Another way to remove CVs

Okay. There are many ways to remove cv shafts from the front differential housing, this is neither the only nor the best, particularly if you have a lift, or don't have skids. I haven't seen it on TW, it may be out there but I didn't find it.

But damned if I'm not pleased with myself, because pulling the CVs has always been a complete pain in the ass for me. Hours of struggling... reading the forums, renting a slide hammer, trying again and again. It is typically a multi-day ordeal if I want to keep calm about it, which is hard on the liver.

Required:
-A 1/8 steel cable with clamps... maybe 10 feet in length? (A kit with 50' of vinyl coated cable and all the clamps is sold for around $10 at Home Depot)
-A big hammer, or something else you can use to impart sufficient impulse to the cable.

Not required:
-Removing the skids, thank God!

1. Affix the cable in a loop around the CV shaft, just behind the dust cover, using a clamp to keep it from slipping off. Leave several feet of cable to both sides of this attachment.

2. Form a large loop, against which you can swing a hammer. Leave the clamp securing it to the hammer loose, so that both legs of the loop can carry the load of the hammer.

3. Swing said hammer against said loop to free axle from housing.

It is useful to support the axle vertically with a length of rope, and if a swing or two doesn't free it, to rotate the axle, as certain orientations allegedly allow the c clip to settle by gravity and allow easier removal.

The steel cable works far better than rope because it doesn't stretch, which dulls the impulse. Also, I broke all the kinds of rope I had trying this first.

I like this solution because it is cheap and doesn't require specialty tools. I may well retain the cable and clamps in my trail repair kit, even though I don't carry a spare axle. That way I won't lose it!

 

I never use a slide hammer. Just two large pry bars and they always pop right out. Just gotta use the recesses machined into the inner.

 

Prying has only worked for me if I remove the skids... perhaps there's a trick I'm missing, but not for lack of trying!



I can't believe how easy it is with the cable!