Here are a few I just took. I hope this leads somewhere. On a even more interesting topic, my axle u joints . Shop called me this morning to let me know I had "the wrong part" ....So that's why I couldn't fit the spider between the yolks ! They insist it's not spicer 5 760x. I called several parts stores, they all told me that the 760 x IS the correct part. It don't fit though. One fella Said ...Well it could be the 5 811x . So I decided since it was the parts fault and not mine, that I likely could get the correct part installed with the tool. So I went to the shop and picked up the axles and joints. Stopped by my local parts store, exchanged the joint for the 811x. Got home took a quick look....And guess what ? It still doesn't fit !!!! Any ideas

 

5-760x is and has always been the ujoint for the D44. If the shop says it doesn't fit, one of two possibilities exist: they are morons; or some previous owner swapped your axles out.

 

Hey ramman, I would have to say the ladder. I couldn't even come close to fitting the spider in-between the yolks with either ujoint on either axle. I brought it to the shop because I presumed that the yolks had closed up a bit, however the shop assured me that is not what happened. Next step on that front is to take the old ujoint pieces to the auto parts store to match it. I sure hope the axle seals fit ....But not an issue at the moment. That carrier needs to come out before I can go any further

 

Holy shot, what a mess. Ramman is right it is the 760x for sure. Can you get the ratchet strap around the diff and frame, crank it so it has pressure and try and turn the yoke with the strap on the diff. I am beginning to think someone else had a hand in your front end and didn't do something correct. Maybe they shimmed the bearings. That should come out. Its making me nuts. I doubt it is, but maybe when you were originally trying to get it out with the pass inner axle in, it may have skewed the diff a bit on the drivers side a bit and it may be wedged. Try and get the strap around the pass side and load it, then turn the yoke.

 

Its a hotmess for sure denn. I knew it would be tough, but this is a extraordinary PIA ! I felt so close to being over the hump, now Im wondering if I will get this finished. The alternatives arent good. Im not done by any means yet, gonna give what you said a try. I was close to attempting something similar , then it got dark and cold out. I had thought the same thing regarding it being stuck from my first attempt. Pretty surprised I havent been hassled by the HOA yet. Trying to keep it tidy and low key as possible.

 

So I finally got the diff out ! Had to use a metal cable hand winch around the passenger side of the diff, then the ratchet strap around the other side of the diff, then turned the yolk with the rag wedged in between the gears, it didnt pop out ...more shimmyed from side to side, I just kept tightening each strap a little at a time. Eventually it got wedged at the top of the housing, at that point I was able to get a screwdriver into the center of the bearings, I gently had to pry on each side, I put the screwdriver in a rag first to prevent marring, although a tiny scratch or two may have occured. I worked it past the tie rod without difficulty, set it on a tarp (and wrappped it) in the same postion I removed it , with the races on the respective sides. I imagine the important part is the bearing caps, bolts, and races going back where they came from, as the diff can only go in one way, and its unlikely I will get it on the exact tooth it was on before, so not gonna worry about that. However I was wondering if I should grease the bearings or anything before I reinstall it. Im not there yet....

I maybe starting to "round the corner" , but I sure aint "out of the woods" yet. Today I will attempt to remove the broken bolts in the back of the carrier, and also extract the last broken bolt in the axle that held the cad housing on. Im also hoping to remove the old seals, I tried popping em out with the jack handle pushing through the axle tube, however I noticed they each have a large o ring on the outside which must be holding the seals in place. The seals both appear fine, but obviously the driver side was leaking, and Im in there now!

I sure hope getting the carrier back in isnt as tough as getting it out was ! Im hoping once I get it into place I can just tighten the bearing cap bolts til the carrier is seated then torque em down..?

The other bit of interest to report : The 811 ujoint is NOT correct. It WAS the 760 that is the correct application. The guy at the auto parts store measured my old ujoints and compared to the 5 760x, and it was pretty much exact ! Apparently what happened was that during me pressing the old ones out I bent the yolk ears in a bit,.....so now I need to find a way to spread them back out ! This one should be fun !
Hoping I still have a couple of you fellas around to help me out here. Thanks for reading this whole thing !

 

I am just sorry that you have to go through this much alone. I wish one of us could have helped you.

 

Thanks dbbd1. I am thankfull that I at least have some folks on here offering bits of advice from time to time. Really hoping I can get this thing back together and running again.

I am planning on buying a bolt extractor kit today. The 2 broken bolts in the back of the carrier are snapped off, each with a small piece of the bolt stuck deep in the ring gear. I also have not been successful with getting the broken bolt that held the cad in place out . The head snapped off, leaving a good bit of the bolt stud still sticking out. I hit it with pb blaster for several days, and yesterday tried using a propane torch on it. Could not get it to move ! Hoping I can get it out without having to drill and re tap . I will see what types of tools they have for this today.

I did get one of the ujoints all set up on the driver side axle. Not pressed in but ready to be. I will need to rent the press to get the jacked one out of the other axle, then I need to figure out how to get that yolk (spindle side) to open up.

I got both axle seals out yesterday as well as cleaned both axle tubes out with a soft wire brush and also pushed a rag back and forth through each side several times.... looks pretty darn clean to me ! The seals appeared to be sound still ?? No matter , they are getting replaced now anyway. Which I think I am almost ready to do ! Today and tomorrow may be a little slower progress wise, as we have more terrible weather happening at the moment.

 

I still can't believe how the axles got so jacked with the ujoints. When I did mine, they popped out and in with just a tap of a hammer. Sorry it's such a mess. Might be worth it to get some used half shafts out of a boneyard.
Also, be very gentle inserting the axles as to not damage the new seals. Would hate to read you did all this work only to have leaks.

 

Sorry I'm late but congratulations on the diff removal. Long road. Your almost over the hump. The next hurdle is the pass axle seal. I know you got the tool but take your time. Remember to get the diff and pass inner axle back in before you put that seal in. When setting diff put some grease on the outside of the races so it help slide a bit. You don't have to pack the bearings or anything. Set the diff in and tap both sides with a rubber mallet. Set you caps and tighten the screws evenly as you can. If you look in the picture u posted you can see the cap markings on the diff cover surface. One is a sideways B and one is an upside down B. the caps have the same marks stamped in them. I don't know how I feel about using an axle with a bent ear for the u joint. If the u joint breaks or the axle snaps you will wipe the seal out again. Happened to me. Also forgot to mention. Look at that axle surface where the seal rides. Make sure it's not grooved. I've seen some pretty bad ones. If it is you may want to change the depth of the seal just a bit. Or maybe think about a new axle shaft