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On Aug 5, 2006, at 9:02 AM, Mike Fisher wrote:I'm trying raise my rear one spline but can't get the axle nut loose to get my emergency brake disconnected. Should I put a pipe wrench on the brake drum snout while I have big crescent wrench on the nut?
I don't remember what year your car is, but you shouldn't need to take the axle nut loose unless you've got a *real* early car with five-lug wheels. On the '66-'73 rear brakes, there's two allen-head bolts that hold the drum to the hub. Take out those bolts and the drum should come off. Gosh, that makes it sound *easy* .. It can be a fair amount of work. The bolts can be a royal PITA if they're rusty or mangled, the drum is often stuck to the hub with rust, and you've still gotta back off the brake adjustment to make sure the shoes clear any "lip" that may have formed in there over the years. But it beats the heck out of getting those nuts loose.
And BTW, a crescent wrench won't cut it on the axle nuts anyway, they're torqued to 250+ foot-pounds. Short of using air tools, a Torquemeister or an "axle whacker" .. you need a 36mm socket, preferably 3/4" drive, plus an appropriate breaker bar, a cheater pipe, penetrating oil (NOT WD40! PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench). You've also got to hold your tongue "just so" and offer some skin from your knuckles to the VW deities as a sacrifice. With that, you'll *probably* get it off.
:-)
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