HELP with right front axle removal!!!!

[thammel]

Has anyone done this on a 2002 or similar Explorer??? I'm not a novice and have done this on many cars but am stuck now. I've got just about everything removed but can't get the shaft inner boot past the sway bar and the bottom of the shock. I got the knuckle off the car (therefore the upper and lower ball joints and the tie rod are disconnected) and the axle is separated from the diff. but there's not enough room to clear and get it out. Do I need to remove the strut too???? The sway bar??? Give me a break Ford designers!!!! Ach!! Please help anyone - I'm in the middle of the job and need to get it done tonight before the deep freeze settles in...and all this just to replace a weepy oil seal!!!

Thanks!
Tom

 

[Triton8273]

Ronin has removed both axles before when he did a re-gear on them.

Here's his profile:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/member.php?u=16158

 

[Ronin8002]

Has anyone done this on a 2002 or similar Explorer??? I'm not a novice and have done this on many cars but am stuck now. I've got just about everything removed but can't get the shaft inner boot past the sway bar and the bottom of the shock. I got the knuckle off the car (therefore the upper and lower ball joints and the tie rod are disconnected) and the axle is separated from the diff. but there's not enough room to clear and get it out. Do I need to remove the strut too???? The sway bar??? Give me a break Ford designers!!!! Ach!! Please help anyone - I'm in the middle of the job and need to get it done tonight before the deep freeze settles in...and all this just to replace a weepy oil seal!!!

Thanks!
Tom

Yes, the strut needs to be removed. It's not necessary to remove the swaybar but you should remove the end link so you can pivot the swaybar up and out of the way.

 

[thammel]

I finished!

Nope, the strut did not have to be removed. The problem was that I was pulling out the axle shaft along with the stub axle. Once I figured that out and separated the two, the stub axle came out. The next challenge was getting the old oil seal out and the new one in. After trying a dozen or so times I finally got the new one in and worked it down banging with a rod in a quasi-star pattern. I don't have a pipe or socket large enough to go over the seal...it has a protruding rubber lip that prevents one from using a bushing driver. Anyway, a tough job all done and back together!!!

Thanks for your comments,
Tom

 

[Ronin8002]

Nope, the strut did not have to be removed. The problem was that I was pulling out the axle shaft along with the stub axle. Once I figured that out and separated the two, the stub axle came out. The next challenge was getting the old oil seal out and the new one in. After trying a dozen or so times I finally got the new one in and worked it down banging with a rod in a quasi-star pattern. I don't have a pipe or socket large enough to go over the seal...it has a protruding rubber lip that prevents one from using a bushing driver. Anyway, a tough job all done and back together!!!

Thanks for your comments,
Tom

Nice! Work smarter not harder, eh?