Axle Nut Removal Pain

[ben parrish]

I bought a 1 1/4'" standard 3/4 drive socket. Easy to find and I live in a SMALL town.

[Green 912]

Good impact #1 choice.

Heat the nut up with a propane torch. Heat fast and hard and to just a bit too hot to touch and try again.

IMO H.F. brand 3/4 tools = good brand 1/2. I bent a HF 3/4 breaker bar 90% deg bare hands no cheater. Made a better bar for the remaining 3/4 stuff and twisted the 4 inch 3/4 extension almost 180 deg of rotation. Took out my Craftsman 1/2 breaker bar (that i did not want to break) stuck a pipe on it and turned the nut right off.

[uwanna]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

I bought a 1 1/4'" standard 3/4 drive socket. Easy to find and I live in a SMALL town.

Ben's right! A 1 1/4" SAE socket is exactly 32MM. Just checked my 32MM six sided impact socket with my digital caliper!

[wildcat077]

Those nuts are on pretty tight... I have a Blue Point 1/2 drive impact gun rated at 450 ft/lbs for removal and had to use my 3/8 air hose connected directly to a 150 psi unregulated air outlet in my garage, 120 psi wouldn't budge the nut !

Cheap breaker bars and extensions will only twist or snap ...

Cheers !
Phil

[mthomas58]

Been down this road myself. 3/4" drive/breaker bar is the only way to go. Just checked my setup. Sourced the 32mm impact socket at NAPA and breaker bar/ 6" extension at Northern Tool. I tend to avoid Harbor Freight whenever possible due to poor quality.

[MattAlpha]

I'm posting a few pictures that I should have posted originally when I started this "help me" thread.

The first two pictures show (to my own amazement) that I have 30mm axle nuts vice the 32mm I was expecting to have which caused me to make my first unexpected trip back to NAPA to buy a 30mm socket, since I had boughten a 32mm socket a few days earlier. So I have a spare 32mm 1/2" drive socket...


Here is a closer picture of the reading:

Every project that I do for the first time with this car I find things like this.

Here is a picture of the tools I was using (the socket is fine, that was a 10 inch 1/2 inch extension from NAPA and my 1/2" Craftsman rachet):


Here is a picture of the passenger side wheel before I removed the cotter pin:


I'm going to try see if anyone carries the SAE varient of the 30mm 3/4" socket (1.18 inches or 1 and 3/16 inches) or at least how long it will take them to get one. Thank you for the suggestion uwanna. I will also continue to pursue the local shops and truck service centers.

Again thank you all for your advice and patience,
Matt

[wildcat077]

Matt,

Just a little advice... You will need special crimping pliers as well for the clamps on your axle boots,i would also suggest you buy one extra of each,meaning one small and one large extra clamp.I screwed up one of the large ones and had to go and order another similar one to replace it.This was on a Saturday,had to wait until Monday evening before i could install it ...

Phil

[uwanna]

Matt,
I sure don't understand the 30mm vs a 32mm nut. I was under the impression that all years had a 32mm. Maybe the earlier cars had a 30mm. perhaps someone could clear this up. I am soon replacing my '80SC axles with the larger later ('85 1/2-'89) axles because I have a 3.6 motor in my SC. I know the later axles are for sure 35mm nut, but now I may need a 30mm socket if I have a 30mm nut on my original SC axle! Anyone know for sure?
Grant

[MattAlpha]

Phil thanks for the heads up!

Grant if you remoe you're center cap you should be able to tell. I wish I would have before I bought the 32mm socket... My car is a frankenstein 911...it does not surprise me to find stuff like this anymore.
-Matt

[Green 912]

Originally Posted by uwanna

Matt,
I sure don't understand the 30mm vs a 32mm nut. I was under the impression that all years had a 32mm. Maybe the earlier cars had a 30mm. perhaps someone could clear this up. I am soon replacing my '80SC axles with the larger later ('85 1/2-'89) axles because I have a 3.6 motor in my SC. I know the later axles are for sure 35mm nut, but now I may need a 30mm socket if I have a 30mm nut on my original SC axle! Anyone know for sure?
Grant

You are not going " nuts". I have seen both 30 and 32. Don't know the year split as I have both sizes in easy reach and just use the one that fits.

[wildcat077]

Matt,

Just went and measured the axle nut on my 89 Coupe and it's definitely 32mm.
I included a pic of the axle clamp pliers so you will know what they look like,they are pretty cheap,something like 15.00 dollars...

Good luck with your project
Phil

[mthomas58]

Originally Posted by uwanna

Matt,
I sure don't understand the 30mm vs a 32mm nut. I was under the impression that all years had a 32mm. Maybe the earlier cars had a 30mm. perhaps someone could clear this up. I am soon replacing my '80SC axles with the larger later ('85 1/2-'89) axles because I have a 3.6 motor in my SC. I know the later axles are for sure 35mm nut, but now I may need a 30mm socket if I have a 30mm nut on my original SC axle! Anyone know for sure?
Grant

From Randy's classic reconstructing constant velocity joint thread:

Remove the cotter pin (non Carrera) and the axle nut. On a non Carrera car you'll be OK with 1/2" drive breaker bar and socket (30mm) but on a Carrera you'll need 3/4" drive (and 32mm socket) because of greater torque on the nut.

