The manuals say to have a special set of tools to pull the shafts. I suspect these make it easier to pull the shafts without messing up the oil seals, but i don't know.

Do you rent them, buy them, or ignore the advise? Can something workable be made from scrap lumber or something?

thanks

 

For my '83 GX, all I did was pull them out. Mine slid out fairly easily, though I did have some what of a hard time getting them back in.

I believe the Haynes manual says that it's not absolutely necessary to use the slide hammer, but that it does help in certain circumstances, i.e. you can't get the shaft out by hand.

 

A slide hammer will make it much easier, but its possible to without one.

 

if you have drum brakes, turn the drum inside out and put a couple of bolts on them, or if you have discs turn them around and do the same thing and use them as your slide hammer, just gving yourself some leverage for pulling, rx7doctor

 

nope. you can do it without a slide hammer. install your spare tire inside out but only tighten the lug nut half-way, then yank on the tire like its a slide hammer. this is boneyard slide hammmer.

 

all these responses are related to loosening a stuck part. No one is concerned about damaging the seal extracting or re-inserting the axle??

 

you should replace the seal while you're in there

 

82transam is correct, you should replace the seal It's the same as when you do
front disc brakes on your cars and you want to repack the bearings you have to reomove the inner seal. As to reference will you damage the rear axle seal in this fashion, never have damaged one yet the seal is flexable and isnt going to bind on the axle. rx7doctor

 

yea, you won't damage the seal or bearings by removing the axles, but should really replace them anyway

 

BFH, Give them a knock on the back side and out they come.

 

I have a noise in my right rear axel , sounds like a dry bearing and probably should pull it and replace it . is this really hard to do?

 

no, but you'll need a press, or bring it somewhere that has a press and have them do it. Just remove the axle and then press the bearing and retaining collar off, and the new one on. Replace the seal and you're off. Couple hour job at most

 

Don't try heating the lock ring to get it on. That's how it used to be done [so my father says], but the mechanic that I had press my new bearings/lock ring on said that he used to race rx-7's and had to replace the rear bearings frequently and that they used to heat the lock rings up and then drop them on. However, he said that the supplier they got the lock ring from changed the material or something, and that the lock ring came off one time while he was racing, which apparently made it hell on the track.

The easiest thing to do to get the lock ring and old bearing off is to take a chisel and split them. This way, they come off fairly easily. The new bearing/rings will probably have to be pressed on.

BTW, my axle seals did not come out with the shaft. They stayed inside the axle housing. Is this normal?

 

Yes this is normal, have not ever seen them come out with the axles. rx7doctor