Need opinion,tell me if my rear axle is toast... or not?
 

Background(S5 T2 w/ ABS): First time trying to remove the damn rear wheel hub today to replace the stock wheel studs to the longer ARP wheel studs. After shooting penentrating fluid, heating with a propane torch and banging on the hub with a small sledge to no avall. I thought it would be a great idea to use a wheel hub removal tool, you know, the one's you can rent from the chain auto stores, to get the hub assembly removed from the axle. So I was cranking down on the removal tool and felt the hub let go and thought great! But the axle seperated from the back of the hub behind the dust shield, and now the axle has alot of in-out play on the differential side of the axle.
I removed the axle from the diff. and can grasp it with a hand from one end of the axle, from the diff. side flange and pull and push it in and out with the other hand on the axle shaft.Is this bad? Doesn't seem right to me, everything else seems to be fine though. What did I screw up?

Hit the stub shaft back in with a hammer. It's just a press fit, no c-clips on the inside.

On the diff side inside the rubber boot there are steel balls that connect the part that bolts to the diff to the axle shaft. That's what allows the CV joint to flex as the wheels move up and down.

I bet your balls fell out. :balls:

You can cut the metal straps that hold the rubber boot on to check. Then clean it up, regrease it and the chain stores can hook you up with new straps and the tool to fasten them with.

Thanks, I'm glad to hear that, i've never had to mess with the axles before, except for a front drive 626.

Yea thats what I thought at first. I forgot to mention I unclipped the metal strap already to see, what would fall out of the boot. Nothing came out but grease that looks like curdled milk. So luckily my balls are still intact :lol:. Good info though about the strap, I didn't know they could re-fasten the strap back on.