Reconstructing Constant Velocity (CV) Joints

[uwanna]

Originally Posted by mthomas58

From Randy's classic reconstructing constant velocity joint thread:

Remove the cotter pin (non Carrera) and the axle nut. On a non Carrera car you'll be OK with 1/2" drive breaker bar and socket (30mm) but on a Carrera you'll need 3/4" drive (and 32mm socket) because of greater torque on the nut.

Reconstructing Constant Velocity (CV) Joints

Hi Mark,
I will be doing axle swap to larger Carrera axles on my SC later this spring. I sure would like to borrow that lovely 32MM 3/4" socket and extension when I do.
Thanks for the nut size info, so now I'll need to find a 30MM socket, albeit in 1/2" drive.
By the way, have missed you at the Sunday Cars and Caffeine the last several times. Hopefully we'll have a nice day for April's event, which by the way is on the second Sunday, due to Easter.
Thanks,
Grant

[Gunter]

And the BS goes on about 1/2" tools for the axle-nut.

SC or Carrera, you want a 3/4"-drive set-up because both types have a very high torque to make sure that the dual bearings are correctly fastened.

I put a ? behind the 30mm on my earlier reply since it is normal practice to check the nut size and get the right socket before starting.

As mentioned above, you may find 30 or 32 mm and when there is that much rust showing you obviously need to use penetrating oil to break the bond created by the rust on the threads and on the mating-surface.

It's quite alright to use a SAE socket instead of Metric on the castle-nut as long as everything is 3/4"-drive.
If someone was lucky enough to open it with 1/2" stuff, it meant that the nut wasn't on there with the right torque; in most cases, 1/2"-drives don't cut it.

3/4"-drive tools, penetrating oil, long breaker bar with a pipe-extension. That way, you can re-tighten the nut when you re-assemble with lube on the threads and mating surface. Without lube, you cannot get the correct torque.

Trust me.

BTW, Matt: Things look pretty rusty like rotor, calipers etc.
The pistons in the calipers may be frozen; time for a brake job?

[MattAlpha]

Gunter,

Thanks again. I did pick up the 3/4 tools this afternoon and easily removed the passenger's side nut. I may have gotten it with the 1/2" but the 3/4" made it easy. I was able to remove the driver's side (wth a ton of effort) with my original 1/2" tools before I broke them on this side. Just another note on using the right tools makes things much easier. I had to take a family trip to Warwick to get them, but it was worth it. Harbor Freight had an entire 3/4" Metric set (breaker bar, extensions and rachet included) with both the 30mm and 32mm sockets for $56.99. I did have to clean up the 30mm socket, but for the price I didn't mind and it worked just fine.

There is a lot good amount of rust since I had to take it around the water logged yard to put it in the heated "man cave" six days ago which contributed to the rust on the discs, it wasn't there last week when I drove it last. The under carriage needs some TLC, which it will be getting over the next couple of months. The car sat out in the elements for the past five months in Vermont when my family moved from Texas to RI.

I'll keep you guys posted with my progress and upload some pictures. I know others have already, but the more pictures I get to see on here the more it helps me feel like I'm know what I need to do while I'm doing/planning a project.

Thank you everyone,
Matt

[Gunter]

Sounds good, Matt.

To tighten the nut later, you don't need a torque wrench.
Just use a simple formula for ft-lb.
If your weight is 200 lbs, step on the bar/pipe one foot away from the center of the axle and when the nut stops turning, that's 200 ft-lbs.

And NEVER use the ratchet handle for any heavy-duty wrenching!

But, grease is needed on the threads and mating surface for correct torque!
When finished, lift the car, grab the wheels at 6 and 12 o'clock and rock.
There should be no play.

General rule for calipers: If you cannot push the brake-pistons back relatively easy, they're frozen.

[MattAlpha]

Gunter,

Thanks again. I plan to comlete this project this afternoon. Hopefully I will not run into any other snags (don't want to jinx it).

I rebuilt all four calipers back in March of '07, I'll check the pistons while I'm working later today. I'm planning to change the brake fluid within the next two weeks (I have the blue ATE in it now and I've got the gold waiting to go in). If I need to rebuild them again I'll pick up the o-rings, etc from Pelican and do them again.

I'll post pictures tonight,
Matt

[mthomas58]

This thread got me motivated to remove my passenger side half axle to replace a torn out board boot today. 32mm socket with 4 inch 3/4" drive extension provides the perfect clearance to break the nut free with the tire on the ground rather than messing with locking the hub with bar. I used my jack handle as an extension on my breaker bar and it came loose with minimal effort.

[renders]

I replaced my CV axles and never had to mess with the axle nut. Nut sure why the axle nut is taken off but I never do it.

[Gunter]

Originally Posted by renders

I replaced my CV axles and never had to mess with the axle nut. Nut sure why the axle nut is taken off but I never do it.

It is my understanding that, to replace the CV axles in a Carrera, the nut has to come off. Otherwise, the stub-axle doesn't come out.
To replace the axles in an SC, the nut doesn't have to be removed because there is no stub.