Impasse: removing front pumpkin???

Gypsy62 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 14, 2016 8:02 pm

I've got her pretty much ripped apart but still can't remove the front diff pumpkin.
So, a few questions:]
Is it preferable to disconnect the front axle at the diff by removing the 6 8mm bolts, or sliding the axle-spline out of the diff?
I've got the left-front 1/2 shaft's spline freed from the diff, but can't create enough swing to free the right-side 1/2shaft's long-ass tube. Even if I remove the right half-shaft at the hub and then remove it, I'm still not seeing how the geometry will permit me to remove the diff's pumpkin. Does that main crossmember located beneath and behind the front diff have to be dropped?
Isn't that supporting the motor mounts?
Argh.

Many Thanks!

flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 14, 2016 8:59 pm

The front driveshaft will have to be removed.
Both CV axles will have to be removed.
The diff and intermediate shaft will remain as a single piece.

You shouldnt have to drop the cradle. Because yes, its holding up the engine.

Thats all Ive got. You may want to ask this in the KJ 4x4 section.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 14, 2016 9:41 pm

This might help
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=31952

Gypsy62 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 14, 2016 10:23 pm

Thanks for replies and link, but I'm still hazy:
A. I was able to slide-out the spline on the LEFT half-shaft with the hub still attached. I HATE pulling halfs out of hubs; too many nightmares on too many subarus... and I don't have air, a torch, or my 3/4" sockets with me.
B. I've accepted that I'll have to remove the hub-nut for the right-side half-shaft removal. Hopefully it won't be welded in there.
C. DISCONNECTING THE FRONT DRIVE-SHAFT FROM THE DIFF:
I've removed the (6) 8mm bolts with their "1/4 moon clips", but I'm having a bear of a time getting the shaft to separate! I tried a pickle-fork with light rotational sledge-tapping but got zee-ro results. Obviously, I'm not going to pound on my drive-shaft ( and shouldn't have to).
Could somebody who has pulled their front shaft please chime in?

Once the three shafts are eventually separated from the diff, should it slide-out BACKWARDS or forwards??? Forward appears obstructed by the small fluid-cooler for the PS rack, backwards is the tight circular axle yolk. What am I missing???

Thanks!

(Funny line from the link above: "disconnect every nut and bolt in sight, and then it should fall right out...")

flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 14, 2016 11:14 pm

Not a lot of wiggle room with the front driveshaft. You have to unbolt both ends to remove it.

When dropping the diff, you unbolt the mounts from the frame. It should drop straight down. Mounts get removed once its on the ground.

Gypsy62 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 14, 2016 11:41 pm

Thanks, Flash.
Knowing that the front drive-shaft has to be disconnected at BOTH ends for diff removal is huge!
I'll take that into battle manyana.

Gypsy62 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 15, 2016 4:20 pm

LOL!!!
I gripped my chain wrench n piece o' tbelt over the front axle, loosened its' rear 6 8mm bolts, fully removed only two, and "THWAP", the front diff falls out! TOO f'n funny! Onto two moving blankets laying on Mexican dirt, one painless foot of drop.
Glad I slid-in from the side and not the front or I mighta' auto-reversed my vasectomy.

Moral of the story:
A. Did NOT have to remove either axle at hub-nut (what size are the axle nuts? Metric 36mm-ish, SAE, 1 3/8"ish?
B. Right-side hub/half-shaft assembly completely detached EXCEPT for steering tie-rod and ABS sensor (careful!).
C. LEFT-side same, but comparatively doesn't need to be swung-out very far to free the half-shaft's inner-spline from the diff.

Now to complete the swap with the gasser's front ARB. I hope the installation procedure is identical to the removal, without too many "special" moments.
Taking pics of each step, post later.

THANKS, FLASH!!!

Gypsy62 · **Posted:** Fri Nov 18, 2016 10:59 pm

No way was this going to be easy.

The gasser's lower-arm mounting (and alignment) bolts are seized by Nor'Easter rust*. Seriously; SEIZED. Three days of spraying, sledging, and using straps to horizontally-rig a Beijing 20-ton press to coax the bolts loose = Nada. (Pics upon job-completion).
Took jeep to a trusted shop today to torch it and use the big-dog air tools... NADA! And they had $50 US in it for them; for extracting 4 f'n bolts, that's a small Baja fortune. I gave 'em a box of doughnuts and a heartfelt handshake for trying. I won't get political, but let's just say I spend a LOT of time apologizing down here. Mexicans are 99.99% friendly, insanely hard-working, proud, generous and fun folks. They are our NEIGHBORS, okay?

Back under the jeep, I haven't quite prepared a concession speech. Mostly because I've already swapped the gasser's rear ARB and lift gear to the CRD, and the stock CRD gear to gasser. As described above, I've also already dropped the CRD's front-end. That means 5/8ths of the F/R ARB-swap has been completed; turning back now is an abslute last resort.

I want a CRD with a lift and lockers, dammit, and I'm not yet ready to accept defeat.

So, I'm scooping replacement bolts at a "yonke" (auto parts recycler :SOMBRERO:

) and then I'm going to grind-off the old bolt heads and/or sawzall as necessary to drop the lower arm.
The upper arms are JBA's and I'm 'hopeful' they will not pose the same removal nightmare. Conversely, the CRD's front-drop was basically procedural...
Dammit, I wanna' get back to putting my VM back together!!!

I'm not sure if any advice can follow oxy-acetylene (etc) failure, but I'm all ears.

*overall, this Vermont gasser doesn't appear particularly cancerous... but these bolts!!!

Impasse: removing front pumpkin???

Who is online