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06 IS250 AWD - Passenger side axle - Here we go again...

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Old 02-19-19, 02:47 PM
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astr4558
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Default 06 IS250 AWD - Passenger side axle - Here we go again...

Hey guys, new to this forum but not to working on imports.

Got snagged up the last couple of days on removing this passenger side front axle on my 2006 AWD IS250.

I have already read every possible thread on here about methods people have used to get theirs out, and have spent a solid $250 on top of the axle itself on various tools, services , opinions and nothing can get this basta*d out.

Have tried the 15lb slide hammer with vise grips.
Have tried hammering with a 10lb hammer and many different types of breaker bars from the bottom.
Have not torched it in fear of damaging something internally or any seals.

I even chained it up and hooked it to my truck winch and pulled on it and it damn near pulled the car off the stands.

Im at my wits end, over 13 hours of hammering and prying and making tools. And now hundreds more spent than expected.

Any suggestions from some pros that have been through this? Thanks.






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blitzz (07-20-23)
Old 02-19-19, 04:41 PM
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2013FSport
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Judging by the condition of everything there I can guarantee you it is the support bearing stuck in the housing.

Your best bet is penetrating lubricant from all angles followed by heat from a propane torch. There will be plenty of smoke and you will need a new bearing.

The good news is the energy transfer of force stops at that bearing in the axle (not the transmission) so as long as that bearing mount is OK you will be good to reassemble.

Also do not hesitate to tap inward to break the bond. Heat is not going to hurt the seal as its too far away and will be absorbed by the mass of aluminum, bearing, and axle.

I wouldn't do this with force but tapping without damaging the aluminum around the outer perimeter would also be in your favor.

JM2C. Be careful if you use that torch. It only needs a few hundred degrees to help.
Old 02-21-19, 06:22 AM
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Phantom_89
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I struggled for a couple days with the same issue and then finally took it to my mechanic to deal with. He wasn't able to get it out either. So he just ended up spliting the new shaft and installing it onto the old.

So remove the bigger clamp on the inner boot and remove the inner end of the shaft from the new shaft then install the new shaft onto the old one that's stuck on the vehicle.

You may need to get another clamp and some grease.

Hope that makes sense.

P.S. my mechanic is a Lexus certified Master Technician. So if he couldn't get it out with the car being on the lift I don't have remorse of not being able to get it out.



Last edited by Phantom_89; 02-21-19 at 06:26 AM.
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Old 02-21-19, 08:50 AM
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astr4558
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Yeah, I thought of that. But I’m afraid because of how much I have hammered and pulled and prayed on that thing that it may no longer be straight. Causing a vibration or worse upon reinstallation of the other portion of the axle. I have been spraying it with penetrating oils for the past three days and letting it soak. Im going to give it another go here in a couple of hours. I’ll update then, thanks for all of your help.
Old 02-21-19, 09:43 AM
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Like I said, heat and tap around that soft aluminum and then slide hammer out. The problem (aside from outer race being stuck) is that direct energy is being lost through that ball bearing as it's acting like a cushion.

Heat and tap on the outside.... It will come out.

Ya, no way I would leave that bearing in place especially after beating on the trunnion joint.
Old 02-21-19, 04:55 PM
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wow never seen an axle stuck before.
you sure there is no other locking ring or snap ring that needs to come out first? I see what looks to be a snap ring that you already removed..

how does the new axle look? just splines?
I usually study the replacement to know how to remove the old, but of course it has its limitations.
Old 02-21-19, 05:24 PM
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Took three days of saturating it with Penetrating oil/JB Blaster/ WD40 and today it came out with some more hammering. To anyone in the future who has this problem, don’t give up just keep soaking it I guess. I will upload pics tomorrow of the old axle, it was seized at the visible edge. The inside of the bearing looked almost new. Thanks again for everyone’s suggestions!
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Old 02-22-19, 10:58 AM
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Glad to see you got it out. Do these half shafts have a groove with a C-clip in them?
Old 04-01-19, 09:15 AM
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Default Stuck also

Originally Posted by astr4558
Took three days of saturating it with Penetrating oil/JB Blaster/ WD40 and today it came out with some more hammering. To anyone in the future who has this problem, don’t give up just keep soaking it I guess. I will upload pics tomorrow of the old axle, it was seized at the visible edge. The inside of the bearing looked almost new. Thanks again for everyone’s suggestions!
My passenger side cv axle is stuck also. I'm hoping that it will come out soon. I've been hammering it from the back and pulling with a vise grip and slide hammer from the front. So far I think it moved about one millimeter. I'm no mechanic but this is by far the hardest thing I've ever had to do on any car that I've own.
I'm tempted to tap it back in a little and then start hammering from the back again. Hoping that would loosen up the rust a little. Does anybody think this would work?
Old 04-01-19, 12:14 PM
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LexKong
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Also did anybody ever remove the oil pan? And if yes, how hard was it? At this point I'm considering removing the whole oil pan and then removing the cv axle.
Old 04-01-19, 05:06 PM
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With the axle in the diff you can't drop the pan so.....
Heat the bearing holder and tap around it. Obviously with the lock bolt and clip removed.
Old 04-01-19, 05:43 PM
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LexKong
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Originally Posted by 2013FSport
With the axle in the diff you can't drop the pan so.....
Heat the bearing holder and tap around it. Obviously with the lock bolt and clip removed.
I removed the big retaining ring and the bolt. I would be happy if I missed something that was stopping the bearing from coming out but I think it is just rusted together. Is it better to heat the bearing or the aluminum oil pan?

I've been using PB blaster but I think it is just dripping down the side of the bearing instead of getting in there to loosen the rust.

Getting the bearing out is definitely a challenge. Replacing the driver's side CV axle was almost easy.
Old 04-01-19, 08:55 PM
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I've never seen an axle that took this long to remove. I'm glad you got it fixed, I hope it's not like this on other Lexus's.
Old 04-02-19, 06:45 AM
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There is no point in heating the axle as all that heat will not be transferred to the outer race of the seized bearing. You'll just light the grease and seal on fire.
Apply heat to bearing support and tap around the perimeter with a moderately sized BFH.

If you happen to have bearing lying around or a flat tipped punch, strike directly on the outer race driving it inward. Anything to break the bond of that outer bearing race to the bearing support.
Old 04-02-19, 02:42 PM
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I'm still working on it with not much success. I sprayed it down with some PB Blaster and I will try again tomorrow. Does anybody have the part number to the outer race that the bearing sits in? If I ever get it out I want to put a new one in there.


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