Spindle removal 4x4 solid front axle

OK, so I’ve finally decided to replace the wheel u-joints on the ends of my front axle. I’ve been feeling them bind on me for over a year now, and its getting worse, so I want to get them done before it really starts snowing.

I’ve got everything removed on the driver side (Wheel, hub, bearings, rotor) I’ve also removed the spindle retaining nuts.

But, man! I’ve read about how hard it can be to get the spindle off, but wow, I had no idea.

I’ve tried hitting the end of it with hammer and piece of wood as to try and rock it from side to side. I’ve tried hitting a steel pipe from the back side to drive it out. I’ve tried penetrating oil. I’ve tried heat. This thing won’t budge.

Any tips or helpful hints?

I hear ya. Mine was corroded on. My stairway to heaven was a piece of aluminum doorsill and a 4lb mini sledge. Two hands on the sledge and swing like a wild monkey trying to impress the shasha next door :Sly :Sly Used electrical tape to secure the sill on the spindle. Don't remember using heat, but who knows!!! I would try without personally.
James

Have you tried tapping on the back of the brake caliper bracket to help loosen the spindle? On mine the brake caliper bracket was separate from the steering knuckle.

i've always gotten them with a BFH and block of wood,snap-on and mac,maybe napa offers a spindle puller that threads on to the end of the spindle (where the two jam nuts go) and uses a slide hammer to pull the spindle off,they sure can be a PITA

BC broncos used to sell a spindle puller, I am not sure if they do anymore or not but it's worth a shot. www.bcbroncos.com

Thanks for all the tips and reassurance guys.

Well, at least I know all this work is going to be worth it. It took a lot of pb blaster, 8,567,321 different size flat head screw drivers, 2 good sized pry bars, a mini sledge, and way more patience than I have, but it’s off.

How do I know that this work will be worth it? Check out these pics, that’s a 10lb weight hanging off the end of the axle stub.

Now I just have to swap out that joint, and start on the other side.

I went thru the same thing. One easy and thew second tough. I eventually made a puller that consisted of a plate with a hole that slide over the spindle, 4 legs and jacked using the spindle nut.

Methinks you might want to install some greasable joints!! Or use less Pfizer brand grease :Sly
James

I have set the truck down on a jackstand (under the spindle) and then beat the knuckle with a BFH to get stubborn spindles out. Since that joint is so far gone you should change the spindle bearings while you got everything apart. Dana 60 spindle bearing kit is a BK3 (CR part number I think) for the spindle bearing and the rubber seals.
As for greasable u-joints, I think they are no good. I used to be aserious off road warrior and I never found a greasable u-joint that would live. I have had great luck with Spicer premium non greasable u-joints. Once you snap the cap on one of them you will have hell to pay to get it back off! They seal good enough to never need more grease pumped in.
Ken

holy s**t rob i bet if you locked that baby into 4wd you couldnt even steer it
my experience with greasable u-joints is they are ok if you grease them and grease them often,the sealed ones do seem to last longer as long as you buy the higher end ones

Well, I got the other side done, and she is all buttoned up now. I’m glad I got it done before it really starts snowing out here. The wheel actually returns to center now, much nicer to drive.

This story has kind of a saga attached to it, so here is the run down incase any of you are interested:

Coming back from the 04 IDI weekend, my steering started acting funny. I actually started a thread called ‘steering is haunted’ over at TDS. Of course that was like 12 archives ago, so it’s long gone now. But the symptoms were bizarre. Basically she would pull one direction and I would slowly adjust with the steering wheel. If she was pulling to the right I would edge the wheel to the left…more…..more……more….more, and then finally all at once she would come out of her right pull, and start pulling to the left, so then I would edge the wheel to the right. This left right left pull would repeat itself for about 30 seconds until everything returned to normal.

Over on TDS we all talked about it, and since my steering gear was leaking anyway, we all thought that it could be the problem and I should replace it. Also, at that time I tested out the wheel u-joints and they seemed fine. With the wheel turned sharply to the left or right I could spin the front drive shaft and I didn’t feel the u-joints bind.

So I replaced the steering gear. The problem didn’t go away, but the symptoms totally changed. Now when the wheel joints would bind, the steering wheel would just get really stiff. And after a sharp turn, it wouldn’t return to center, I had to manually force it to center. So basically, my steering gear was really sloppy before, and this slop would really make itself known when one of the wheel joints would bind.

About 6 months later, the problem developed and started happening more frequently. Then this summer, the joints got bad enough that I could feel them bind while spinning the front drive shaft with the wheels turned sharply. So I knew I needed to get them changed out.

So now I’ve replaced the joints as well, and everything is nice silky smooth. In addition, an annoying pulsating pedal while braking has gone away. (this started after I replaced the steering gear) I thought surely this was caused by a rotor that needed turning, but with the new u-joints it has totally gone away. Obviously the slop in the old steering gear was masking a slight U-joint binding while coming to a stop.

Sorry for the long read fellas, but I just thought all of this was interesting. Just goes to show you that everything isn’t always what it seems, and the problem isn’t always 1 worn-out part. ;p