Posi removal

[shippy8907]

Okay, in the middle of dropping out my trans for a stall swap, I decided to chase down my rear end clunk when going into gear. Well long story short, the spider gears in the diff are trashed pretty good, way way too much slack. My question is how do I compress the spring pack inside the posi so I can get the cross pin out? Do I need a really long set of needle nose locking pliers?

[SSlowBoat]

you undo the little 8mm bolt, pull the bolt, and give the pin a smack with a punch and hammer, slides right out, no compressing of spring pack needed

[shippy8907]

Okay. I just wanted to double check before I gave it a big whack and end of messing something up. Thank you.

[Catmaigne]

Just make sure you don't drive the pin into the housing too far or you'll get stuck. I remember the pin bottoming out in the diff housing with the axles still installed the first time I did my 10 bolt. It wasn't deep enough to push the axles inward and remove c-clips. I had to pull the pin back up using a magnet and some wiggling which was a colossal pain in the ass. Once it clears the housing all you have to do is rotate the carrier 180* and pull it out with some pliers. Every time I do a c-clip rear I'll hammer the pin inward a few millimeters while making sure it clears the pinion gear and housing, then rotate the whole carrier and wiggle what's sticking out with pliers.

[shippy8907]

Okay so I've beat on this thing without mercy and it has come out about 1/4 of an inch total. I literally cant think of anything that would be holding this thing in that tight. I've even rocked it back and forth thinking that would help, but nothing. Is there anything I am missing? I got the bolt out, but it still feels like there is something holding it in there. I've even tried prying on the spring pack thinking it was holding it in there and it didnt make a difference. Any ideas?

[JCzNova]

You have the C clips and axles out already I assume? Don't take that the wrong way, just starting at the beginning.

[shippy8907]

No offense taken at all. The cross pin has to come out before the axles can even move in right? I'm still stuck trying to get the cross pin to slide out of the carrier. There's no way to even really get to anything inside of the carrier until the pin is out. I think the spring pack has been moving back and forth so long that it has worn grooves into the pin. That's the only logical thing I can think of.

[superspirit]

When you pulled the bolt out did it have an inch long pin attached to it ? If not then that pin is broken off and is still retaining the cross pin. if that is the case then you will have to get some brakekleen and flush the hole real good then blow it out with compressed air. then put a drop of super glue on the head of a finish nail and stick that in the center of the hole. hold it against that pin until the super glue sets up, this will take 3-4 minutes. let it set and cure for about 10 minutes then try unscrewing the pin. it is usually stuck in there with 1 thread holding it. best of luck to you as this is a PITA when that pin is broke off in there. I know I have done more of them than I wanted too.

[shippy8907]

I dont remember anything coming out other than the threaded portion of the bolt. Nice, this is really gonna suck then because its already pushed partially out so its gonna be a bear to drive it back in.

[superspirit]

Sorry man been there done that. once you get that pin out everything should go smoothly. and you will have to get a new retaining bolt. one that has the pin still intact. this is a common problem with rear diffs, consider it a learning experience.

[shippy8907]

Yeah its gonna get a new cross pin and bolt for sure. Yeah a learning experience for sure, but I'm really glad I decided to track down the clunk though. I'd say those spider gears were 1-2 good launches away from coming apart. They are in terrible shape.

[SSlowBoat]

thats the reason my auburn blew up and my other auburn i bought was fried, someone snapped the bolt and the pin rotated and bounced around eating itself away

[shippy8907]

Yeah im sure I'm gonna have a hell of a time trying to get the pin lined back up to get the broken piece out. I have a sneaking suspicion that the extreme slack in the spider gears is what broke the bolt.

[Catmaigne]

So the bolt you pulled out was missing the end? Should look like this...

29144

That really sucks. If you think the posi is shot then I'd start cutting/grinding. A dead auburn is nothing but a paperweight anyway.

[shippy8907]

Yeah the long shank wasnt on the bolt. Well I actually have a mini spool I"m planning on putting in. This car isnt a daily, so I'll be able to live with it. So the best option is to get the bolt centered again and try to super glue a nail to it and pull it out?

[Catmaigne]

Not sure if that would work. I would try a screw extractor if it's possible to get a drill in there and then try pulling it out. Maybe you could even thread a small machine screw into what's there. But chances are if there was enough stress to break the bolt then it's probably wedged in there pretty tight. If that doesn't work I'd try to drill/grind the top of the pin until the remnants of the cross bolt could be pried out with something like a screwdriver

Can you use the mini spool with an open carrier from v6 cars? They're a dime a dozen at junkyards... could probably get one for $15-20 and cut the auburn out. 2 small cuts with a dremel on either side of the cross bolt and you could hammer it right out.

[superspirit]

I have used the nail trick a few times in my career, that is the easiest way when it works, but usually there is 1 thread left on the pin holding it in position. I have never been able to get a drill in there, but wont say it cant be done. when the nail doesnt work I just take a chisel and break the bottom of the crosspin till it will slide out the other direction. As a tech I wasnt allowed to destroy a carrier to remove the pin. best of luck to you.

[shippy8907]

Okay, I finally got the pin out. Turns out the cross pin was severely boogered up from all of the slack going on in the spider gears. The broken piece of the bolt was fairly short, so it was actually the damaged cross pin that was causing the problem. One of the shims on the spiders had a good size crack in it too.