12mm clamshell bolt not free. Tips?

I’m trying to remove the front diff to swap in the new gears. The 12mm Allen bolt is spinning but the entire bushing is also spinning.

it won’t free. Any tips? The 2nd pic show the top and that large diameter bushing / sleeve spins with the bolt. I assume it should break free and the bolt will come out but that’s not happening.

 

You may be forced to remove the mount off the diff instead of just the single bolt. It will be tough up there not much room to work.

 

Just looking at that. Looks like 2 bolts. I think that’s all I have left before I’m able to swap. Thanks!

 

Its been a while myself since I had front diff out but yes there are two bolts to remove the front diff mount from the differential itself I don’t remember how that Allen key threads in up top but this pic makes it look like you can get a socket or wrench on the top to keep from spinning.

 

A other option might be to stick some vice grips on the bolt that’s spinning.

 

Interesting. I have an 05 so maybe they added that bolt. I just have a flat top with nothing to grab. Definitely no but on top.



I’m going to try to grab/vice the larger diameter piece and see. Otherwise the 2 bolts are coming out.

 

I got it. Was able to clamp the wide part with a vice. Crazy bolt.



Thanks. Hopefully no more cries for help tonight haha. This forum is awesome!!

 

488s are in! Filling up with oil tomorrow and can't wait to start the break-in period. Hats off to anyone that's done that front diff solo. That thing is awkward and heavy. I'm sure there's a thread - I'll have to find it and post my only tip. You remove the 2 tubes on top - ADD and maybe the breather? - and they're held onto the top of the diff with a little bracket and 12mm bolt.

We couldn't figure out how to get that back in because there was no clearance to get that back up and over the steering knuckle.

On the way back in, put the bolt in loose - AND SWIVEL THE BRACKET 90 DEGREES - so it's turned back over the top of the diff. It's now out of the way. Then you can get up there with a small ratchet and tighten up and it will pull it back into position. That thing sucked! As with most things on this truck, if I ever have to do it again at least I'll know haha.

 

Having this same problem. I dropped the steering rack a bit to get more access to the top, but there just isn't a lot for vise grips to bite on. I can get the very top part but my vise grips pop off as I try the nut. Everything on the top turns when ai try the hex head nut. I've tried both my battery powered Milwaukee impact and an Aircat pneumatic which is a bit more powerful. When I try these nothing turns. Any ideas? I haven't tried any heat yet. Also, it looks like only one of those two bolts that attach the mount to the diff has any room to move, the one on the driver's side has like 1/2" until it would hit the cross member.

 

Maybe try removing these bolts.
A flex head ratcheting wrench will come in handy here.

 

Thanks. That one you arrowed is probably removable. The other one though faces down and right into the crossmember. I'm working on an oil pump reseal, this is the last step to get to the oil pan, unreal.

 

That hex head "bolt". Looks to be a "Nut" in actuality.
Look up into the bolt (nut) and see if you see the bolt in there.

Maybe spray some WD or lube in there and hope it creeps up the threads and helps loosen it up a bit.

See post #7 above. Take a look at the "Nut" to see what I'm talking about.

 

You might also try loosening those bolts on the mount.
They might not come out, but it might drop down just enough to help get a better grip with vise-grips.

 

Thanks man. Yeah, the FSM calls it the rear mounting nut. I've sprayed it all down with Liquid Wrench (can't handle PB Blaster smell).

I had been putting this job off, knowing it would be a bit challenging. Was expecting the worse part to be lowering out the differential and then putting it back in solo. I wasn't expecting this. Been working it a while. I don't like getting defeated but if I can't get it may have to put stuff back just to get it towed to a shop. Think it's a good idea to get a tow without CV axles back in? I may also go to HF and pick up their beefiest impact the "Earthquake XT" and see if it's more capable than this Aircat I have.

 

So if you try to turn the nut with a hand tool (wrench/breaker bar/whatever), the stud also turns? But if you try to turn the nut with an impact, nothing turns? If so, the bushing is probably absorbing the impacts. A stronger impact might help, but no guarantees. Use the vise grips along with the impact might also help. The nut shouldn't be that tough, especially under what looks to be a clean chassis, but time can be unforgiving to chassis fasteners. Do you know if the front diff has ever been out before?

Liquid Wrench (I used PB Blaster myself but I assume Liquid Wrench is similar) and soak time sounds like the best bet. Heat could help, but be mindful of all the flammable liquids and goos you're working near.

Of course double-check that you're turning everything the right way too. It's easy to get turned around lying on your back with a wrench, everybody's done it once. Harder to get an impact wrong.

Not a good idea. Without a CV holding everything together, the wheel bearing will work itself out of the hub under load and the wheel will fall off. If towed with the front wheels off the ground you might get away with it, but you really don't want a load on the front wheels without axles installed.

 

Good reply brother, thanks.

"So if you try to turn the nut with a hand tool (wrench/breaker bar/whatever), the stud also turns? But if you try to turn the nut with an impact, nothing turns?" - Yes, that is accurate.

It's mostly clean in terms of not much rust, but had some slow oil leaks over the years. I'm pretty sure that's what ate up the steering rack bushings. I had to change those out a few months back on this second rack I have in and the center was was almost completely gone. Also, had this since 2001 and the diff has never been out yet.

I've been careful with direction of turns. Maybe I need some different vise grips. i've got the Milwaukee 9" long nose with the little red twister for torquing it down.

 

I was the last one that had the problem a few posts above. I wish I wrote more about how I got it off. I assume it was getting a vise on that outer part but simply don’t remember.

I’m not tracking how an impact wouldn’t turn it but a socket will spin the whole thing - strange - but it’s been a few years and that’s definitely a unique bolt

 

We're in business fellas. After some Liquid Wrench soaking, repeated tapping of impact socket with hammer, and jamming a big flat blade in between part of the bushing and differential and prying with all I could one-handed, it yielded. Now onto the fun part. I figured out also this is technically the wrong forum, I'm working on a first gen, but it seems this applies to both. Wondering what Toyota's reasoning is for using a stud with a round head there instead of a typical bolt head. Would be a lot cooler to get a wrench on it

 

I LOVE the first gens. You're welcome here anytime.
I had an 98 T-100 that had the 3.4L engine. Nothing remarkable, but what a good engine from a reliability standpoint. I had that truck 17 years.... did the timing belt and water pump three times. The last time I did it, it only took me about six hours.