Hey guys, im trying to remove the driver side rear axle in my 06 rwd is250. Im at the last part where the axle needs to be removed from the diff but cant get it out. I have a slide hammer but there isnt much to grab onto so the finger comes right off. Plus there isnt much room so I cant slide the weight with any kind of force. I tried prying it out and that didnt work either. Is there a secret to getting these things out? Does the axle have to be rotated a certain way? Does the car have to be in neutral (its currently in P)?

 

Rotate and at the same time use a large pry bar on and off in a taping motion even a small lump hammer will get it good luck.

 

I dont have that otc finger tool you linked in that thread, but i have this


It doesnt go around the axle but ive been using it like the finger attachment, the groove around the axle is so shallow that it slips right off. Pulling the axle right by the diff does move a little. When the axle stops it sounds like its hitting something. Maybe the c ring inside?

 

Quick update, got it out! Ill post more details after a shower...

 

They are all the same small circlip, its just the angle of the dangle.

 

Curious to hear about your little adventure here! So why did you need to remove the half shaft anyways?

 

There was a pin hole in the driver side rear axle outer cv boot. Grease had spewed everywhere but it was still driving fine. Im local to Gator Racing Axles so I wanted to have them re-manufacture it before it got too bad. I dropped off the axle at gator at 9am and they had it finished by 530pm same day. It costed $120 and Ive never reman'd an axle before but it looks great and hope it works out. Lexus wanted $950 for a new axle but new oem ones can be found online for $500 which is a lot cheaper but still expensive for an axle imo. Today I'll be putting it all back together, then make a post summarizing the tools used, etc. Before doing this it was hard finding a comprehensive guide on how to swap rear axles on a 2nd gen is, mainly what common tools to use in place of SST's. This caused a lot of pain going to every parts store multiple times to rent tools that dont work. Luckily I eventually found tools that did work so Ill post that info probably this weekend. Also, thanks to everyone that chimed in! It really helped knowing that the axle didnt have to be rotated a certain way, etc.

 

Axles come out super easy and do not need brute force.
Simply pry from both sides at once. i.e. 180° apart. The trick is pulling it straight out otherwise the clip becomes very effective at retaining the axle...

Two basically equal length screw drivers and apply equal force to both at the same time (pop) and they come right out. 5 seconds of labor. No slide hammers or pry bars. No damage to axle.