Rear axle speed sensors etc...
After hearing more than a few horror stories about breaking these pricey little bits, I was more than a little apprehensive with regard to even LOOKING too hard at them...
Needless to say, this fueled my procrastination fire to BON proportions...
It's true, I owned my Aussie locker for about 3 yrs, & my 4:77's for nearly 2, before I finally decided to tackle this project....
Here's how I successfully removed the little buggers.
Liberally spray all fasteners involved, & the speed sensors, with PB Blaster or liquid wrench the night before, & the morning of, the procedure...
Jack - jackstands - remove rear wheels - set on ground near end of axle for a place to sit - remove calipers & brackets in one lump - remove rotors - remove 4 10mm bolts holding the E-brake cable to the frame ( this will give you enough slack to move the axles out of the way of the third member, without having to disassemble the E-brake)
Remove the bolts (1 ea side) fastening the sensors to the axle housing - insert a long drift punch (1/8" tip) between the brake backing plate & the metal edge of the sensor, next to where the bolt came out & apply pressure toward the center of the vehicle, this should break it loose & begin an inward rotation. Pry it as far as possible, until the punch can no longer get enough traction to move it, hose it down with more "loose juice", GENTLY tap it back to where it started with a small brass or copper hammer, striking ONLY the metal portion that the bolt went through...repeat back & forth rotation with punch & hammer, reapplying penetrating juice at the end of each directional movement until it starts to move more freely. Just keep working it back & forth, & BE PATIENT!
Eventually, it'll free up a bit, & you can then start to rotate it GENTLY back & forth with a slip joint pliers...just keep at it, it will eventually come out.
Then remove the axle retaining bolts (4 bolts ea side) & pull the axles out about 4-6 inches. I cut a small wood block to set the axle shaft on in the end of the axle housing, so it wasn't deforming the outer oil seal during the swap.
Now remove the drive shaft & swap out the third...
Put it all back together in reverse order & go for a test drive...celebrate with many libations....
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Don't forget to...
CLEAN EVERYTHING...metal to metal mating surfaces, also give the bolts a spin on the wire wheel to get all the old silicone out of the threads.
I used rtv silicone between the axle flange(s) & outer bearing flange, as well as the mating surfaces of the third...duh..
Clean the sensors with an electrical parts cleaner, then give them a light coating of anti seize upon reassembly...might help next time.
No guarantees...sometimes stuff just breaks.....
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Originally Posted by nfpgasmask
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