Question about rear diff stub axle

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 11:10 am

Hey guys,

I'm in the process of stripping out a diff to take the centre to be welded - I only want to take the centre with me.

The problem I'm having it getting the stub axles off. I've noticed there's a little bolt that looks like a 5 point star. What have people used to get this out presuming this is the key to removing the stub axles?

I've done a few different searches for this specific information but have not found the goods...

Any info appreciated.

Cheers

Bennie

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 1:44 pm

sounds like a Torx bolt. but they are usually 6 starred.

is it like that or infact 5 starred?

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 2:38 pm

yeah you need a torx socket. Subarino got a "snap-on tools" one. most likely plenty of other brands available too.

Post by **Captain Obvious** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:20 pm

yep its a torx bolt t10 im pretty sure!! and you need a long shank socket !!

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:03 pm

Just checked it - yep its the six star, my dodgy memory told me it was 5... probabily cos it was so unusual.

So, where can I get one of these tools - Supercheap?

Cheers

Bennie

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:45 pm

most probably supercheap yes, Autobarn, Coventries whatever stores you guys have over there,

and CO i think that the sockets are E's not T's. although i cant remember right now.

Phizinza · Post by **Phizinza** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:09 am

I went looking for one of these a while ago and was told they are not available. This is because it needs to be a long shank like what was said above. Only place that could do them was snap-on and they were out of stock for over a month. I gave up on it.
Hopefully you have better luck

PeeJay · Post by **PeeJay** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 4:36 pm

I just used a 6 or 7mm deep socket I bought from Supacheap for about $5

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 4:41 pm

my mate bought 3 of the "correct tool" from snapon a few weeks ago. turns out they were the short ones, not the long ones, and snapon wouldnt refund his money!

pretty average service. he just cut and shut one to make it long enough

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:31 pm

if your jsut going to weld it up dont bother taking it out. just be a good welder.

if there is any splatter then file it off of the Crownwheel.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 8:16 am

Yeah no need to remove anything to weld it, just take the back cover off. Here is a great tutor Vidler made ages ago, unfortunately only 1 picture still works but you get the gist from the text...

showthread.php?t=5230

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 3:01 pm

Thanks guys, I have read vilder's write up - I'm taking the centre out to do the job for several reasons:

1) I get to pull a diff apart (its a second diff I got hold of)

2) My uncle is doing the welding on his mig - the less he has to stuff around with the better. So a clean, grease free centre will be headed his way.

And I got those torx bolts out using an 8mm hex long socket, it came in a set for $11 so not complaining... Worked a treat

Now I just gotta clean it up and set a date.

Thanks all for you're help, glad its been sorted - no one in benders has a tool for that and I didn't want to look at the price of a genuine subaru item

Cheers

Bennie

Phizinza · Post by **Phizinza** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 8:00 pm

El_Freddo wrote:And I got those torx bolts out using an 8mm hex long socket, it came in a set for $11 so not complaining... Worked a treat

Good to hear that worked for you. I tried it and screwed two different sockets.. I guess some rust is just bad

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 10:12 pm

Yeah Phiz, I had a bit of fun getting them out - trying to hold the other two shafts while pushing on the third one felt like a bit of a juggling act! A pair of long nosed pilars (spelling?!) and a long shafted screw driver got me through the job.

I've now removed the diff centre, degreased it and took it to the car wash joint. Here I gave it an engine cleaner treatment followed by a high pressure wash. The left over time I had on the metre went to washing more mud off ruby scoo from the last 4wd outting at the start of the month...

So, now I have a grease free diff centre ready for welding, hopefully this will be done monday, then I can put the diff back together on wednesday or friday.

Cheers

Bennie

Phizinza · Post by **Phizinza** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 9:37 am

They make Subaru's go places modified larger 4x4's won't go... Enjoy

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:26 am

you will love the welded! apart from HIDs, the second best mod ive done to the sooby. just make sure its got lots of good welds in it so it doesnt break offroad and leave you in fwd! remember to shave one of the stub axles too.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:30 am

Phizinza wrote:They make Subaru's go places modified larger 4x4's won't go... Enjoy

Subafury wrote:you will love the welded! apart from HIDs, the second best mod ive done to the sooby. just make sure its got lots of good welds in it so it doesnt break offroad and leave you in fwd! remember to shave one of the stub axles too.

Cheers fellas! I've got a MIG lined up to do the job, i'll probabily throw some extra bits of steel in there if its deemed necessary...

Another question: How many more rear drive shafts could I expect to chew through now?! I've never had to replace or touch my rear driveshafts due to failure/excessive noise... I'm hoping not to break too many, going to get at least one replacement soon to have handy in case it happens...

