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Remove Front Differential Side Shaft (passenger) on vehicle?


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Hello all!

 

I am in the middle of a front end refresh (CV axles, repack bearings/replace seals, rotors, pads, TRE, ball joints, sway bar bushings) and have hit a snag:

 

When I peeled off my passenger side CV axle, I saw what I believe to be some nasty gear oil leaking out of the flange of the differential side shaft. I have a couple of questions regarding this discovery:

- how could gear oil make it to the flange of the side shaft (where the CV axle mates) as the seals are inboard on the extension tube (this is the side opposite the pumpkin)?

-is this just CV axle grease that has leaked out of the blown CV axle? smells a bit like gear oil however... but that could have been my gloves, that smell sticks around forever. The bottom of the extension tube doesn't appear to have a leak, just tons of old grease from the blown CV boots.

-if I want to replace the grease and oil seals in the extension tube, can I remove the whole side shaft assembly from the extension tube by removing the four bolts on the extension tube retainer and pulling the shaft out, no need to mess with the internals of the diff. I don't see a retaining clip in there on the FSM diagram like is common on rear differentials to keep the shaft in place.

 

The FSM for the R200A front axle (what I believe to have, 94 SE 4x4, MT, HG43 axle code in door jamb) has a single frame of a diagram showing a hammer tapping the side shaft assembly but is short on instructions. Attached is a frame of the manual showing the assembly I'm talking about. Thanks in advance.

 

siggy

 

 

differential.JPG

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Hello all!
 
I am in the middle of a front end refresh (CV axles, repack bearings/replace seals, rotors, pads, TRE, ball joints, sway bar bushings) and have hit a snag:
 
When I peeled off my passenger side CV axle, I saw what I believe to be some nasty gear oil leaking out of the flange of the differential side shaft. I have a couple of questions regarding this discovery:
- how could gear oil make it to the flange of the side shaft (where the CV axle mates) as the seals are inboard on the extension tube (this is the side opposite the pumpkin)?
-is this just CV axle grease that has leaked out of the blown CV axle? smells a bit like gear oil however... but that could have been my gloves, that smell sticks around forever. The bottom of the extension tube doesn't appear to have a leak, just tons of old grease from the blown CV boots.
-if I want to replace the grease and oil seals in the extension tube, can I remove the whole side shaft assembly from the extension tube by removing the four bolts on the extension tube retainer and pulling the shaft out, no need to mess with the internals of the diff. I don't see a retaining clip in there on the FSM diagram like is common on rear differentials to keep the shaft in place.
 
The FSM for the R200A front axle (what I believe to have, 94 SE 4x4, MT, HG43 axle code in door jamb) has a single frame of a diagram showing a hammer tapping the side shaft assembly but is short on instructions. Attached is a frame of the manual showing the assembly I'm talking about. Thanks in advance.
 
siggy
 
 
differential.thumb.JPG.456d29eaaa806b4d3765e100c0228809.JPG
Looks like is going to be like a ford 9 inch. The bearing presses on the axle shaft and the entire assembly is held in by the 4 bolt retainer plate. Remove the 4 bolts, I'd use a chisel to get between the mating surfaces to loosen it first. Then a couple of love taps with a ball peen and it should be free. That's the way I used to do it anyway on the old ford 9's.

Sent from my LG-H700 using Tapatalk

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I'm in a similar situation with an identical leak, which I'm certain is also gear oil.  You are correct that the seal is inboard, but when the diff is filled, the level should be right about at the bottom of the seal, perhaps higher.  So, leaking isn't out of the question.

 

I freshened my diff up a few years ago so I'm disappointed to see the leak, and haven't been looking forward to addressing it.  I recall when I first took mine apart that there was what looked to be some additional liquid seal applied around the bearing flange/retainer; I had cleaned that off and not replaced it since it wasn't called for in the FSM...but in hindsight, it was probably there for this reason.  I may put some RTV in and be done with it.

 

You can remove the side shaft assembly only by undoing those 4 bolts and then tapping it out.  There's no clip.  Replacing the grease seal requires pulling the bearing, which is pressed on.  The bearing is also sealed.  Changing the inner seal requires pulling the carrier out, of course.  The driver's side seal is accessible by removing the center bolt and pulling the flange, which is just seated in the side gear.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

I'm seeing some 2-3 mm axial play on the passenger side output shaft. No radial play though. Would this be remedied by just tightening the one bolt that sticks the CV flange on? 

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56 minutes ago, NThornstrong said:

I'm seeing some 2-3 mm axial play on the passenger side output shaft. No radial play though. Would this be remedied by just tightening the one bolt that sticks the CV flange on? 

 

I presume you're talking about the one bolt on the driver's side?  If so, no; that's only for the driver's shaft.

There are 4 bolts/nuts that hold the passenger shaft in, and if those are tight, probably need to pull the shaft and inspect the bearing.  Shouldn't be that much play.

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On 7/13/2020 at 10:22 PM, NThornstrong said:

Yes, it's just the drivers side, do I need to pull it or is there any adjustment? 


Driver’s side (you said passenger earlier).  There’s no adjustment, but you can try tightening that bolt in the center of the flange. Torque spec is something like 30-35 ft-lbs I believe.  May want to check if there’s still an o-ring on the bolt under the washer. 

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