lower fulcrum shaft

[WULLIE4567]

help, anybody ever removed the lower wishbone fulcrum shaft, I have removed the front crossmember stripped everything off but cant get the lower fulcrum shafts out, so before i give it a good leathering and bugger somthing up could someone advise me if there is a wee knack to this.
It says in the manual to remove the split pin and castle nut and drift the shaft out HA HA, anybody please.
wullie.

[rgripp]

For reasons I won't go into, I have had a little experience of these, and it has been all unpleasant. XJS subframes seem worse than XJ6 subfames - less oil contamination?
The design is such that even if you were to remove the head of the shaft completely, it still can only come out one way. The shaft is carried within a metal tube inside the subframe and the slightest corrosion on the surface seizes it a treat. You can't get to this tube to heat it without destroying the subframe.
Turning the big bolt head at the end is a waste of time, it will just rotate around the shaft if you apply enough pressure.
If you actually get it to move, then you can have trouble getting a shaft behind to drift it all the way without it jamming.
Loads of penetrating oil - Plusgas better than WD40.
Using a lump hammer, hit the head of the shaft TOWARDS the subframe several times - hopefully you will hear a change in note when it frees up. Then drift out the shaft from the other end. Do not use a sledgehammer, as you might miss in temper and clout the steering rack mountings.
Heat might help, although one's inclination would be to suggest that it would tend to cause expansion of the shaft in its constraining tube. I think that when it is successful, destroying the bushes in the process has reduced some of the bind.
To summerise: releasing fluid, patience and skill. Then go back the next day and give the bloody thing a real clout in blind rage, and it will loosen nicely.
WARNING - the above is the opinion of a biologist, not an engineer.
Good luck with it. Robin.

[SimonR]

Hi Wullie,

Well its a bit odd that you're having this problem - my car shed one of these one day while I was driving along! Could have been followed by a swift change of trousers...

As far as I can see, once you have removed the nut the shaft should come free. You might need gently to persuade it with a big hammer but screw the nut back on first so that you don't knacker the thread.

[WULLIE4567]

thanks guy's, i will get back out to the garage and try again, i do have a fore hammer if it won't move . let you's know how i get on.
thanks again
wullie.

[WULLIE4567]

well, finally got shafts out but not without damaging the shaft ends and a big lump on my left hand missed the b------y alloy drift. will need new shafts, I opened up the subframe (neatly) folded back the material to get into the tubes to heat them and it worked, gave them a good heat up and out they came. my mate is a welder and he will weld the frame back up,
( he says you'll never know it was opened up when he is finished with it) well after all that Paul has shown me an add in ebay a full subframe off a 93 car, £150, thanks for the help lads.

wullie.