Haftstaft U-bolt stuck (rusted) to the differential yoke. Anyone have a way to get it loose with out destroying the differential yoke?
I dont want to hammer on it.
Any help would be great.

 

Try saturating it with Liquid Wrench or similar product overnight. Then tap the area with a hammer several times. Repeat if necessary. Stay at it. It will come off.

 

That's pretty rusty. You can try a penetrating oil as suggested above but you'll need to hammer on it. Probably a lot.

Putting heat to it might be a better bet. heat the u-bolt until it glows and see if a few sharp raps do the job. If not you might have to cut the bolts off and then you'll have the challenge of removing the bolts inside the yoke. Might not have a choice but to remove it.

 

Just went thru this nightmare, soaking it won't do anything but waste time & money!

I had to cut the U part off mine! The 1st I kept adding washers and ruined a few nuts drawing it out the threaded side(used a pipe on the wrench & it took forever!!!). The air chisel helped with the very last bit, but only as I turned the wrench. The next six I welded nuts on and used the impact to free them up. I used over 60 nuts(make sure to get uncoated nuts they weld better and aren't toxic) the bigger 1/2 or 7/16 nuts seemed to work better than 3/8. A few times I welded a washer on and then the nut, but it didn't seem to help a lot. The 8th and final one after about 15 nuts failing to do anything I then tired to draw it thru like the 1st but it broke off after it only went in about 1/8". So I tried 5 more nuts(making the total a 1/3 of all nuts used on this one) and then the air chisel again and it took me pushing it as hard as I could and it slowly came out.

Torches might be easier with an air chisel if you cut them, but I only have map gas and that gets everything too hot before maybe that area would be hot enough. I let things cool down several times to not cook my shaft seal. I would put my finger on the seal shield to make sure it wasn't getting too hot from all the nuts I welded.

 

I don't have a welder or torch. But I do have a die grinder . So I am thinking of cutting the U down the middle and try to wiggle the two haves out.
Anyone try this ?

 

Soak the damn thing with PB or similar

 

Anyone else ?

 

Cut it as ur suggesting and pry it lose .. You still may have to hit yoke with a hammer to break the rust bond .. Use a brass rod against the yoke and hit it like it owes ya money ..

 

Just tap on the "U" end with a little hammer to loosen the dirt (not rust) that is holding it in. Then tap on the threaded end and it'll come right out.

 

PB Blaster for a couple days. then thread the nut on almost all the way and tap the threaded end. It will tap right out. That don't look bad at all.

 

FYI on mine I did try a air chisel pushing the U tip out, but nada. There is no room for a hammer between the nut and rearend!!! There is just enough room for a wrench! I soak stuff with pen oil on my clean C4 from Arizona and it hardly helps, so idk why people constantly advise it on this forum.

 

I have disassembled dozens of these WAY, WAY more rusted than that. Soak it ALL well with PB Blaster, thread the nut almost on and pry between the rear end housing and the nut. That will come right apart, it is not bad or siezed at all.
Edit: Get the lock washers off first, might be all that is holding it.

 

Tried a pry bar before I cut mine too! Not knocking the advice just saying

GL!

 

I did take off the lock washers after I took the photo. I cleaned them up with a wire brush and started to soak them.
So I will get back in a couple of days to tell what happens.
Wish me LUCK I will need it!

PS
I removed the old trailing arms and they had to be cut out. What a %**** mess that was.

 

Update.
Well they came off after a day of heating , pounding and prying !
Boy I am glade to get them off!
Thanks for everyone's help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!