Re: My left 105 axle is broken. Help!

[Simon Favre <simon@domain.elided>]

If you broke an axle shaft, I would be a little worried about what else
you might have done to the rear end when it happened. Why not just swap
the whole thing out for another rear end? The 105/115 rear ends are all
interchangeable. Any Berlina, Spider or GTV from that series will do as
a donor. The ratios might not be the same, but in a pinch, why make more
trouble for yourself? 

To pull the axle and bearing out, a slide hammer is recommended. You can
rent one by the day. The caliper has to be off, and the 4 nuts behind the
backing plate have to be off. As to getting the remains of the broken part
out, I would prefer to take the entire unit out of the car and stand it on
its side. Once the seal is out of the way, tipping the unit up should make
all the broken bits fall out. Even if you still want to remove the axle
tube for cleaning, I wouldn't try to separate the parts under the car. I'd 
pull the whole thing out. Inspect the recess for the wheel bearing. If it's
damaged, you might have to replace the whole rear end anyway. 

Davide Frada wrote:

>I read the procedure to remove an axle in the workshop manual, and it makes
>mention of a special Alfa puller to get the axle out. Is there anything else
>that I can possibly use (to get the replacement one out of its tube, at
>least)?
>
>Also, I'm told I will need to remove the axle tube to get the broken bit
>out. The left side looks nasty... Is there anything I should be wary of? Is
>there a gasket between the differential and tube? If so, what thickness
>gasket material must I use to make another?
>
>Is it simply a matter of getting all the old axle out, putting the tube on,
>and sliding the new one in (without disturbing the bearing at all)?

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