I was pulling the rear end out of the brat tonight and I ran into a snag. I cannot get either of the rear axles off of the rear diff. I tried pulling the axles out of the hubs but the stubs are too long and I dont have enough room to play around with. So does anyone have any secret methods to getting the axles off of the stubs on the diff? I already have the roll pins out. I would prefer to not use heat cause I dont want to fry the diff fluid. Also I have blasted it with penetrating oil to no avail.
EA rear axles are not like EJ ones. they are not one piece all the way through the bearings/hubs. there's another roll pin on the outer DOJ, and stubs on those splines. although you'll probably find that those won't come apart either. heat is your best bet. you won't really damage anything with just a MAPP or propane torch. but those might not be enough......might have to get it red hot, which probably means oxy/acetylene. BUT, you can also pull the inner joint apart, and in the bottom of the DOJ cup there's a cap, through that cap you can access the bolt that holds the stub in the diff (you've got that deep offset E10 torx socket don't you? :laugh: ). then you can pull the whole assembly off the diff and really get it hot. this access cap does not exist on the outer joint, as there is no bolt to access. the spindle can be pounded out of the bearings without seperating it from the axle. and lucky you, with an EA81, you've got dual DOJs, so you can take apart the outer joint too (not possible with the CVs that EA82s had on the outer end).
BFH worked too well. I cracked the DOJ cup, the bad part is that it is still securely attached to the diff.
hey, I just realized......I've got at least one extra diff stub. not sure when I'll be down again, but you could just pull the stub/cup as one and replace both (I've done it...). otherwise, if you're sacrificing the cup, you can use a grinder/cutoff wheel to hack at the side of the cup to get it loose without damaging the cup. I'll take a pic of the one in the basement.....
I am thinking aboutdoing that. Otherwise is the 3.90 rear on teh brat the same as the newer impreza/legacy 3.90s? If so I could just swap the diff. I think Fuji has some extra ones hidden somewhere. Next time you come down chux bring that extra stub.