Cheers

Bennie

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 11:06 pm

GUESS WHO'S WELDED!!!

Yep, got the diff welded on monday with my uncle's MIG, worked at the cup on tuesday, slept in wednesday, shoved the welded in wednesday night, went for a "short" test run (bitumen included) for about 3 hrs, and while we didn't find any challenging terrain out the back of Riddles Creek (VIC), it was still a good time.

Then today between race meets, I caught up with some mates in the arvo up at Mt Macedon. With a bit of local knowledge at my disposal we really gave the welded diff a work out - so much so that if we didn't have it we'd probabily still be stuck there!

We got into this massive valley - locally known by some as "the chute" - by the time I decided it was too slippery (it had been raining all afternoon and I have pretty much bald tyres on the rear) there was no way of backing out due to a lack of traction... Going down is never a problem, going up was interesting - it was a long rocky climb - three guys in an un-lifted L powering up this steep wet hill... I placed the wheels over the wrong rock or something, either way all I remember hearing is: pfft.... pfft... pfft... etc. Asked my mate up front if he could hear it - "yeah..." (Me: ) "that means my tyre is going flat". I turn to damage mode - meaning I need to finish this climb and fast...

We got to the last 10 metres or so after a good 100m of climbing from the bottom, probablily a good 75 metres of climbing in low first pulling 5 g on the revs after hearing the tyre going down when we couldn't make it any further due to the rear left being completely deflated and running on the rim with no tyre on the bead. It looked something like this:

The photo's don't do justice to the slope we were on, but this was the scene up and down the track:

Now not having a jack made things interesting - my crappy scissor jack has shat itself so I don't bother carrying it anymore - that's what RACV are for. I'm in the process of getting a bottle jack... So to over come the lack of a jack, I had a go at the last of the slope with just me in the car - almost got there but not enough to get over the last bit

So back down I went to where we originally stopped, spotted a nicely placed rock that may provided a seasaw effect (reason for the welded diff) that would allow us to change the flat. It worked with one of us sitting on the front right while another one or two lifed the rear left. Got the spare on and we breezed it up the last of the slope.

It was a good time overall - even though I shit myself knowing the tyre was going down... I've noticed already the rear end thumps and knocks around a lot more.

Unfortunately I don't have photos of the process of welding the diff up. Its pretty simple - just weld the spider gears as much as possible... We didn't go completely nuts on it but did weld each area of contact between the gears and along the idler spider gear's shaft. Even if the welds crack the gears will have trouble moving anyway. Its got a "lifetime" guarentee on it from my uncle who welded it up

If you take the centre out completely to do it: those little bloody bolts in the stub axles can be removed with a long 8mm hex socket - worked a treat for me

Can't wait for lift and some proper off-road tyres now

Next session will be sunday in an old quarry out at Epsom in northern Benders

Cheers

Bennie

PeeJay · Post by **PeeJay** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:32 am

That sounds like fun!!

I got a similar flat on similar terrain once, and being in the middle of nowhere didn't want to risk puncturing my spare as well.... So I just kept going! 25km later at about 50-60km/h

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 4:14 pm

So I got myself a hydrolic lift jack, not the bottle variety (yet). It does the job even if it is a little bulky.

I changed my bald rears to a set of mud and snow tyres - a lot noisier on the road, but great off the black top.

My Rangie mate Benji took me out to a place just northeast of benders that used to be a quarry - its managed by the bendigo 4wd club (and is a credit to them). This area is a great testing arena to try out many different types of terrain that your 4wd may encounter.

The welded diff clicked and clunked around quite a bit - I'm presuming its the CV's complaining. It made a massive difference to the performance of the car through the extra traction the welded provides. I got really stuck at one stage due to the welded (being able to push the car further). We got out of that okay.

There's some video on a mates camera that I'm hoping to get hold of soon, it shows Ruby Scoo going up some pretty steep terrain that I think an open diff wouldn't do.

Here's a few pics of the outting:

^ Going back up this was pretty much just as easy as coming down, just used a different pedal under the right foot

^ Benji doing it easy in his rangie - its got a pretty good low range on it when compared to the subi's

^ These situations are not a problem anymore! Standing on an ant nest in crocs is though

^ The Rangie's articulation. Pretty amazing stuff, the subi couldn't do this area due to approach and depature angles.

Benji's been inspired to get at least a rear locker for his rangie after watching the subi follow him pretty much everywhere he went (til he got to a rock step).

I hope to get the video soon, there's some examples of the welded doing its stuff!

If anyone is after extra traction for 4wd'n in their subi, the welded diff is a very simple yet effective mod that improves their capabilities enormously...

Cheers

Bennie