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Well, it finally happened. Been fooling around with cars since I was 15, finally had a differential they bolt break. I have heard horror stories about hassles removing them. Are the drill guides worth the money? Do they work?
Any other ideas on removing the pin? Number one son wants his truck back. The truck has the dreaded Gov-Loc limited slip, the pin has a little slop in the carrier. I have no doubt that’s what caused the pin to break. No matter what, the pin needs to come out to replace the axle seal, or replace the entire carrier with a “real” limited slip.
I went through this on my 1984 Custom Cruiser. I ended up grinding into the end of the cross pin until I got to the bolt, then I was able to unscrew the bolt using a hammer and punch through this hole. That got the stub out enough to grab it and unscrew the rest of the way. Unfortunately I didn't stumble across that kit until after I had it out.
Opinion: You can get several different sized bolts drilled with the drill/extractor you use and have them available. I would use Grade 5 bolts. I would also get a couple "left hand helix" drill bits of the size you use. Sometimes, the pressure of drilling will start backing out the bolt because you are spinning the drill bit in the opposite direction of tightening. Keep the special drill bits and bolts in a kit for "special occasions".
The easiest way to get that lock bolt out is with a BFH and a punch. With a few good swings you can drive the diff pin out, shearing whats left of the lock bolt off. Its a bit cave man but it works and way easier than drilling...
The easiest way to get that lock bolt out is with a BFH and a punch. With a few good swings you can drive the diff pin out, shearing whats left of the lock bolt off. Its a bit cave man but it works and way easier than drilling...
im going to try this method before buying the tool. There is no way standard drills are going to fit in that hole, they would need to be pretty long. I guess if a big hammer doesn’t work, I’m not out anything but some time.
im going to try this method before buying the tool. There is no way standard drills are going to fit in that hole, they would need to be pretty long. I guess if a big hammer doesn’t work, I’m not out anything but some time.
I don't know about your situation, but when mine broke, about half the threads were still screwed into the carrier. There's no way a punch was going to get that out without collateral damage. Once you start hammering, if it doesn't come out, there's a good chance distortion to the pin or threads will prevent any use of an extractor tool. Do you feel lucky?
This was born out of a flat rate repair for sure. I've done it once without much of an issue. A few good whacks and it sheared. Results may vary, but at least he can get the carrier out and fix it on the bench.
BUY THE EXTRACTION KIT!! I used it on my ‘92 Custom Cruiser and had the broken portion out in probably 20 minutes. You can probably find my post with photos on this site. It is a great tool, well worth the money!!
I considered trying to pound the pin out, then the thought of the potential collateral damage (not to mention the added doentimevs d expense) I decided to by the tool. It arrived late last night. Hopefully it goes well. We will see!!
Got the remains of the bolt out. Took all of 20 minutes. Got the cross pin out, thought I was home free.
The stupid C-clip REFUSES to come off the axle. Usually pushing the axle in causes the c clip to fall into the gear oil, this one spins freely but won’t come out of the groove.
Next problem: the backing plate is bent. I assumed Dorman offered a replacement, they have replacements for other cars/trucks. Nobody seems to carry them.
This has been a VERY expensive lesson for #1 some. He curbed the truck, cracked both wheels on the drivers side, bent the axle (which caused a bad axle seal leak) and bent the backing plate. While I take no pleasure in this, I seriously hope the financial hit to his wallet will have a larger impact than my constant reminders to slow down when cornering. Then again, maybe not. I was once 16 years old. 😁
Been following this thread, very interested in how that tool worked. Did you have to drill it out? About the c clip not coming out, Do you think the bent backing plate is not allowing the axle to slide all the way in?? Maybe you could find a way to force it in with a pry bar or something? I hope the axle housing isn't bent.
The tool worked great. Once the hole is deep enough for the easy out to grab the broken bolt it comes right out. I hope I never need it again, but now that I have it I probably never will.
The axle goes in plenty far for the clip to fall out. It just won’t come off. I fabricated a tool with fingers to push the clip off the axle still no luck. I can’t get either clip off. I’m not sure if there is a difference in axle removal procedure with the gov lock carrie?
On the C-clip that won't come loose, my first reaction was that somehow the impact of the wheel on the curb pushed the C-clip against the carrier with enough force to swage it onto the axle shaft. I've seen similar instances where washers have deformed onto bolts and won't slide off because the ID is now smaller. I know access is limited but this may be a case of "bigger hammer".
Turns out there was more damage. The infamous Gov Loc carrier was cracked on the opposite side of the retaining bolt. Since there was no saving it, and the axle has to come out, I used the Smoke Wrench to carefully cut the carrier in half. Once the carrier was in 2 pieces, I was able to finally remove the c clips and other parts. It’s going back together with a used Eaton limited slip. I got the carrier swapped in today, reset the backlash, hopefully it’s back on the road tomorrow.
As I mentioned, this was a painful lesson for my son. If the financial hit to his wallet wasn’t bad enough, the god awful stench of gear lube will remind him long after his back account recovers!!
