Half Shaft
 

Good Morning Folks and thanks for having me!
Heres probably a dumb question to start your day. 2006 ES330 and I've run into the worst case scenario while trying to swap the passenger side half shaft. It's not responding to a slide hammer, big hammer, excessive vulgarity, nothing. Now the center joint itself is already broken. I need to get this thing somewhere a little better equipped so I'm wondering, if the section between the carrier and the transaxle is still in there (frozen/rusted, no fluid loos of course), is there any harm running it? Obviously ABS and traction control will be upset, but is there a major safety issue? Of course it will behave oddly but that's fine as long as I don't wreck the freakin thing.

Thanks!

I didn't even include my question...is it alright to run it WITHOUT the outer "half" of the half shaft?

Are you saying you knackered up this piece? 43457
http://www.japan-parts.eu/lexus/us/2...ve-shaft#43457

Actually if you start at the transaxle, go out toward the wheel through 43457, the joint at the wheel side of 43030 is broken. On top of that, 43030 is rusted into 43457 so you can't use a slide hammer on the outer end, nothing to pull on. So the half from the transaxle to 43457 is still in place. I wouldn't lose any fluid, I just wonder after thinking a bit more if that would drive the computer crazy thinking the passenger wheel is slipping.

All that said, I just went and got some small swivel sockets and sawzall blades. If I can get at the mount bolts, I my cut the other part of the shaft and try to pound it out from the back

Just to cover the basics, but did you remove the locking bolt from the bottom, and the circlip at the transmission? They secure the half shaft at that point. If you did that, and can't get it off with the slide hammer, that is NOT surprising.

If that is where you are, then try soaking it over night with a really good penetrant. I recommend Kroil, but things like PB blaster are more widely available and usually work ok, though not as well as Kroil. Ones that won't release with the hammer alone will usually let go after a long soak. If that doesn't work, heat will get it if you put the torch to it long enough and then go back with the slide hammer again.

If you cannot get it out, you can stick the outboard 1/2 of the axle back in the soupcan (the actual joint housing, which kinda looks like that) and put things together and drive it to another location. I did this just two weeks ago; during a lower control arm replacement, the boot over that joint tore badly and the outboard 1/2 of the axle flopped out. I was going to re-boot it, but then found very bad wear on the races of the cv bearings. I stuffed it back in and have been driving it for two weeks until I got a new complete axle and plan on putting it in this weekend. The car drives w/o a problem, but of course the grease is flinging out and now the joint grinding itself up even faster, but for a short period until replacement, that is not a concern.

If the bearings on the triple-headed joint have come apart, you can just put them back on the stubs and then stuff the whole thing back in the soup can once you orient it to the three grooves. Stuff it together before you try to drive anywhere and the car will work normally until you tear it apart again.

Yessir you nailed it...soaked overnight, retainer clip and bolt removed, sprinkled a little more vulgarity, still nothing. I didn't even realize it was up by the soup can...I thought it was at the wheel as the boot has expelled all its grease. It's both it seems.

Thanks for the perspective! I thought I'd be ok, but I wouldn't have designed anything like this either, so thought I'd ask.

Penetrating oil will do nothing unless you keep soaking repeatedly throughout the day. And even then it may not work. Best method is an air hammer if you don't have one then cut the axle shaft between the transmission and the carrier bearing, then pound out the axle. If you still cannot get the bearing out remove the carrier bracket from the car and pound the end of the axle against a concrete block.

Tried hammering with the mount on the transmission and no luck. decided to remove mount off of transmission and torched the living crap out of it and using a 3lb sledge hammer i was able to get it out.

Thanks for your input folks. Well, that sucked. I don't have torches so I used a cut off wheel to cut the axle right at the carrier bearing (pass side) so I could reasonably get at that one poorly placed mount bolt. Then of course removed the mount and transaxle side of the shaft. The fun wasn't over though. I cut off that side as well so I could get a good swing at in in a bench vice, broke the vice out of the bench! After I'd say probably 30 whacks with a full-size 10lb sledge it popped out. Needless to say i would NEVER have gotten this thing out the conventional way while under the car.

Anyway she's done. A side note though, I accidentally cut through the snap ring. No biggie, autozone had it, went and got it. Their listed part can't be right...had all I could do to squeeze it down to size, then it snapped. Doesn't fit. Went to Lexus and got the correct one.

Thanks again guys!

Glad you got it fixed. I've been in the exact situation you were except I didn't swing the axle against anything I cared about I used a piece of concrete from a construction job. Broke pieces off of it a couple of times before the axle came out. Rust can be an amazing adhesive.