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My Half Shaft removal Nightmare and an FYI for future DIYers

yella GT

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the situation, I have all my BMR goodies ready to install. the car is on jack stands, exhaust, driveshaft, wheels, brakes, shocks, knuckles already removed for the most part smoothly.

I'm changing out the cradle and diff bushings as well so the subframe needs to be dropped. before I did that I thought I would remove the half shafts to have better angles at the control arm bolt, to get the control arms out of the way before dropping the subframe.

I start on the driver's side and after about 3 tries roughly 10-15 seconds the half shaft pops out. I move on to the passenger's side and pry and pry and pry and pry then pry, cuss, pry, cuss, pry, cuss, pry, cuss, pry, cuss, cuss, cuss, cuss, cuss, cuss, cuss, cuss. in between all the cussing I tried about 5 prying tools differing in size and tip design. for about a duration of 1.5 hours. BTW, during this time I mangled the aluminum seal edge on the pumpkin so now the axle HAS to come out so I can replae that. called it the night and went to menards, bought 2 additional prying tools.

today, I start off with my new tools prying for about 15 minutes before deciding its time to drop the subframe. get the cradle dropped and pulled out with my fiance and neighbor's help. we now have 360* access and can pry from any direction with whatever we want. prying and cussing ensues. this goes on for a good hour. then sitting around thinking and reflecting as to why I would even tear apart a new car, we come up with for the hell of it why don't we put the other half shaft back in and try. worse case scenario, it gets stuck too and then I start breaking stuff.

I lube up the driver's half shaft and click it back in. go back to try the passenger's side and ON THE FIRST PRY IT POPS RIGHT OUT. I quickly move back to the driver's side and it pops right back out.

At this point, I don't know if I feel victorious or stupid. none of the install videos I watched designated to start on the passenger's side. none of the instructions that I've read have designated to start on the passenger side. I did a quick search on here before posting this and no mention of a particular side to start on. the only thing that I found that was relevant was last year a member took out their driver's side first and couldn't get out the passenger's side either. their remedy ended up being ordering a special axle removal tool.

So I'm at a bit of a loss, I've been a chevy guy most of my life. I bought a 2014 GT last year just to see if i liked the coyote feel and then traded it in this past may for my 2017. is there some kind of unwritten knowledge that you start on the passenger side of a Ford? is this universal knowledge for IRS cars, that I've never had experience with before? is this just a coincidence the unbelievable amount of trouble that I had?

regardless after this agonizing waste of time, I would definitely advise that any future DIYers to pry the passenger's side out first.

I'd appreciate any thoughts, insight, or mockery you guys have

thanks for your time reading all of this
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stang1971

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I feel bad.... both of mine came out with just a tug.... no issues.
 

NvrFinished

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At this point, I don't know if I feel victorious or stupid.
Man I feel for you, but I started laughing my ass off with that statement :lol:
From what I have read, most people have been able to pop the shafts out without much issue at all regardless of the side they started on. There has only been one other person that I know of that had a difficult time with his half shafts.

Kelly [MENTION=9985]BMR Tech[/MENTION] has much experience with these axles. Maybe he can chime in.
 

Volstang

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I've never attempted to remove my halfshafts but your troubles sound like what many of us experience when we do these things for the first time. Busted knuckles and emotional scars!
 

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yella GT

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thanks for the replies guys. its crazy looking back at it, it felt like it was just locked in there and was never going to come out. once the drivers side was back in though it was like a smooth motion gliding it out. I don't know, maybe karma coming back at me for something lol
 

RYAN97812

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if you get one axle out you can use a punch straight through the diff and knock the other axle out if its stuck
 

mikes2017gt

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I had a similar problem with the Steeda billet vertical links I installed. First, the upper, spherical part does NOT at all, even close, just "drop right in" like in the CJPP videos. I had to whack the crap out of it with a rubber mallet. Second, then the bottom of the link is torqued to one side, so you can't get the bolt in. You have to sort of put a jack under the control arm and pry to one side while raising/lowering the jack while chanting an ancient voodoo curse-lifting spell.

Those f'in vertical links took me an hour apiece. Bill on CJPP did both in 42 seconds. WTF?

ps
As a fellow 2017 GT Premium owner, I totally understand the comments you got about "Um, so why are you taking a brand new car apart again?" Most of my friends barely know where the gas nozzle goes, let alone how to wrench at all.
 

Commbubba19

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I had a similar problem with the Steeda billet vertical links I installed. First, the upper, spherical part does NOT at all, even close, just "drop right in" like in the CJPP videos. I had to whack the crap out of it with a rubber mallet. Second, then the bottom of the link is torqued to one side, so you can't get the bolt in. You have to sort of put a jack under the control arm and pry to one side while raising/lowering the jack while chanting an ancient voodoo curse-lifting spell.

Those f'in vertical links took me an hour apiece. Bill on CJPP did both in 42 seconds. WTF?

ps
As a fellow 2017 GT Premium owner, I totally understand the comments you got about "Um, so why are you taking a brand new car apart again?" Most of my friends barely know where the gas nozzle goes, let alone how to wrench at all.

Did you have the handbrake on? I did and noticed I couldn't line up the links. Released the brake and they lined up no problem.

With the OP, the halfshaft likely had a load on it somehow preventing it from coming out. When you popped the driver's side back in, it released that load.

I'll be sure to do my passenger side first if/when i replace mine. :thumbsup:
 

mikes2017gt

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Did you have the handbrake on? I did and noticed I couldn't line up the links. Released the brake and they lined up no problem.
That's a very good question: I honestly don't remember. I'm usually pretty good about having the ebrake off and the wheels chocked while jacking the car up to put on stands...or leaving the ebrake on and then releasing it. I don't remember if it was on or off, but sure as hell remember beating on the top side of the link with my rubber mallet until my ears were ringing from that hollow "toon! toon! toon!" sound. :headbonk:
 

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TooSoonJunior

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I ordered axle removal tools (one is just a thin to thick U shaped tool, the second is a thicker single thickness U shaped tool. Slide the thinner one up until its seated firmly between the axle housing and the axle, one good wack SIDEWAYS (not up to wedge it in more, that will damage the housing and seal) with a 5lb hammer and popped right out.

You need leverage, any normal crow bar, flat blade screw driver, and lightweight hammer will never do any good if you have a well seated C clip on one of the axles.

I removed my knuckles entirely without touching the brakes themselves, made it a 20min job per side.
 

Bahndvr

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When replacing half-shafts is there a inner seal that needs to be replaced as well?
 

LunarS550

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Just dealt with the same issue on the passenger side. Pried and cussed for about an hour before getting an extra hand. I had my dad beat the shit out of the axle with a punch and ball peen while I pried. Finally popped out after 2 attempts. Only took the biggest pry bar in the arsenal and enough force to make me fall on my ass when it popped out lol
 

ctandc72

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I had the half shafts in and out of my '17 V6 Mustang no problem. (Swapped rear pumpkins). But for all those having problems - stop beating yourself up. Go get a rental slide hammer from the auto parts store (free - just deposit needed) with a CV axle adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/OTC-Inner-CV...ocphy=9008466&hvtargid=pla-434879548009&psc=1

A neighbor was having trouble pulling an axle in his car several years ago. Apparently he fought with it for hours. He came over and talked to me. I took the puller over to his garage and it popped out on the second try.

HTH
 

wazslow

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Push the half shafts in first, then a sharp tug and they pop out. At least this was my experience.... I didn't pry anything at all.
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