I read all the search results that I could find.

My question is this: when I have the front end hanging, I am going
to disconnect the lower A-Arms from the frame to remove the axles from
the diff.

Is there downward spring tention upon unbolting the A-Arms? Should I be worried about the coils snapping the unbolted A-Arms downward when I get the alignment bolts out?

Do I need a compressor to safely remove/reinstall the A-Arms to there lower mounting points after the new diff goes in? OR, is the shock fully extended when the wheels are hanging? I am being as clear and descriptive about my question as possible.

Also, once the 3 mounting bolts are removed, (including the 12mm allen) is there any upper bolts, or nuts that need removal?
How difficult is gently disconnecting the vacuum lines from the top of the diff?

I have the skidplates removed, and discovered white grease made its way out to the inner boot area on both sides and flung all over everything. Boots themselves are perfect. Also, the right front wheel has absolutely no resistance when it is spun. The left front has lots of resistance and rotates the driveshaft when spun. Broken spider gears? :pat:

I appreciate any answers or advise I can get. -Matt

 

Well, you don't have to disconnect the lower a-arms to get the diff out...

What you need to do is unbolt the spindle from the lower a-arm. There are 4 bolts that hold it together. You'll see them when you look underneath the a-arm.

Once you take those bolts off, you can then take the hub dust cover off (black metal thing). You'll have to pry it off carefully w/o damaging it. Once htat is off, you can work on getting the axle nut off. I forget the diameter of it, but, its pretty big. THen you can literally slide the spindle off of the axleshaft/cv joint.

Once the spindles are off, you can either "pop" the half-shafts out from the diff... (I never did this) or you can try to manuever the whole diff assembly with cvs still attached down and out.

There are only three mounts for the diff. Id definetly try working on that rear allen nut first. Make sure you have the right size!! It might have been 13mm.. but, don't take my word. It took me a week to find the right size from a hardware store...

Make sure you support the diff with a jack too!!

 

Thanks very much for the tips.

Another question: are you sure it would be easier for me to remove the spindle to get the shafts out, rather than unbolting the lower A-Arms? The reason I ask is because I dont have a socket for the spindle nut, which means I would have to rent the huge socket from autozone or somewhere. Ill search, but are you aware of what size that socket will be? 23, 24mm? I cant remember.

Thanks for the help!

 

You don't have to remove the hub nut/axles from the spindle or disconnect the lower control arm from the frame to remove the diff. Unbolt the 4 bolts connecting the spindle to the lower control arm. Once that is done, you can pop the axles from the diff and swing the entire assembly (spindle w/ axles still connected) towards the rear of the truck.

 

Awesome, thanks for the help.

 

Keep us posted on how it goes. I am getting ready to replace my front diff in a few weeks.

 

(Yes, I read the search results)

I have all 3 bolts out. Driveshaft disconnected, axles out of the way.

I cannot get it out. I read in another thread that there is some rubber mount/bushing deal toward the rear that is preventing it from coming down.

I am asking for anyone to verify this or point me in the right direction to help with my removal.

Any further help is appreciated.

ps. What a pain in the butt... my jackstands only raise to 16", so I dont have much room to get under there... OH, using the jack to lower the diff is absolutely nessessary, correct?

 

How did you pull the half shafts out of the diff without removing the spindle nut?

 

mjwalfredo: All he had to do was to take out the 4 bolts connecting the spindle to the lower control arm. Then you have to pop the axle from the diff and swing the entire mass to the side. The spindle is connected to the truck via the upper ball joint and the axle is still held to the spindle with the nut.

lllateralus: Its tough but it will come out. You may want to get an extra set of hands because that thing is beefy.

 

Haha, I am an idiot! Thanks Lance.

 

It's actually a threaded bolt that you have to lift the housing up and over. The problem with that is when you lift up, the diff will hit the oil pan. In summary, it is just a REALLY tight fit. It has to be wormed out of there very carefully. Make sure the vehicle is supported very well because you will most likely be shaking the diff back and forth to get it out. And yes, another set of hands is always helpful. A carefully-placed pry-bar also helps. Just be careful what you are prying and how hard you are doing it.

 

There's a 12mm allen nut that has to be removed that bolts the rear of the diff to the crossmember. If you have removed this nut then you will see the bolt that Christian is refering to. The problem with getting the diff out is that with all the jimmying required that bolt will slip back into the hole and get caught. I found that jacking the diff up until the bolt clears the crossmember and then slipping something between them to keep it from dropping back in makes things a lot easier. I used a piece of thin sheet metal.