I can not get the cross shaft bolt out. I used heat and a 6 point socket, actually cracked two different sockets... of course vice grips are no help... I have a hole drilled in it but I know it is going to break an easy out.
Is there a way to save the carrier?
Or should I just go find another 8-1/4"?

Problem with getting another 8-1/4 is time, closest pull-a-part is solid 1.5 hours away, thats a 4-5 hour round trip, and I am time poor right now... its not my daily so the XJ being down is not a problem, I just hate to "waste" half a Saturday to get another one. dang it! may have to pay more and get it from a closer JY, it's still 45 minutes away.

 

You're not going to be able to just slap another carrier assembly into it either. The gear lash must be set up properly. There must be an easier way to get it out, but I can't think of one right now. Maybe use a slightly larger LEFT HAND twist drill and hope it comes out by locking on the flutes? Plus adding a little heat?

 

Mmmm this is a fun one! I haven't had my carrier out or tried to pull this particular bolt, so here are just some general ideas on bolt extraction:

1) Did you try heat and a BFH? Heat the carrier around the bolt, then, using something like a brass punch, give the bolt a couple solid pops with a 3-5lb sledge. Sometimes a couple solid impacts gets stuck threads to release...

2) Try a high quality penetrating oil like Aerokroil?

3) Get yourself a set of twist bits, ideally left hand, and start drilling out the bolt. Step up in size until you are slightly less than the minor diameter of the external thread, then use pliers and picks to remove the remaining bolt material. This requires some knowledge going in, specifically the thread size and depth. And it also requires you to accurately drill on center, less you really bugger up the carrier. This is a miserable and risky method, yet I've seen it done a couple times in a different industry.

 

thinking I may cut a slit in the bolt head for a flat tip screwdriver, turn the carrier red with heat, smack it with a hammer a few times, and try hitting it with an impact driver. Not impact gun, impact driver has a screwdriver bit and you smack it with a hammer...
this may change the whole direction I go.

if I cant get it out...
option 1; get another 8.25 rear end and start over.
option 2; drill it out, get another carrier and go ahead and do a gear swap.

 

Drilling would be a challenge because the bolt tapers down into a pin into the cross shaft, and I'm skeptical you could get the rest out. If it does come out though, you could helicoil the threads in the carrier for a new bolt. If you can find a bolt extractor small enough, you might be able to hammer that on and get the bolt out. I'd be reluctant to slot it, lest the head split and then you've got nothing to grip at all. If you have a welder, find a nut to go over the rounded head and weld in place. Carefully dremeling off the shoulder might relieve pressure on the bolt, but I hesitate to use a dremel and spray grit everywhere inside the diff.

 

Welding a nut... good idea. if there is enough space between the carrier and the bolt head. I thought about the slit, that would weaken the head for sure.
If I drill it out, I'll get another carrier from the junk yard.

 

Welding another nut on would be my recommendation. The heat helps break it loose (better than a torch in my experience), and the new nut gives you a fresh gripping area. It looks like you should have enough room. Good luck.

 

Maybe a set of those rounded bolt extractors? It's worth a shot to try to save yourself from a day at the junkyard.

 

yeah, I call them an "easy out", this bolt is so small I just think it will snap right away, they are pretty brittle.

going to try the weld a nut, or possibly a small bolt, and see what happens.

 

The bolt idea sounds more productive because it will get the bolt head farther away from the recess and allow you to use a socket. As was mentioned, the heat of the welder is often all that's needed to break it loose.

I don't believe that pin hole is drilled all the way thru and even if it is, the end of the pin would be behind the ring gear and not accessible unless removed. The D35 in my WJ blew up because the carrier cracked thru that bolt hole and allowed the cross shaft to slide out! Total destruction resulted.

 

Oh boy, yeah - I didn't realize it was more pin than bolt. I take back that particular suggestion for this application. Welding on a nut seems a much better approach.

I don't think dremeling the shoulder would do much - and the risks outweigh the gains. Dremels are, after all, merely precision death wheels.

 

Put a socket in there and hit it with a steel hammer a good number of times, then heat it red, even a propane torch..then get on it with something, maybe drive a smaller impact socket on it, then tap tap tap.
Id then recommend a new spider gear set, which comes with a new cross pin and bolt, gears, and thrust washers. You want to keep that carrier or like Dave said your ring will be not the right backlash with the pinion.

Edit: Correction. With the 8.25 you'll be re torquing the things at the end of the bearing caps to 70 ft lbs. This automatically sets the backlash, so you should be ok if you change the ring gear over to a different used carrier
. As long as it's the same depth from the pinion, so check the pattern . I would think it should be. This is an advantage the 8.25 seems to have over the D30s, you don't shim the carrier to set backlash.