By Jim "Ack" Cambron
The following is a pictorial on how I tore down a Samurai front axle to replace the third member.
It does involve a disassembly shortcut that may result in an incomplete seal at the point where the spindle is attached to the knuckle joint. Care should be taken in the application of sealing material (I used "The Right Stuff" in a pressurized dispenser) while reassembling the hubs. partial seal application can cause water to enter the joint during water crossings/mud immersions. With that caveat out of the way, on with the process!
Drain the differential
Remove the disk brake assembly and hang it on a piece of clothes hanger (you can get two out of one hanger...)
Revision In the above picture, I unbolted the entire brake assembly from the hub. I now have an Over The Top (OTT)
steering system that makes this difficult to do. An alternate way to remove the calipers is to unscrew the caliper slides
and remove the pad assembly itself to make room for rotor removal.
... and hang it over the top of the shock.
Use 8mm bolts to push the rotors off the hub assembly. They thread into pre-drilled holes in the rotor. Alternate the tightening of the bolts to keep the rotor from binding as the rotor is pushed off.
Remove the four bolts and pull the hub out.
The bolts are too long to completely remove from their holes.
The Birfield joint will pull all the way out. There may be a bit of binding as it slides out. Just wiggle it carefully and it will pop out. Pulling this assembly out causes the axle shaft to slip out of the splined hole in the differential's spider gear assembly so that the third member (including the differential) can be pulled off the axle housing.
At this point, you can completely remove the hub/axle assembly and clean/re-lube it.
Repeat the same process to the other end of the axle.
Remove the front driveshaft. Note the dimple on the side of the short shaft piece at the edge of the boot and the dimple on the end of the splined shaft piece. Use these marks to properly reassemble the axle later.
Use a jack to apply pressure to the bottom of the third member's case near the input flange. DO NOT LIFT USING THE FLANGE! As you apply pressure to the bottom of the third member, the front of the truck will rise. Almost immediately, the third member will pop off the back of the axle housing. If it does not, a few quick blows to the side of the housing with a deablow hammer will break it loose.
Now you can easily remove the third member.
Reassembly is pretty much the reverse process with the following notes:
Reseating the splines back into the differential's side gear assembly is a bit difficult, but not impossible. Be patient.
Carefully apply sealant around the edges of both of the plates in the spindle assembly to avoid gaps that could allow water/mud into the unit. The nice thing about "The Right Stuff" in a pressurized dispenser is the ability to better-control placement of the sealant while holding the unit in place.
Be sure to properly torque the bolts! If you are not able to torque the four hub/knuckle bolts, give them as much tightening as you can then recheck them after driving a few miles.