I’m in the middle of pulling the front diff on my 2007 GS350 AWD to replace the diff seal next to the block and am having trouble removing the driver front axle. I got the passenger front out without any issue once I removed the C clip (southern car with no rust thankfully so it slid right out, I understand this side is usually the problem). When I pull on the drivers side axle, it feels like there’s something stopping it similar to the passenger side before the clip was removed, but I cannot seem to find a similar clip or anything to remove on the driver side. Forgive me if I’m missing anything obvious, this is my first time working on the car since I got it. Thanks for any help.

 

I think you just hammer to overcome the internal clip on that side. If you don’t figure it out, lmk. I have an axle boxed in the garage and I’ll examine it. I have not done that side myself and do not know 100%. But I can examine an axle tomorrow.

 

Is this the long or short axle? Both just slide out, like normal. The long cv axle is a huge night mare to remove. If you were able to easily remove that, then thats amazing. If its the short one, then maybe you are not using a pry bar and pry against the casing.

 

I looked in the manual, and they showed an SST for removing the driver's side axle, which just looked like a slide hammer in the illustration.

 

When I replaced mine there wasn't anything I had to remove for the driver's side, just a pry bar and a good amount of force. Whole diff jolted. Try rotating the axle into different positions and finding the right angle, maybe the clip on the very tip of the axle moved out of place and is preventing it? I know when installing it you want the gap on that clip facing upwards, makes it way easier.