I might have done something really dumb. Maybe it is too late to ask except for future reference. The rear differential had developed a slow leak and lost all oil before it was noticed and the case got smoking hot. After refilling with oil, things seemed OK except for some metal grit on the plug magnet and a steady drip from the over heated drive axle seal. I was going to replace the axle seal and see if I could get another year of use out of it. I tried to remove the nut on the end of the axle so as to get to the seal. and I couldn't break it loose by hand. I went at it with an impact wrench. Something came loose but it wasn't the nut. The axle turns now and smoothly when I apply about 5ft,lbs. of force, but the rear wheels are not turning. At least I didn't think so. Did I break something inside? If things are not broken, how do I get the axle's end nut off? There were 2 long bolts on a plate around the drive axle input. Was I supposed to screw those in to hold things in place while I loosened the nut? I also made the mistake of taking the surround plate loose and its shims got out of position so now I can't get the bolts back in. Is the rear differential history now from what I did? thanks if you can help, George
George I wish I could help you . Maybe someone will chime in!
Thanks, Deereman I talked to a service guy at Goggett heavy equipment in Houston and he says something must have broke inside. But I keep wondering if just maybe with the oil drained out that it allowed things to move due to some limited slip mechanism inside that needs oil to work correctly. I'm thinking there is a small chance that if I put oil back in that things will stiffen up inside again so I can get the nut loose.
I think there's less than 1% chance that putting oil in it will help. I also think that if an impact wrench broke it, it was hanging by a thread. Are you talking about the seal on the axle that drives each wheel, or on the pinion? Is this a transaxle?
The 210 has a horrible reputation for breaking the cross in the rear axle carrier housing. They are just a tad stronger than a drinking straw. The two bolts you mentioned in the face of the park brake housing are the manual release of the park brake to be able to move it without engine power. Good luck with your project.
I'm not sure what I was doing wrong before but I finally got that nut off and got the part off and got the parking discs&plates out. They were a mess. I'll be putting new ones. I need to put a new inner seal also, the one up in there past the plates and discs? But I'm not sure how to I get off the old one. Do I jab it with something sharp and twist it out?
Can you screw a sheet metal screw in it and pull it out with that?
I'll see if I can, thanks. I'm actually 5 hours away and planning my next attempt in advance on a free weekend.
I finally got it all back together with a new seal and new parking discs/plates and now it won't move. I thought maybe the parking brake was not dis-engaging so I screwed those 2 long bolts in to dis-engage it but it still won't move. Does anyone have an idea what might be the problem? Those 2 bolts are still out maybe 5/8 inch but I got them as tight as I dare without breaking them or stripping them. Do some people run without all the parking plates installed or with a lot of extra shims? Maybe something else is the problem? thanks if anyone can help, George
I think you want to follow the above advice and go deeper in the rear end...if you had metal stuck to the plug that's a good sign that something may have grenaded inside the rear. Is there a cover plate you can pull off the diff so you can see the diff assembly?