is the axle removed from the trans (free and clear ) from the housing ? spray the hub end with wd -40 or pb blaster , i use a center punch and a 24oz dead blow hammer and drive it thru the hub at this point , i do think you need to separate the ball joint as you may not have enough room to clear the trans , i just cannot remember it has been awhile since i have done one

 

is the axle removed from the trans (free and clear ) from the housing?

Yep. I guess I'll gently drive a stubby into the Ball Joint slot and see if I can get it to come free. I hate this salt they use on these Calgary roads. It just melts steel. :3:

 

i did not think it would come out with the ball joint in place, spray it and smack it , good luck

 

After two hours of work on this ball joint with one of those forked Ball Joint tools I finally got the thing out. It was much more work then either the Subaru Shop Manual or the Haynes Manual said it would be. Again, we have an incredible amount of salt added to the roads here and this Subie has been in this town most of it's ten years but I'm still not sure how the thing could have been so rusted. It wasn't rusted in a couple of areas it was completely encased in rust. Needless to say the new one will get a liberal coating of anti-cease on it's way in. And to add insult to injury the Ball Joint appears to have nothing in common with the Axle as it will still not come out. More Liquid Wrench I guess.
This wasn't even my intended repair. All I needed to do was pull the Axle to replace a torn CV Boot. Now I'm replacing the Ball Joint, boots and Axel assuming I can get it out.

 

It wasn't rusted in a couple of areas it was completely encased in rust.

If you hammer a stubby into the slot, I think it should open up, rust be damned. Like this (but not much rust on mine, sorry):

You also have to remove the stabilizer endlink bolt. The left bolthole in the pic below. Then you can push the control arm down and out of the way so you can pull the hub out. It sounds like you already got enough clearance to pull the axle from one end. But you probably need more clearance to install the new/repaired axle without tearing a boot.

If the axle is stuck, attach an axle puller to the hub and press it out. Like this:

Hammering on the axle can damage your wheel bearing, which is a real pain to replace.

BTW those pics are from my DIY axle replacement thread:

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21119

There are a bunch of other tips in that thread, if you are still working on this job.

Also: if you loosened your strut bolts, you need to have your camber checked and realigned.

:7:
-Jeff

 

If you hammer a stubby into the slot, I think it should open up, rust be damned. Like this (but not much rust on mine, sorry):



If the axle is stuck, attach an axle puller to the hub and press it out. Like this:

:7:
-Jeff

I used the little harbor-freight tool to pop the ball-joint out of the control arm- worked great.

Subaru says (no idea if true) using an axle press that has only 3 connections to the hub will distort the hub- the subaru tool has a metal disk that attaches to all 5 studs.


Dave

 

I used the little harbor-freight tool to pop the ball-joint out of the control arm- worked great.

Yeah, that tool was also my backup plan if the balljoint didn't drop from the hub. My only concern was that it might tear the balljoint boot when removing it from the control arm. So I tried the hub first. Worked fine for me. California car. Spoiled.

Subaru says (no idea if true) using an axle press that has only 3 connections to the hub will distort the hub- the subaru tool has a metal disk that attaches to all 5 studs.

That makes sense, if the axle is super stuck in the hub and the tool can apply enough force.

But...where can we find a cheap version of that 5-stud puller?

Given a choice between whacking the axle with a hammer, or pulling it with the 3-stud universal puller from autozone, I would still try the puller first. If you are seriously torquing the bolt without moving the axle, give up and take it to a mechanic who has better tools.

Actually this is a case where the cheap tool might be best. I'm not 100% sure...but I think the free autozone puller is made of aluminum, which should strip or stretch long before the cast-iron rotor or hub deforms.

:7:
-Jeff

 

My trick for separating the ball joint from the knuckle is to leave the ball joint connecting to the lower control arm and then pound with a hammer down on the control arm. The ball joint generally comes out pretty fast. To make pounding more directed I have a solid piece of steel that I place one end on the control arm, then whack the other end with a hammer. I think even a rusted ball joint would not last too long....assuming the bolt is removed from the knuckle.

I had a stuck CV one time that even a 5 ton puller could not push out. Propane torch was not doing much. I ended up letting it soak in liquid wrench for a couple of days, then the puller was able to push it out. You don't really want to hammer on the CV as its easy for it to start flattening which messes up the threads.

 

When i changed my axles it took a massive craftsman gear puller and an industrial impact wrench to free it from the hub on the driver's side. Pretty much wiped the puller by sears replaced it free. Passenger side came off with little or no fanfare. Go figure.

 

It might have been running hot on that side. Sticky caliper or bad bearing come to mind.

