I have an 8.8 Independent Ford rear end in my V8 Miata. The other night a bolt came out of the passenger side mounting point causing the inner (all Ford) CV joint to pull apart. The axles are held into the diff by a snap ring. I know that you have to pry the stub axle out of the diff, but space for prying is limited. I am looking for suggestions on popping the remaining portion of the axle out. It looks like a bigger version of a ball joint tool would work, but I am not aware of such an animal.
Any Ideas?
Prying is best. If you can get the opposite side out, you can push the side in question out through the diff, unless it has a cross pin for the spider gears.
Thanks, Is it necessary to pry from 2 sides at the same time or can I use just one pry bar?
Might also be easier to pop the cover and pry in-between the spider gears so you can push the side out. Depends on if you have a limited slip or not, and if you can hold the other side (or don't care if it pops out too.)
Thanks for the suggestions. I couldn't get it to pry out, so I decided to put it back together on the car. There didn't seem to be any damage to the axle, so I replaced the grease and bought a new band clamp. It went together fairly easily. Hopefully it will hold up!