Barry A. Waters

I need to repack & reboot the inner and outer CV joints on both axles of my car due to split boots. CV joints themselves seem OK as I have no clunking or clicking noises coming from them.

My problem is in removing the 32mm non-castellated stub axle nuts. After two broken 1/2"x5" extensions I'm going for some Craftsman impact quality 3/4" drive breaker/extension/socket stuff tomorrow.

These are the nuts that the Bently manual says are torqued to 339 ft-lb (wow!). I can get plenty of leverage on the breaker bar with a steel extension tube but before I do I want to make sure I'm turning the nut in the correct direction.

Are these nuts lefty-loosey/righty-tighty or the opposite? Just want to make sure before my neighbors and I pile on the extension handle ;-).

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Barry

Dave Thomas

Yes, they're normal right-hand threads.

911 Rod

You shouldn't need an extension.
I had to stand on a 3' pipe to loosen mine.

g-50cab

leverage is your friend here - get a 17+ inch breaker bar - that will do it.

Barry A. Waters

911 Rod/g-50cab - Oh we had plenty of leverage, all right! Problem was we were breaking the 5" extension between the socket and the breaker bar. My main concern was ensuring we were attempting to turn it in the correct direction (counter-clockwise) to loosen it (thanks Dave!)

I'll be getting an impact quality socket and 5" extension tomorrow but since I can't find an impact quality breaker bar I'm worried about breaking the bar next. What drive (1/2", 3/4", etc) and quality tools have others used to do this?

As a backup I talked to a local repair shop that has impact stuff that can do 800 ft-lbs and if I drive the car there they will loosen them for free. I'm thinking that if I then torque them to 100 ft-lbs and drive gingerly home, I can re-loosen & remove them no-sweat and go on about my business. Any one see anything crazy with this idea? My only fear with this is that the nuts are somehow seized and they might snap the stub axle. Am I too paranoid?

Thanks for any input!

Barry

KC911

Although I use an Ingersol Rand impact wrench (600+ ft/lbs of torque) for these babies, I 'think' you should be able to break them free with enough leverage. If you get the socket and 5" extension you refer to, you can just slip a section of pipe over the breaker bar for leverage. I bought a 10' section of 1" pipe (which will slip over my bars, wrenches, etc.) and had it cut into sections (5, 3, & 2). Using these various lengths, I can usually get anything loose, and the stress is on the pipe and not your breaker bar. Having the shop break them loose with their impact wrench isn't a bad way go either. I'd tighten them more than 100 ft/lbs for the short trip home though (...once they're 'broken free', you should have no problem getting them off back at your house even @ 2-300 ft/lbs.). Hope this helps...good luck!

Keith Craver
'88 CE coupe

Dave Thomas

I have done this several times with a 3/4" drive socket, 1/2-to-3/4 adapter, 1/2" drive breaker bar, and a 3-foot pipe. I don't think I needed an extension, but if I did it was a really short one - might make a difference.

Edward

My little home-use compressor/air gun wouldn't do it. I then went to the old standby: my 1/2" breaker bar which I promptly BROKE ...a MAC breaker bar!! Yup, snapped it clean at the joint when I attached my jack handle to it to gain leverage. I had to go to a friend who has a shop and used his air wrench. Good luck

Edward

Mike F

I used a 3/4" breaker bar, and a short extension on the socket, which I supported with an extra jackstand. That way you can "jump" on the breaker bar and make sure all the torque is transmitted properly and you don't round off the nut.

Barry A. Waters

Thanks to the local auto shop's tech w/the 2 billion ft-lbs air gun I'm on about my business. Took 30 seconds to break both nuts loose. I came with a torque wrench and re-torqued the nuts to 200 ft-lbs and drove quietly home - all for free as I do business with them on other vehicles. Total time spent including drive time was about 20 minutes.

Sometimes thinking 'outside the beer can' helps! ;-) The joints are indeed OK, so it's on to cleaning, repack, reboot and turbo tie-rods (Lemforder).

Thanks guys!

Barry

Chris Brown

Air is the way in the end. I got a 3/4" gun on ebay and the 32mm impact socket after all else failed. Off in 10 sec's.

MDL

I just found this thread using a search. I'm having the same issues trying to remove the nut. I stopped before I broke anything. I could not believe my eyes when I was jumping up and down in my 1/2" breaker bar with the floor jack handle over it and watching the whole breaker bar, and knuckle bend and not move the nut!!! I think I can borrow the tools from a friend of mine who works on heavy equipment. My question is after bolts are removed from the trans side and the axle drops down and the stub nut is removed, does the whole assemble simply pull out or am I in for more fun and games?

Dan.

Dave Thomas

Nope, once that's all disconnected the stub axle just slides out. It's splined into the hub and should have been greased / antisiezed on assembly. BTW, that nut is assembled with 339 ft-lbs of torque. If you have access to a 3/4" drive impact gun, that is a good way to break it loose.

MDL

Dave,

Thanks, I'm not sure my friend has an 3/4" impact gun, but I'm sure he has the breaker bars to do the job. If not I'll have to seek one out. I sprayed the nut down with penetrating oil tonight in hopes that will help. Don't know if it will penetrate anything with 339 ft pounds of torque!!!

Barry A. Waters

Dan,

As Dave stated, once they're loose you're on you way. Just try your best to make sure they get torqued back to the original setting (339 ft-lbs in my Bentley reference) when you complete your work. Unfortunately, however, that may be easier said than done...

I've crewed with a guy (a GREAT friend) that has been doing 911 GT2 w/SCCA for longer than I've been walking (well, almost...) and he's of the 'old-school' get-the-neighbors-to-stand-on-the-breaker-bar persuasion for both removal AND reassembly on this subject and I must say that at speeds in the 160mph arena he's never had one come loose.

This method works well for a true race car that's being CONSTANTLY looked at by the driver and track techs but, if yours is a street car (where such things can go for years without even being looked at again), I'd highly recommend you get them properly torqued after reassembly if it's at all possible.

The problem is that while many shops can give you 'ft-lbs UNLIMITED' in the removal phase, you may find slim pickings in the 'accurate torque' re-assembly phase.

No one, not even the Diesel tractor-trailer shops, had a torque wrench that went up to 339 ft-lbs. After THOROUGHLY checking my area (the local Caterpillar shop - as in BULLDOZER! - had the capability in SPADES but wouldn't do it for liability reasons - sigh...) I had to go with the 'racer' solution. After 10 month's of periodically checking how tight they were I gave up... THEY'RE TIGHT!

If you can't find a shop to accurately get you back to the magic '339' then your only option may be to do the 'racer-neighborhood-pile-on' method and check both sides for a while until you're comfortable that they're not coming loose under use.

Barry
'That kid weighs HOW MUCH? Put HIM at the END of the bar...' ;-)