform. I wonder if it is to balance the joint.

[davekmdmd]

Folks, thank you one and all. The axles got pulled this morning and I changed out the outter CV boots. Your suggestin that the axles need to "pop" out was absolutely correct. Here's what I did ...

For the driver's side I took the short crow bar I was using (probably 18" in length) and modified it with my inexpensive bench grinder. I ground down the tapered wedge, so rather than having say a 25 degree angle the angle was much shallower. (Actually I tried to remove most of the taper). Next I ground the edge that contacts the tulip to have a slightly circular arc in it. So when I put the tool up to the rounded tulip it fit nicely against it. So the tool engaged MORE of the pry ridge of the driver's side tulip and since the face was mostly flat, the taper didn't tend get wedged OUT and off the edge of the tulip. (If I can figure out how to post a pic of my modified tool I will).

Anyway I took the tool and then placed a 3/8" drive 15 or 16mm socket on the tranny case near where the edge of the modified crow bar face was hitting the tulip. This placed the fulcum point VERY near the to where the edge of the crow bar face was. All I did was hit the end of the crow bar with a light 16oz. hammer (someone had borrowed my 3 lb hammer) and bam, one hit, and the axle POPPED out. Damn.... That's all it took. The 'secret' as you all said was a quick popping hit, not to try to pressure the axle out. One slightly off center hit, rather weak, and the axle popped. No one was more surprised than me.

Next came the passenger side. There was a cross bar in the tranny, presumably holding the spider gears in place so I didn't see an easy way to put something in there and pound the passenger side axle side out. So here's what I did. I wedged my crow bar up betweem the passenger tulip and tranny housing on what I'll call the front of the axle center line. Think about it for a minute. The axle is at the back of the tranny, the center line of the axle can create a plane. There's a front and rear. Looking from the top (or bottom) my crow bar front edge was at the front of the plane (closer to the front of the car). The passenger side tulip is tappered, so I made sure that back of the crow bar met the taper at an angle. So rather than trying to wedge directly to the side of the car (the hub), I wedged at an angle, I'm guessing 30 degrees. It's easy to see and visualize if you see the passenger side tulip and see the tapper. So you are pulling slightly to the back of the car and mostly to the side.

So rather than this ...


------------------------------> trying to wedge toward the hub


It's more like this (This is the Front of the car).

-----
--------
-----------
------------->


You are wedging to the outside but slightly to the back of the car.



All I did is have my crow bar up in place with it's 'back' on the taper of the tulip. I made sure the flat side of my crow bar was flat against the tulip. Then I lightly held the crow bar in place and rocked my body and shoulder, kinda of pumping so that when I straightened out my arm from the pull, all my weight going slightly backwards would pop against the tulip. Once again, it popped first time. The trick was getting the crow bar flat against the tulip and rocking in a 1-2-3 motion so that when I powered slightly backwards my full weight was pulling as my arm extended.

The outter portion of the CV joints were NOT press fit as I thought. My axles were two piece; a stubbing outter piece that fit into the hub and the long bar that fit into the tranny. It was held in place by a snap ring. I tried using my snap ring extender pliers that did force the snap ring out far enough. So all I did was just a pair of short needle nose pliers and force the snap ring apart. I did this by myself. One hand forced the ring apart (spread the snap ring) and I tugger slightly on the outter CV hub. It came right off. (I did have the axle sitting on a block of wood so that the outter hub portion was off the ground).

After that it was a breeze. I cleaned up all the old grease with shop paper towels. The old torn boots got pulled off. I cleaned everything up and forced new grease in the CV bearing/tulip. I was to relieved to have gotten so far so fast today that I took a break and went to Auto Zone and purchased a CV band crimper. (neither Sears nor Pep Boys ad the tool). The outter CV boots that I got from NAPA needed to be crimped. Rather than hosing up the job, I spung for the $10 for the tool. The crimp looks like this ...

Before crimp:
-------------------------
| |
| |
--------------- ---------------------


After crimp

-----------------------
| |
----------| |----------
------------------------ ---------------------------

The tool creates a "T" shape. It compresses the band IN towards each other. Best $10 I ever spent.

Anyway the job is done, many thanks to you all for your assistance.

[LatestObsession]

The quick pop is what was needed as you stated. Autozone has a tool for rent (actual 2 tools) that is for removal of the drive axles. What you get is a slide hammer type puller and an attachment that screws onto the end of the slide hammer that looks like the letter "C". The "C" slides up behind the axle where it goes into the transaxle and a quick pop or 2 with the slide hammer and the axle comes out. You either need someone to support the outer of the axle so it is rather straight or put the outer of the axle on a wood block or something. All tools at Autozone are freee to rent (charge your credit card and the refund to credit card on return) The tool saves on having to grind on your crow bar and other improvisations.

Tony

[tashirosgt]

Are you talking about a tool like this:
http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/kdt3164.html
?
Would that work on the half axles of 1990's Corollas ? Can you really get it on the back of the tulip joint?

[91boz]

Just did the driver side axle AE92. I pried it out from the top after removing the air cleaner assembly. The tullip end of the axle has a small lip that you can with a long pry bar pry using the top of the transaxle for leverage.

[retiredat44]

Make sure you install new flange seal gaskets... I wonder how many people damage the new gaskets? be careful when putting the axles back in,,, you need to not mar or mark them up when tapping them back in,, and keep the axle straight, so they don't get torn.. or marred...

a huge pain inbthe ass if they leak after all that work was done..

[edwin]

1990 corolla
I pulled my cv axle (both) and replaced them with rebuilt ones, I had to return two drivers side (shorter) axles as they were both problematic and finally the third one worked, kinda of make me wonder what sort of a job they do at the rebuild shop.

Everything worked out fine, drove the car for about 50 miles, now both axle have excessive play in the inner cv axles both sides, and clunking noises. I wonder if I damaged the transmission end of the spline. Has any one experienced this or replaced the gears on the transmission end.

Need big time help.

Thanks