no matter how much i tried, no matter how many 1/2" drives i broke, i cant get these things off. my gun isnt that weak...hopefully. anyway, whats ur guys' tips on doing this?

krazy

 

jumping on the damn thing with a breaker bar. just make sure the car is really freakin steady.

 

more air, and a bigger gun. will always get it.

 

6ft long breaker bar and a BFH

 

Righty = Tighty
Lefty = Loosey

If your axle nuts are that hard to break loose then removing the axle(s) may be more of a nightmare, be prepared..

 

First, you have to make sure that you get it pounded round. When they are installed, they are hit with a hammer and bent onto the keyway or flat spot in the axle. I found that the best way to get that bent back is with a steel chisel and the aforementioned BFH. Then hit it with the impact. You would be surprised how whimpy some of those impacts are. The first one that I bought was the cheapy Campbell Hausfeld. The first time it failed me, I looked and found that it has only 250 lb/ft of force. I went out and bought one with 400 lb/ft and it has worked on everything, so far (knock on wood). If you have no air and impact (that sucks), an 18 inch breaker bar and BFH should do the trick. The two footer is better yet. Good luck!

 

if u dont have a air gun use a really long breaker bar. remove the wheels and hammer out the little notch with a chisel or something. put the wheels back on and if u have a center cap remove it. drop the car and put the tranny in gear. then use the breaker bar to loosen it. Let me know how it goes.

 

take out the little notch, at least 1/2 inch drive ratchet or breaker bar, socket made for axle nut, long strong pipe, and maybe a friend. figure out which way works better for you: pushing down with weight, pulling up, pushing from the side. make sure ur car is locked in place and doesnt roll off tho. just curse alot and go at it. when u get tired, take a break, curse some more, get a drink, and go at it even harder. me and my friend had to push together the first time to get it off. good luck

-alan

 

Make sure that you got the keyway punched out. Then while car is on the ground, put the socket wrench on with a large breaker bar and while someone is pushing down the brakes inside the car, jump down on the breaker bar. This way usually works, sometimes on certain cars it may take a little more force, just make sure youre pushing down the right way . then once you loosen the axle nut jack it up and go to work

 

hmmm. thanks guys for the help! im sure this will be done the right way next time around. i just freaken had to pull the axles from the block and leave em hangin on the hub this past weekend when doing my swap. luckily it was a b series block going out and a b series going in. murpheys law always comes into play when u are working on a car doesnt it?

for u guys!!!

 

I had to heat one of mine up with a torch and then give it the ole up-down.

 

what is a BFH??????

 

I broke my 1/2" breaker bar while standing on it with a large bar over it. I just took out the a arm and hub and axle together.hehe

 

I always use a 3/4" drive impact. That gets the axle nut off just like you or i can twist off the lid on a Pepsi...

Yes it's an expensive tool, but worth it if you need to use it often.

 

Yeah, 1/2 breaker bars tend to break easily, as seen here (we went through 3 Craftsman bars that day).


As for tightening the axle nut as much as possible, I recommend doing this (don't forget that is an essential part of the process as well):

 

+



And you'll be A-ok

 

Broke 3 craftsman breaker bars too. heres what I did, used a Bernzomatic OXYpropane torch to quickly heat the nut cherry red, imediately sprayed JP Blaster penitrating oil to cool and lube it. before hub got too hot Then jumped on the breaker, that got it loose after 2 days of trying. as soon as it got loose I dumped a bucket of water to cool the whole thing down. before seals got damaged.

 

BFH= big fugen hammer

thanks guys for more tips! those last pics are great, haha i have the same breaker, i have yet to break that though. looking forward to braking craftsman tools all the time...haha

krazy

 

Worked for me....

 

BFH didn't work for me and a 5 foot pipe is how I managed to break 3 craftsman breakerbars. Heat can be your friend used correctly.

 

i used a breaker bar with a long *** extension (about 4-5 ft) and with the help of my dad. the cheap *** breaker bar i was using didn't even break. that surprised the hell out of me.

and when you loosen the axle nut, it is best to have the car on the ground (if you have rims with a removeable center cap) and when you tighten the axle nut, have the brake assembly put back together while someone is standing on the brakes.
i didn't read the previous post with the pic of a star wrench. when i used a crowbar which i stuck in between the studs, to prevent the hub from spinning, it bent two studs and damaged the threads to one stud.

 

Right I should have added the on the ground part. I used one of the stock steel rims and tires with the centercap removed and even then with the emergency brake on the car would still move. I had to chock all the wheels with bricks to keep the car from moving. When I jumped on the 5foot pipe on the breakerbar and I weigh 212lbs the rear wheels would skid with the brake on. Nothing worked until I heated it up. some are just more stuck than others. And mine was real stuck. I was at the point of considering getting another knuckle & hub assy at a junkyard and tossing mine axel and all right before I got it loose.


[Modified by virginia_dude, 7:51 AM 8/1/2002]


[Modified by virginia_dude, 7:51 AM 8/1/2002]


[Modified by virginia_dude, 7:53 AM 8/1/2002]


[Modified by virginia_dude, 7:55 AM 8/1/2002]

 

lol. got it

 

try heating it up with a map gas(3min max) then that nut will come. Don't worry it won't damage the but will make it black. If you don't feel like useing the same nut go get a new one from honda ($6.65) But the why you can use regular propane but its' gonna take like 20-30min to get it hot enough.

 

You put heat on the axel for too long you will heat up the hub and seals and bearings. too much for too long is not a good thing. OXY-Propane or OXY-MAPP for those without access to OXY-Acetylene will put enough heat where it has too be quick enough to not cook the seals. Home depot sells the Bernzomatic OXY-Propane kits for $39.99. Dirt cheap and handy to have around.