stupid snap ring

truckguy · Sep 14, 2010

there is a snap ring you have to take off to get to your wheel bearings, ball joints, ect. when you take the outer hubs off it is the next thing to remove. i couldnt for the life of me get this stupid thing off with snap ring pliers and picks but i dont know what else to do. any suggestions? any help is appreciated
thanks

kimcrwbr1 · Sep 14, 2010

If you can get it open or compressed far enough if your real careful center it and gently work it off. If the tips on the snap ring pliers are worn slowly file a little so it can grab the ring and hold it on. are the tips pointin out for outside or in for inside. I pulled a OMC out drive apart and needed to make some snap ring pliers out of a large set of needle nose pliers by filing the tips to an angle that pulls the ring on it as you compress it the key is getting it far enough to clear the shaft and carefully pull it off without touching anything they can be a biotch. good luck be careful

adsm08 · Sep 14, 2010

Its just a pain. Its been a while since I've taken mine apart, but if I recall I used a 1/8th screwdriver, two 90* picks, and a lot of patience.

Use one pick to pull it down and out a bit, shove the next one in a little further along, and then jam the screw driver in between them and move on until you get it out the whole way. It's a pretty crappy design. The cage nuts and cotter pins are much better.

Nathan123 · Sep 14, 2010

Alright I didn't read anyone elses reply, and someone may think this is really bad to do but...It worked for me. Position the c clip so the opening is up. Put the tips of the jaws of a needlenose on them and smack the back with a dead blow hammer prefferably. You could also use one flat screwdriver and smack one side really hard really quick or use two screwdrivers to immitate needlenose. This will get the clip halfway off, you can get a screwdriver behind the other half and pop it off the spindle, but put your hand over it so you dont lose it.

alwaysFlOoReD · Sep 14, 2010

If it's a c-clip with no holes I do as Nathan123 suggests and put bent-nose needle nose pliers so the tips contact the edges of the clip and hit the pliers with a hammer. It takes a little practice but I can do it now in just one or two tries. Keep an eye on the clip, not the hammer, so you don't lose the clip.

Richard

ragajungle · Sep 14, 2010

Pia

If you are gonna do the Ball Joints on a TTB - the passenger side half shaft needs to come off --- this means you are dropping the front DS, pulling the front axle off the TTB frame and removing the clip that holds the HS in.. If I were you I would make sure to check out the Tech Article on Eliminating the C-Clip. Jus my $0.02

For me I did BJs on Driver Side and no issues removing the HS. This passed wkend I did BJ on Pass Side and sawz'd the shaft off so I cud complete the job I started (needed to as B2 is my DD and the lower BJ was separating)

So now I needa HS DOUGH!

truckguy · Sep 14, 2010

thanks for all the help i'll let you know how it goes.

Sasquatch_Ryda · Sep 15, 2010

ragajungle said:
If you are gonna do the Ball Joints on a TTB - the passenger side half shaft needs to come off --- this means you are dropping the front DS, pulling the front axle off the TTB frame and removing the clip that holds the HS in.. If I were you I would make sure to check out the Tech Article on Eliminating the C-Clip. Jus my $0.02

For me I did BJs on Driver Side and no issues removing the HS. This passed wkend I did BJ on Pass Side and sawz'd the shaft off so I cud complete the job I started (needed to as B2 is my DD and the lower BJ was separating)

So now I needa HS DOUGH!

No need to remove the passenger side axle from the differential to replace balljoints buddy.... the passenger side axle is 2 pieces and slips apart to remove it from the knuckle to do the balljoints...sorry for your luck.

Shran · Sep 15, 2010

ragajungle said:
If you are gonna do the Ball Joints on a TTB - the passenger side half shaft needs to come off --- this means you are dropping the front DS, pulling the front axle off the TTB frame and removing the clip that holds the HS in.. If I were you I would make sure to check out the Tech Article on Eliminating the C-Clip. Jus my $0.02

For me I did BJs on Driver Side and no issues removing the HS. This passed wkend I did BJ on Pass Side and sawz'd the shaft off so I cud complete the job I started (needed to as B2 is my DD and the lower BJ was separating)

So now I needa HS DOUGH!

Wait... you cannot be serious... or we are missing some information here. WHY exactly did you cut off the shaft? The ONLY logical reason to do that would be if it's rusted together at the slip yoke, I really hope that is the case here!

AllanD · Sep 15, 2010

I own a bunch of snap ring pliers and have never used them for the axle shaft ring...

I use TWO blade screwdrivers.

one to hold one end of the ring still and the other I use to push the free end of the ring off the shaft....

Once that ring moves more than about 1/4" you can then get a screw driver between the shaft and the "Belly" of the ring.

That ring doesn't need to slide off the shaft as it's only purpose is to hold the splined washer in place and keep tension on the spindle back-side seal.

AD

truckguy · Sep 15, 2010

got it off on the second try. Now im having trouble getting the spindle off. any suggestions for that?

Shran · Sep 15, 2010

Dead blow hammer or BFH and a 2x4. Sometimes it takes a lot of time to work it out of the knuckle. DO NOT damage the part of the spindle that the wheel bearings ride on! Wire wheel the spot where it goes into the spindle and use anti-seize for easy dis-assembly in the future.

What Allan said about the two flat blad screwdrivers works great BTW, not that you needed to know at this point though.

truckguy · Sep 15, 2010

which part do i hit?

adsm08 · Sep 16, 2010

Which part do you want to take off? Hit that.

ragajungle · Sep 23, 2010

Shran said:
Wait... you cannot be serious... or we are missing some information here. WHY exactly did you cut off the shaft? The ONLY logical reason to do that would be if it's rusted together at the slip yoke, I really hope that is the case here!

Yep it was a special move.. but I tried like hell to get the yoke in the center to come out and no dice... It was getting dark and I needed to use the truck to get to work the next day so I sawzd it :bawling:

NOT what I wanted to do.. believe me.

stupid snap ring

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