1983 240d 300k.

The Drivers side came out no problem. The the passenger side doesn't seem to mover much. I've hit the axel with a baby sledge after putting a a pipe in the hub and nothing. I feel like cutting the axel with a torch and banging it out.

Could the splines been rusted to the hub?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

pete

It's an after market axle and it has allen bolts near the differential. I took those off and dropped the axle but it's still stuck in the hub. Just hit it with pb blaster again. Going to pound on it more with a baby sledge. PITA.

Look at pics.

pete

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Ok, I got it out. I hit with acetylene and my torbo torch. Then pounded with a 17mm impact inside the hub and a 19mm held with vice grips and hit with baby sledge.

No replied on this message but I wanted you guys to know how to get it out if this happens to you. I guess cheap chinese axel and wasn't greased before installing.

pete

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Thanks for following up. That looked hellish.

__________________
79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

I have had them stick like that, but probably not that badly. pb blaster and a sledge is the ticket, then grease before reinstall.

__________________
1985 300 TD 448K
1984 300 TD 278K

1983 240D euro 240k
1994 f-250 idi turbo 330K
1986 f-350 IDI
1987 F-350 IDI

1985 JD 1050 4wd
1965 IH 3660

I was hitting it with a 12 lb sledgehammer and it was barely moving. That's when I decided to add Heat.

I reinstalled with Anti-Seize and grease.

Oh boy........

As a shop owner, you do realize that they actually make pullers that bolt onto the hub that you can rent at autozone/oreilly to remove axle shafts stuck in a hub?

And you also realize that with all of that heat on your trailing arm/hub you basically used a sledge hammer to kill a mosquito on a glass dining room table.

Under NO circumstance should anyone remove an axle like you did. You most likely TOTALLY trashed your wheel bearing and wheel bearing seals with all of that heat and are going to be in for a much more expensive job to re-do that rear wheel bearing, although if you need it done and don't want to invest the tools to do it, PM me and you can mail yours in for repair if it's needed.

upod,

Thanks for your reply and concerns.

I should have stated I attempted to use a wheel puller but that was completely useless even after tightening it to almost stripping the thread and hitting all around the axel with a hammer. I have used the wheel puller successfully remover tie rod end with hitting the tie rods while under load.

Using the sledge hammer was the only thing that moved it a few millimeters. The wheel puller pressure on the axel was nothing compared to the sledge hammer.

I would have needed this type of wheel puller to get that axel out without heat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW4aqQCNoBU

I hear you on the potential damage to the seals and the bearing but they seemed unharmed when I inspected the hub after the axel was removed.

I drove 50+ miles today without any noise coming from the wheel. I jacked the car up and spun both wheels and they seem to sound and spin the same.

If that becomes a problem in the future, I'll deal with that then. I think the safest way to remove the axel would have been to remove the driveshaft, differential, springs and rear trailing arm and then bring it to a shop to have the axel pressed out with a hydraulic press. Unfortunately that wasn't an option I was willing to choose.

My way seems to have worked perfectly.

Thanks again for your feedback. I will keep an eye on the hub for any noise/issues.

pete