Left front axle woes....

[robo]

Attempted to replace both front axles. Right side went smoothly and was done in 30 minutes or so. Left side did (is) not going so well. I can not get it to disengage from the tranny. I have try pry bars and even plastic splitting wedges with no luck. I see the instructions specify the use of a special jimmy tool, but does anyone know if this tool slips in around the shaft or just grabs the beveled part of the inner coupler. The reason I ask is that I only have about 1/8" of clearance between the tranny and the coupler, which makes it difficult to get any type of a good pry on it and I don't see how a tool thin enough to fit in there would be strong enough to pry with. Does this clearance seem right to folks that have replaced these? I'm leery of prying too hard and potentially cracking the tranny case. Pure speculation on my part and don't even know if it is possible, but could the axle have been inserted too far and the retaining clip gone past the retaining groove and out the back letting it fully expand behind and making it impossible to remove without breaking something? Only picture of the internals I could find was from a '95 850, so I'm just speculating they are similar.



If folks say the ~1/8" coupler to tranny clearance is about right, I'll feel a little better that this is not the case and will attempt with more force. I'm about the the point of drilling into the couple to attach a slide hammer, but then there is no turning back.

Any experience and thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. At this point I'm being very cautious as a mistake could lead to big $$$$s.

Thanks,

Rob....

[Antherzoll]

There are many posting of others having the same problem because of the circlip, I had the same problem just kept forcing it to no avail, being cautious I brought it to one dealer. They had a special pry tool but had no luck removing it, stating that "Due to the amount of force that would be required to remove the axel, transmission internals/seals could be damaged in the process. Transmission replacement is required to replace the axle". Brought it to another dealer across town and they said it came out no problem, I guess it is all in the way you hold it. Twist and a quick jerking pull, if that doesn't work, rotate the axle and try again, that what the tech had said to me. I don't know if I believe him that it was that easy, but I have had no problems with my transmission with the new axle. I'm sure many cars have this problem, why else would Volvo have a special pry tool.

I can't find a pic of Volvo's special tool, but here is another solution: http://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-8...de-easy-72458/
I may try this next time it comes to replacement if all else fails

Good Luck

EDIT: Here it is Volvo Part NO. 9995462

[vtl]

Use a chisel. Removed 3 axles so far with zero problems.

[RockitShip]

I've had good luck using a combination flat bar and this long prybar from Crfatsman. It takes two people and having the car high enough (lift). The first time it was definitely hard to get unstuck using lots of force but it came out.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-31-in...7&blockType=G7

[Scopeman]

I saw somewhere a ball joint "pickle fork" used with success.

[Astro14]

That's a nice prybar...

I bought this set years ago: http://www.sears.com/craftsman-3-pc-...2&blockType=G2

So many times that they've been incredibly useful...key set of tools in anyone's box...

[Xheart]

Ball joint separator is another good choice for this task. It can be rented from Auto Zone and likes.
Here is one at HFT http://www.harborfreight.com/11-3-4-...l#.UyiIkdw_rRc

[MacNoob]

That's the traditional bonking stick. Often useful, generally in applications for which it was never designed.

[robo]

Thanks for all the advice, it really helped me out. I also spoke with a couple mechanics (non-Volvo) who also recommended applying prying pressure and then hit the side of the coupler with a hammer.

So I used carpenter's pry bar from the bottom and kept pressure on it and hit the coupler with a hammer a few times. I then rotated the shaft 90 degrees and repeated the process. Each time I could feel the couple starting to ever so slowly move out. After rotating the shaft a 2nd time and hitting the coupler, it popped right out. All in all took less than 5 minutes. I had never been so excited about getting something un-assembled, even celebrated a little with my dog Considering I had spent hours the day before with the help of another person and all I got was more frustrated, I was over joyed....

Of course true to this car, every time I fix something, another thing goes. So while doing the repair I noticed the sway bar links are shot again. This will be the 3rd set I'll be putting on. Last time I even bought the heavy duty ones from IPD hoping it would be the last set

[Antherzoll]

Apparently IPD has stated this issue with their end links and have improved them. Read the reviews on their site and you can see what issues others have. IPD is pretty good at fessing up for their mistakes, so maybe if you call and express how displeased you are with the product they will offer you a discount.

I had a bad experience with ordering aftermarket outer tie rod ends through IPD (Meyle HD, tie rod end is longer then OE, could not be aligned to spec, caused Toe-in). In the end they refunded me the labour, alignment, and the cost of the part as it was a documented flaw, all I lost was my time (which is still valuable). Went out and bought a set of Lemforder and didn't have a problem.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease