[StephenSheppard]

Next is the sometimes tricky part. Remember that seal and washer down in the tube? Needs to come out. I do it by finding a soekt that will clear the bore from the driver's side but hit the washer. This 18mm socket is wierd and tappered so it worked out great. Basically just put a stack of socket extensions on it and hit it with a hammer a couple times and it should come free. Push the whole thing through till it sticks out the passenger side like this.



Helped push the whole thing through with this tool that's handy, but I have no idea what it's called.



Just a bit too slippery to push the washer and seal off the socket by hand so I just did this and hit it out with my hand.



Lot's of dirty down there.





This is a good time to mention that the keen observer will have noticed a needle bearing in the pinion housing bore. Leave it alone under every circumstance possible. If it's damaged then you have to replace it but if it's fine don't mess with it. They are hard to remove. You can submerge this thing and clean it all you want and not ruin that bearing if you dry everything when your done with air or heat or whatever you have.

A little bit of this and lots of water, to clean the tube and pinion housing up. How clean you get it is up to you.



Next I push blue towels through all the holes and remove as much of the old grease as is possible. Then I pour some laquer thinner in a pan and soak some clean blue towels in it, then push those through everywhere till it's clean enough for me. Did I mention you should use lots of latex gloves during this whole tear down because everything is super dirty and nasty. I probably used 30 pairs today honestly, and like 20 blue shop towels.



Also remember purple power will oxidize aluminium if it's left to soak or anything like that. Just clean it then rinse thoroughly with water then dry it and you won't have problems. Also Simple green does the same thing. Just a heads up.


Pictures of it cleaned up