Date:         Mon, 01 Jul 1996 13:34:18 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Chris Chubb <cchubb@ida.org>
Subject:      Breaking free rear axel nuts.

If you have not yet begun to fight the rear axel nuts, let
me give you my four cents worth. I am a scarred and tested
vetran of the axle-nut-wars.

Hint #1: DONT use a 'flex handle' or 'breaker bar' for these
applications. What you want is the 3/4 inch 'sliding T handle'
It is much beefier (TM) than the flex bar, and can handle
the stress. At Sears, it is even cheaper than the breaker bar.
It does not have a long handle, only like 18 inches, so you 
will need some pipe. I reccomend 10 feet of galvanized water pipe.

Hint #2: Before applying 2.456x10^34 foot pounds of torque, 
get in the car, but the emergency brake on, put it in gear,
and get someone to STAND on the brakes. If someone is not standing on
the brakes, then the e-brake can (and will) slip, transfering all
that force through the CVs to the diff. in the tranny. It will
stress the CV cages (I ruined one this way. It was fine before,
and whined and clunked the day after) It also puts 'micro-flats'
on the CV balls, causing premature wear.

Hint #3: To get the axel stub out of the center shaft, the best
hammer in the world in a 6 foot piece of 4x4. Hit it end on
with a slow swing, like a battering ram. We wailed on one with a 
4 lb sledge once, with a 2x4 buffer, and it did not come off. 
One tap with the 4x4 and it popped right out. Dont forget to take
the circlip off first (or it will be a long day)

Hint #4: If you are going in there to grease the wheel bearings,
there is a better way. You still have to remove the nut, and
the washer under it, and the seal, but not the axel stub. Use a
grease needle and pump new grease in behind the roller bearings
(or ball bearings if it is old) and it will flush 90% of the old
grease out the side. The hardest part is finding wheel bearing grease
in a pumpable tube. Get the salt-water resistant kind (for boat trailers)
if you can find it, it works just as well, costs 10% more, and 
will resist the road salt and most water intrusions that kill
bearings.

Good luck doing this, is can be quite fun!
-- Chris Chubb (cchubb@ida.org) - (703)-845-2287 [Alexandria, VA, USA]
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