Help with axle removal

Ok, I'm POed now. I have been beating for an hour with a slide hammer to remove my one peice axles from the housings and they won't budge. My hands are numb and I prolly have nerve damage now. Am I missing something???? I've quit for the night to regroup and think this one over. Has anyone had this problem before?? I even went and got the FSM to check behind myself................help!!

 

Are you sure you removed all the bolts from the bearing retainer? Mine come out with little effort once those bolts are removed.

 

big slide hammer is helpful

 

Is this an aftermarket 1-piece axle set in an AMC 20? The bearings are not even a tight fit in the housing unless they're rusted in. I imagine the backing plate bolts are completely removed?

I once tried to remove the axles on a flanged axle 44. All I did was remove the backing plate nuts and the bolts were still in figuring the backing plates would just slide off the bolts. No such luck, they did come off but with a lot of slide hammering. When I did the other side, I removed the bolts and everything came out easily. Come to find out, the backing plate holes are a snug it over the bolts and the backing plate will hang up on the threads. Wonder if this is your problem.

 

Whoa...........I thought you could remove the axle without taking the backing plate and retainer off. I've had the axle out......with the bearing and seal still on. Should I just put the axle in the arbor press and take it off that way?

I think I'm missing something here. Can you remove the axle and leave the bearing and seal in place???? That may be my misinterpratation of the instructions. I guess I should start drinking.....after I'm done working instead of before.

 

I think you should first clarify what axle you are working on. Also what mods have been done to it...

An AMC-20 one-pice kit has a bearing retainer that holds the axle in place using the pressed on bearing.

If its a 72-75 dana 44 then there is also a bearing retainer that has to be removed. There are 5 or 6 bolts per side that you have to remove to remove the axle.

If its a AMC 20 with the two-piece shafts then I am not sure how to remove it.

 

It's a stock D44. Am I hearing that the only way to remove the axle is to take the six bolts out of the housing and pull axle, retainer, backing plate, seal and bearing all at once? Then, that means the bearing must be pressed off in an arbor press. Reverse proceedure to install new bearing. Am I close??

 

That is correct. Although I was able to pull the shaft without having to remove the brake backing plate from the jeep. But yes, the bearing is pressed on.

 

Thanks........I feel like a doooofuss