Removing diff & hub shafts

[Bits]

Hi All,

I am considering replacing my diff output shafts and hub shafts while the body is off the car.
The book makes it sound easy, says to "remove the clips and slide the shafts out".

How easy is it to do this as I have removed one of the clips and knocked the shaft with a rubber hammer to no avail.

Regards,

Mark.

[seniorchristo]

I use a slide puller and sometimes it requires heating the case around the axle bearing.

[snowyelan]

I used a slide hammer for this. It shouldn't take a lot of force if it is applied along the shafts axis. There was loctite on my bearings OD so I also used a propane torch to gently warm the casing.
The bearing bore should be cleaned before attempting to get them separated. Any bit of grit will cause friction and scoring.

Edit: Seniorchristo beat me to it, same approach though.

[alanr]

I recently changed my ouput shaft bearings and seals with the body on and diff in situ and it not a nice job to do whilst lying on your back!
I made up a small sliding hammer, see below, and warmed the diff casing up for a few minutes with a hot air gun and the shaft then came out quite easily. You will also need to warm the casing up when you refit the shaft.
I note you have the rotoflex flexi safety pins sticking out of your output shafts which I didn't have so you may have to either cut them off or make up an alternative version of the sliding hammer.

Alan.

[Bits]

Thanks all above for your comments.

I will not be using roto bushes in the final drive.
So the safety lugs can be removed to be able to use a slide hammer.
Just need a slide hammer and fixing plate now.

[512BB]

Btw Mark, you have the cup washer on the torque rod facing the wrong way round.

Happy new year.

Leslie

[RichardHawkins]

Mark,

My diff (like most things on my Elan) was heavily corroded, your photo looks nice and clean, and I think it should come apart as described by others, I needed a new casing. I could not get the circlips out without damage to the grooves. On reassembly I used stainless circlips, hoping for an improvement. When reassembling the bearings into the casing, you may need to use force, and this should be applied to the outer ring of the bearing. I used a piece of pipe of the correct diameter with three notches cut into it to straddle the three arms of the output shafts, to help keep the bearing square to the bore in the casing.

Hope this helps,

Richard Hawkins

[Bits]

Thanks 512, I will sort them when I get over to my dad's again.

[ericbushby]

Good evening Richard,
There is a possibility that by using stainless clips you have improved it worse!
As I understand it stainless steel and aluminium are a long way apart on the galvanic scale and in the presence of moisture they can start a fight and cause corrosion to one or both of them.
It may be worth checking this out.
Just a thought.
Eric in Lanzarote
1967 S3SE DHC

[Bits]

Hi,
I will not be using SS circlips.
Copper slip or grease will do me.

Regards,

Mark.

[alanr]

I used ordinary circlips which I think are fine, a bit of a soak with something before removal and all will be good.
The problem is these circlips are very strong and you need long and strong circlip pliers to get them out and back in. I think not using substantial circlip pliers and then not squeezing the circlip hard enough is when the groove gets damaged.

Alan.

[Craven]

Using a suitable punch tap to rotate the circlips in the grove to free it before attempting to remove.

[RichardHawkins]

Eric,

Thanks for the warning.

Richard Hawkins

[Elan45]

You shouldn't have to cut the safety pins off your shafts, you can just use longer bolts and 3 spacer tubes and your slide hammer adapter can be flat.

Roger

[Bits]

Looks like, with the safety rod, that they will be the later stronger metal shafts. So I will keep them.