Axle removal - need help

use a hammer and a punch and try to rotate the wheel side of the support collar,once it starts to turn you should be able to get it out

I tried your suggestion, but it still won't come lose. How hard should I hit? I'm afraid I'll break it.

Maybe I should try a strap wrench? I don't have one, need to go and buy it.

If I can't take it out, I should still be able to replace the boot and put the joint back on. Right?

Thanks!

you are going the need to hit it a pretty good lick, you are not going to break it unless you hit it with a sledge hammer

on my 91, NissTech said don't be afraid to "persuade it a bit" so it took a breaker bar, BFH and everything I had to pop it out. So far, there are no leaks and I did replace the drive axle (old one was pretty battered)

HTH,

Derek

I just finished the job on my Son's 99 Maxima. The passenger side was a tough mother. I used a punch and a hammer to slowly rotate the bastard flange that the 3 bolts go through. I sprayed a bit of PBB after each 1/4 turn. It took a bit of work, but I finally won. When I reinstalled everything, I applied a generous application of high temp anti-seize. That should make it easier next time.

Later, Ralph

Lying on my back under the car, there's not much room for a good swing. In the end I was not able to separate the support bearing from the bracket. I cleaned everything, greased the cv joint and put everything back on without any problems.

Also, at the same time I replaced the control arm bushings and ball joints. I could not remove the old bushings myself (they were original, I drove 195k on them). I ended up taking the control arms to a machine shop, and a day and $106 bucks later I got my control arms back. Everything is back on the car now, and the test drive showed that going over bumps is significantly quieter.

In a hindsight, having paid $106 for the bushing replacement, $40 for the bushings and $40 for the ball joints I was just $100 shy of getting brand new control arms from Nissan. ( I know, NissTech, I should've done it right :-))

Also, this job was a major PITA. The control arm bolts mandated that I get a breaker bar and put a metal pipe on it to remove them. I think I've satisfied my curiosity about how the suspension works and what it takes to work on it. I definitely bit more than I could chew with this job.

Thanks to everyone for their help and moral support!

Fil