Arise from the dead! Arise ye old diff thread!
All good tips and I watched Tim's videos a few times. I have a couple of tips for a 2001-2002 which is different in a few small ways.
1. Regarding connections:
Do NOT disconnect anything in the engine bay.
Disconnect the electrical and vacuum connection on the actuator at the back of the diff. Very easy to get to.
The bracket on the actuator is held on by a phillips screw (actually a japanese version of it) and NOT a bolt like older rigs. It would not budge for me. Simply cut the tape holding the vacuum and electrical wires to it. You can replace the electrical tape later.
Unbolt the top bracket (see Tim's videos) from the driver's side.
Now the diff can come out and you can ignore all the wires/hoses as they will stay with the car.
2. Just remove both the large side arms/brackets from the diff. It lightens the diff and gives you more wiggle room. Takes just a few minutes.
3. To get the diff up and get the dam stud for the hex bolt up and out, I used a 19MM hex socket and a jack and just pushed the stud up from within the hole in the cross member. Then I could just wiggle it to get it to slide by. I tried jacking the diff but it went in weird angles.
4. As many have mentioned... the rear flange will NOT pass by the steering rack and the bell housing until you unbolt the driver's side motor mount and jack it up about an inch and put a piece of wood in there.
For me...I skipped unbolting the motor mount thinking it wasn't needed. After seeing the flange hung up, I unbolted it and jacked up the motor on the oil pan and the diff promptly fell out. No damage. The wiring harness\vacuum\vent hose stayed in the vehicle without issue.
I'm doing this to do a pan and oil pump reseal (thank Tim for that vid too). I almost broke down and sent her to a shop. I'm the original owner of this old girl and I just don't trust anyone else.
All good tips and I watched Tim's videos a few times. I have a couple of tips for a 2001-2002 which is different in a few small ways.
1. Regarding connections:
Do NOT disconnect anything in the engine bay.
Disconnect the electrical and vacuum connection on the actuator at the back of the diff. Very easy to get to.
The bracket on the actuator is held on by a phillips screw (actually a japanese version of it) and NOT a bolt like older rigs. It would not budge for me. Simply cut the tape holding the vacuum and electrical wires to it. You can replace the electrical tape later.
Unbolt the top bracket (see Tim's videos) from the driver's side.
Now the diff can come out and you can ignore all the wires/hoses as they will stay with the car.
2. Just remove both the large side arms/brackets from the diff. It lightens the diff and gives you more wiggle room. Takes just a few minutes.
3. To get the diff up and get the dam stud for the hex bolt up and out, I used a 19MM hex socket and a jack and just pushed the stud up from within the hole in the cross member. Then I could just wiggle it to get it to slide by. I tried jacking the diff but it went in weird angles.
4. As many have mentioned... the rear flange will NOT pass by the steering rack and the bell housing until you unbolt the driver's side motor mount and jack it up about an inch and put a piece of wood in there.
For me...I skipped unbolting the motor mount thinking it wasn't needed. After seeing the flange hung up, I unbolted it and jacked up the motor on the oil pan and the diff promptly fell out. No damage. The wiring harness\vacuum\vent hose stayed in the vehicle without issue.
I'm doing this to do a pan and oil pump reseal (thank Tim for that vid too). I almost broke down and sent her to a shop. I'm the original owner of this old girl and I just don't trust anyone else.
