e locker removal... can't get the thing off!

[gnarlynick2072]

Hi everyone,

Did a bit of reading and couldn't find people having as much trouble as I did trying to get the actuator off the axle.

I swapped rear axle and front diff on my 5 speed, wired the baby up and didn't work. Checked the Voltage and Resistance with my multimeter and turned out I have too much resistance between two of the wires. FSM states 3 - 100 OHMS and mine has 130 OHMS. I am assuming this means solenoids are dirty. FSM states to remove actuator in this instance. I know, rookie mistake to not do this while the axle was on the bench.

So I took off the bolts and tried shimmying the thing off. The bottom of the actuator separates easily from the axle, but the top stays stuck.

How do I remove this thing safely when the upper section is stuck on?

And yes, I removed all the bolts.

Cheers everybody.

 

[TxBxSx]

Mine was HELL to get off, only it was the other way around and the bottom didn't want to come off.

Two of the 3 fasteners were bolts going into the axle, and the third was a stud coming out of the axle with a nut. The stud had corroded and seized to the actuator. I ended up breaking the stud, but replaced it with a bolt (M8 - 1.25) and lots of antiseize. Seemed to be a much better set up anyway.

Lots of wiggling and prying....

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

^^ This Had the same problem. That long studs gets corroded and that F%$#ER wasn't budging. Get a wire wheel on a drill and clean right to the base of the stud were it is sticking out of the actuator. This helps clean up the area so the oil penetrant you'll use (I use Freeze Off, love that stuff) can run right down the stud. Might even help to hit it with some heat at that point just on the stud tip. It will come off.

 

[gnarlynick2072]

Mine was HELL to get off, only it was the other way around and the bottom didn't want to come off.

Two of the 3 fasteners were bolts going into the axle, and the third was a stud coming out of the axle with a nut. The stud had corroded and seized to the actuator. I ended up breaking the stud, but replaced it with a bolt (M8 - 1.25) and lots of antiseize. Seemed to be a much better set up anyway.

Lots of wiggling and prying....

Ah that makes sense... the nut was the most difficult thing to take off the actuator and i needed my breaker bar to remove it. So the stud may be corroded.

I tried this before Christmas but can't remember where the stud is located... it's near the top, correct?

 

[TxBxSx]

On my axle, the stud was the lower left(passenger) fastener. But, some things may have been modified since the previous owner installed an e-locker skid.

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

There should be 2 long studs, like in this picture of a retrofitted non-elocker housing. Maybe someone replaced a stud with a bolt or the stud unscrewed from the housing like a couple of my smaller studs did making them look like bolts.

 

[gnarlynick2072]

Are the studs the only parts that have potential for seizing?