Axle won’t go back in

[boltbrain]

79 full float GM 14 bolt, took one axle out to work on the brakes and now it’s not going back in. Stops about three inches back, about the length of the splines. Been trying pushing down and in at the same time, no luck. Rotate it often. Any suggestions greatly appreciated

 

[mtnmankev]

Were there any weird noises coming from the rear end before you started doing any work ?
It's a rare possibility, but if there's significant wear in the differential, the mating spider gear may be off kilter.
If you haven't changed the gear oil, now would be a good time to pull the cover and drain it and do a full inspection.
On some axles, there is a seal in the axle tube just before the diff housing itself, not sure about yours, but if so, it could be an obstacle in the way.
Otherwise, there usually is a very tight window of room for the axle shaft to line up and slide in.
Maybe somebody else will wander in and provide their opinions/experience.

 

[boltbrain]

Thanks, got it. All I had to do was put the wheel on the ground two feet back, sit on it, put a pair of cotton gloves on and let my inner zen master take over.

 

[Originalthor]

I ran into this on my 70 c30 dump truck. What I did was get buddy to hit the pumpkin upwards with a 2 pound hammer while I was spinning and pushing the axle in and it worked. The diff had some pretty good wear but I just needed to get the axle in to move it to its new home.

 

[SquareRoot]

Thanks, got it. All I had to do was put the wheel on the ground two feet back, sit on it, put a pair of cotton gloves on and let my inner zen master take over.

It's a good feeling to finally get it in.