 

Yeah, that tool was also my backup plan if the balljoint didn't drop from the hub. My only concern was that it might tear the balljoint boot when removing it from the control arm. So I tried the hub first. Worked fine for me. California car. Spoiled.

That makes sense, if the axle is super stuck in the hub and the tool can apply enough force.

But...where can we find a cheap version of that 5-stud puller?

Given a choice between whacking the axle with a hammer, or pulling it with the 3-stud universal puller from autozone, I would still try the puller first. If you are seriously torquing the bolt without moving the axle, give up and take it to a mechanic who has better tools.

Actually this is a case where the cheap tool might be best. I'm not 100% sure...but I think the free autozone puller is made of aluminum, which should strip or stretch long before the cast-iron rotor or hub deforms.

:7:
-Jeff

I'm thinking of making an adapter for a good 3-arm that will bolt through all 5, now that I'm caring for 8 subaru wheel-bearings and axles.

The puller I was referring to for the ball joint doesn't get near the boot:

I was afraid it wouldn't be up to the task, but it worked a treat.


Dave

 

Just to add, as I am dealing with this now on my 2003 OB...
Passanger side was a piece of cake to replace the axle.
Drivers side axle is totally stuck in whatever part 28313A below is called (steering knuckle, axle housing?). This pattern seems to be fairly common for some reason.
I tried the above axle puller, soaking in pb blaster for days now, took to a mechanic who is known for getting stuck axles out and he couldn't do it with a 20 ton press or an air hammer, and he also soaked with wd-40 for a couple more hours before trying. I called Subaru and the guy there said they have a special tool to get it out. I highly doubt it but I'm going to let them try tomorrow. This is frustrating to say the least. What should have been a 1.5 hour axle change has turned into 8+ hours (and counting) of dealing with this going on day 4, all for a torn CV boot. Just putting it out here because it seems the drivers side axle is no stranger to being quite stuck. Best to be prepared to at least take it to shop with a press... and hope that works.

 

Call me crazy but I put a piece of 2X4 against the end of the axle and gave it a solid thump with a large sledge hammer and the stuck axle came loose super easy. That old saying nothing a big hammer can't solve? There is some truth to that.

 

So... the dealer couldn't get the axle out of the knuckle either. They sure gave it a good try though. Luckily they had a knuckle in stock and gave me a 15% discount for $212. Other required parts included a wheel hub, 2 oil seals, a snap ring, bearings and the labor to press it all together. So basically a DIY axle change (due to a busted CV boot) that I was expecting to pay about $90 for turned into $510 in parts and another $104 in labor. Plus another $50 in necessary tools (ball joint separator, 7/32 push pull pin, axle socket, cotter pins, replacement nut for bottom of ball joint, replaced a 1/2" to 3/8" socket adapter that broke, and a 6pt 19mm 1/2 drive socket). So in the neighborhood of $750 total to do both axles, with the drivers side accounting for about $620 of that!

Still had I taken the OB to a shop to replace the axles it would have cost a lot more with the labor and parts, and I wouldn't have any new tools.

Changing all 4 struts (KYB) over the next week then getting all new tires and an alignment immediately after. I changed the manual transmission fluid (Redline MT-90) and rear diff (Mobil1 75w-90). Already changed brake fluid, clutch fluid, power steering fluid. Just put in all new NGK platinum spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, and spark plug tube seals , new pcv valve, decarbed the ICV and throttle body, new wipers, cabin air filter, and headlights. At 142,000 miles now and almost good as new!

 

Oh... meant to say I asked the service tech at the dealer if they had ever encountered and axle they couldn't get out before. They had. Said it's not real common but they get em from time to time.

 

I am dealing with the same issue, right side came off fairly easy with puller but left is putting up more of a fight than I care for. I am letting it soak for a while then will try puller again and maybe a couple whacks with a hammer.

 

Remove the axle amd knuckle assembly by disconnecting the lower ball joint and the strut. Prop the axle and knucle so that the threaded side of the axle (where the axle nut would go) is pointing up. Fill the area between the axle and the hub (the splines) with some sort of penetrating fluid such as liquid wrench. Let it sit for a few days and keep adding spraying and filling it up every so often. The fluid will slowly work its way down through the splines. Then use a 5 ton puller or similar to separate it.

While your waiting for the penetrating fluid to work...you can start working on Plan B...go to a junk yard and try to find a knuckle....just incase you can't get it separated ...lol...Plan B is a joke....sort of....

 

Just curious- those that used a hammer, was it a 3-foot sledge?
To me, that's getting into the realm of potentially damaging the bearing, and if I used mine I'm sure my aim would cost me a stud or two.

