1 . Raise and support the truck. Remove the rear wheels, the brake drum or brake caliper and rotor. If this is a disc brake, support caliper with wire. Remove seal retainer nuts from axle housing.
2 . Pull out the axle shaft from housing. Remove the snap ring and bearing race from the axle shaft. Cut the bearing retainer. Break the bearing cage using a hammer and chisel and remove cage and rollers.
3 . Remove the oil seal, the seal retainer and the parking brake assembly (rear). Using a hydraulic press and bearing splitter, press the inner race from axle shaft. Inspect axle shaft for seal wear. Ensure that the shaft is not bent.
If you do not want to remove the front transaxle (pumpkin) or drop it, then replace the HALF shafts by removing them at the inner CV joint (assuming you have disassembled the knuckle, ball joints, etc. The shaft will hang in there and NOT come out. You can disassemble and remove the CV shaft by removing the clip on the inner CV joint at the 'cup' where then inner CV joint resides. Once you do that you can remove the clip that retains the CV Half shaft. This is certainly MUCH faster and easier than removing or dropping the front transaxle, as 99% of the time, ONLY the CV half shafts need to be repaired or replaced. Much cheaper to just replace each shaft without the inner joint. And easier. I have a '90 Isuzu 4x4 pickup and the procedure is about the same.
Answers & Comments
I quote from service manual
1 . Raise and support the truck. Remove the rear wheels, the brake drum or brake caliper and rotor. If this is a disc brake, support caliper with wire. Remove seal retainer nuts from axle
housing.
2 . Pull out the axle shaft from housing. Remove the snap ring and bearing race from the axle shaft. Cut the bearing retainer. Break the bearing cage using a hammer and chisel and remove cage and rollers.
3 . Remove the oil seal, the seal retainer and the parking brake assembly (rear). Using a hydraulic press and bearing splitter, press the inner race from axle shaft. Inspect axle shaft for seal wear. Ensure that the shaft is not bent.
If you do not want to remove the front transaxle (pumpkin) or drop it, then replace the HALF shafts by removing them at the inner CV joint (assuming you have disassembled the knuckle, ball joints, etc. The shaft will hang in there and NOT come out. You can disassemble and remove the CV shaft by removing the clip on the inner CV joint at the 'cup' where then inner CV joint resides. Once you do that you can remove the clip that retains the CV Half shaft. This is certainly MUCH faster and easier than removing or dropping the front transaxle, as 99% of the time, ONLY the CV half shafts need to be repaired or replaced. Much cheaper to just replace each shaft without the inner joint. And easier. I have a '90 Isuzu 4x4 pickup and the procedure is about the same.