Make sure he pays you labor for the job as well. Make it hurt $$. Because what if you didn't have any mechanical skills? Where'd he go to get it fixed? Expensive lessons are usually the most remembered.
Make sure he pays you labor for the job as well. Make it hurt $$. Because what if you didn't have any mechanical skills? Where'd he go to get it fixed? Expensive lessons are usually the most remembered.
I remind all the kids about this. I constantly pound into their heads that if you take care of your car, your car will take car of you. Auto repair isn’t cheap, take care of the little stuff before it turns into big problems.
My favorite story: my daily driver 02 neon was bought 7 years ago for my oldest stepdaughters first car. It was a well worn used car, with typical used car issues. I insisted she be involved in the repairs, it’s my opinion people tend to take better care of their stuff if they have some sweat equity in it.
Anyway, when she first started driving, I reminded her this is a used car, we have no clue what kind of routine maintenance it will need. Is it a oil burner? Use coolant? Things like that. I told her to occasionally check the oil, make sure the coolant recover jug stays full, check the tires, things like that. She assured me she would. 🙄
fast forward a few months, she tells me she has a headlight burned out. I say, no problem, let’s go out and change it. Once we get to the car, I noticed the front of the hood is buckled a little. I asked what happened here? She told me that her cousin backed into the car when she visited her a couple months ago. She said she wasn’t going to make a stink over minor damage to a 1000 dollar car, especially since it involved family. I agreed, no big deal. However, I had to get some big pliers to straighten the hood so I could get to the hood release lever. Instantly, the wheels in my head are turning!!
We go about changing the headlight bulb, showing her the bolts that needed to be removed, instructing her to not touch the glass part of the bulb, all the while just waiting to drop the big question. After a few minutes, I asked her how often she is checking under the hood? She doesn’t hesitate, she informed me every fuel stop she is checking the oil. Bingo!! She just caught herself in a lie!!
After a couple minutes, I asked how long ago the hood was bashed in. Without hesitation, she told me it happened several months ago. Really? In 2 or 3 months, you never put gas on it? How could you check under the hood when I needed pliers to get it open??? The way she backpedaled was great!! I felt like Perry Mason, or Vincent Lambardi from My Cousin Vinny!!
I will give credit to my son, for the most part he has been involved in every repair or project with this truck. He wanted a older 4x4, I always liked the 2 door blazer/Yukon/Tahoe, so it was a win. The fact that we paid 500 bucks for it, it runs like a champ, and is overall in pretty good shape. He has a definite interest in learning how to do some of this stuff, he definitely realizes all the tools and equipment I have acquired over 35 years isn’t cheap.
Last edited by matt69olds; July 1st, 2022 at 01:11 PM.
Really it's also about all the experience and knowledge you have also acquired!
^^^THIS. It's like the old joke. Guy takes his car to a repair shop. The mechanic opens the hood, looks and listens for a few minutes, then pulls out a hammer and taps a part in the engine compartment. Car now runs perfectly. He hands the owner a bill for $300. The owner is outraged. "You looked at the car for a few minutes, tapped it with a hammer, and you think that's worth $300?!" The mechanic takes the bill back, revises it, and hands it back saying "You're right. That's $3.00 for tapping with a hammer and $297.00 for knowing where to hit it."
If the impact was on the driver side and it was hard enough to eff up the axles and crack the carrier, that would also mean the the ring gear got pushed against the pinion pretty hard with the shock. I'd check them both out very carefully before reassembly. Chances are they are fine, but maybe not.
If the impact was on the driver side and it was hard enough to eff up the axles and crack the carrier, that would also mean the the ring gear got pushed against the pinion pretty hard with the shock. I'd check them both out very carefully before reassembly. Chances are they are fine, but maybe not.
I have no doubt the carrier was cracked due to the dreaded Gov bomb limited slip. The pins that hold the counterweight were bent, there was a ton of slop in the thru bolt bore (probably why the retaining bolt was broke) all classic symptoms of that carrier design. Much like the 200 trans in full sized cars, that carrier has no business in a full size truck. It’s basically a limited slip/locker combo. It’s a limited slip under normal driving, when wheel speed reaches a certain difference it locks up. Lots of wheel speed with big heavy tires will break things when the diff locks.
Anyway, the backlash was .007 (measured in several spots) that’s where I set it again. The gear pattern looked good. We will see!
Really it's also about all the experience and knowledge you have also acquired!
He also complains he has no clue what he is doing. I calmly remind him that every expert in whatever task was once a amateur. I have said many times if it has nuts, bolts, or wires on it, I can usually figure it out. I need a 10 year old kid to help with with computers.
Well, got it back together this morning. Kinda. Turns out the replacement axle is 3/4 inch longer than what came out of it. 😡😡😡😡 of course, the salvage yard is closed until Tuesday. I don’t know if the axles are the same left to right, or if the axle is just wrong. I did t notice the axle was too long until AFTER I had the cover back on and refilled with gear lube.
June 25th, 2022, 06:44 AM