What works against you here is the 'give' the suspension components (mainly lateral deflection of the strut) have when you whack the axle end.

Placing/wedging a brace (like a section of 4x4 or a scissor jack) between the back of the strut and the frame/body might help in some cases.

Also, the gold standard of freeing/penetrating oil is Kroil (available by mail). PB Blaster and liquid wrench are good, WD40 is useless.

Those that tried a puller, did you try maxing out the torque on the bolt and then beating the puller bolt? Tension/stress plus a shock can often do what neither can alone.

If you are replacing the bearing, hub and the axle, (or even just the bearing/hub) heating the heck out of the hub, then cooling it might turn the trick.

Dave

 

Hey guys a new hub brand new is dirt cheap I wouldn't bother with a junkyard part especially if you can get either the fronts or the rear hubs with a new bearing in it ready to go for super cheap bucks. You don't want to be doing this again

 

If you can tell how to get the hub and axle off the car without the knuckle, you'll be a rich man!

I don't even think i could do that using the 'blue wrench'


Dave

 

Well if your CV is nearly welded into the bearing ie hub chances are your ball joint and nut on that bit are probably even worse.

And yes I used a full on 3ft long big ass sledge with a 2X4 for padding on the end of the axle. Momentum and weight play a much larger role than sheer force and if your suspension cant take a good knock from a big ass hammer no way in **** would I bomb down a highway full of pot holes at 70+mph in that car.

 

Did the strut (top of the knuckle) bounce in at all when you hit it with the big one?

A hand sledge did mine, so I wasn't testing flex so much.


Dave

 

Nope - took three solid whacks only thing that moved was the axle as it started to slide. We put another 30K on it after that no issues. Except right after getting the new bearings and bits all back with the original axles I had to stop and tighten the wheel lug nuts twice before it was all snug. As for the the main nut on the axle I went tight nearly standing on the wrench in the garage then drove it down the street and back and did another nearly stand on the wrench and yes it seemed a tad loose after the short trip up the street and back. Then I bent the lock on it and no issues for 30K. I did track the torque on it can't remember the exact lb limit but my set up was pretty much dead on with what I had been told. That was like 4yrs ago did all 4 bearings and went with the hubs that came with the bearings already pressed I think it was the rears that came pre pressed the fronts I had the local NAPA shop press out the old one's and press the new one's for $10 a hub.

 

Lets clarify some things.

The CV is connected to and currently stuck to the hub. The reason it is stuck is because it is splined and susceptible to rust and corrosion on a pretty large surface area (lots of splines). Just because the splines between the CV and the hub are rusted, doesn't say anything about the general condition of the knuckle. For example, if the bearing is wearing out, significantly more heat can be generated at the hub causing more rust and corrosion between the hub and the CV shaft.

The knuckle is fine. The bearing is probably fine. The hub is fine (its just stuck to the CV)

Buying a brand new knuckle, bearing, seals and hub is pretty expensive. Subiesailor, our cars, atleast this generation, do not have an integrated hub and bearing assembly. The bearings are pressed into the knuckle and the hub is pressed into the bearings. The bearing preload is set when the CV and the hub are pulled together via the axle nut.

 

I bought a hub and bearing pre pressed for $65 guys the bearing was like $53 by its self so the hub was basically nothing. And yes you can buy them in two pieces also. The hub is a very simple and basic part nothing fancy or special about it.

 

I think yours must go together differently from the one's we are discussing.

I assume the terminology is the same for all of us- hub is the bit the axle goes through and has the wheel studs on it, knuckle is the thing that the wheel bearing goes into and the strut, tie rod, control arm and caliper bolts to.

On the one's here, there is no way to remove the hub from the bearing, or the hub from the knuckle, or the hub-and-axle from the knuckle without separating the hub from the axle.

And, there is no way to purchase or install a hub with a bearing already installed.


Dave

 

Ok gotcha Was thinking knuckle. But My hubs were some what stuck and yes just basically pushed the axle in given they have quite a bit of give at the CV joint slide in and out etc for the suspension movements etc. So two steps I got the stuck Axle knocked loose from the hub by wacking on it. And needed to tap on it again to get it through the knuckle. Same issue both cases the crud on the spline holding up a smooth exit.

Yes hubs are super cheap too and easily found as replacements given those tend to be the most commonly damaged bit in the snow regions when people kiss curbs while skidding down the street. Both of those items are super basic parts and if your axle is bound up in the hub I would replace it any way. If all else fails you can work on getting the ball joint loose and out of the lower suspension arm thus freeing up the nuckle and simply pull the whole thing given if its all rusted to the point you can't pull it apart then you probably need to replace the whole **** thing anyway.