Drive Axles, Bearings and Joints: Service and Repair

Fig. 4 Righthand Differential Bracket:

Fig. 5 Lefthand Differential Bracket:

1. Drain differential gear oil.
2. Remove brake drums, then the brake lines from rear wheel cylinders.
3. Remove rear wheel bearing retainer nuts from rear axle housing.
4. If there is no clearance between rear wheel bearing retainer and parking shoe, loosen parking cable adjusting nut and pull down brake shoe hold pin stopper plate.
5. Using axle shaft padeye tool No.J37781 and puller No.J2619-01 remove axle shaft.
6. Remove brake line and breather hose from rear axle.
7. Remove propeller shaft from differential and secure to one side.
8. Support rear axle beneath the differential with a suitable jack, then remove ball joint bracket from differential carrier, then differential carrier assembly.
9. Remove rear trailing rod to axle housing retaining nut, but do not remove bolt.
10. Remove lower shock absorber to axle housing retaining bolt.
11. Lower axle enough to relive coil spring tension, then remove trailing rod from axle housing, then lower and remove axle.
12. Reverse procedure to install. Apply GM sealant - Vega repair No. 3997597 or equivalent to mating surface of bearing retainer to brake backing plate. Tighten to specifications.