Can't remove yoke from pinion on 11.5 AAM

[thunder550]

I'm trying to remove a barbed wire fence from the gap between the yoke and the axle housing on the 11.5 from my salvage truck. I got the pinion nut removed, but can't get the yoke off (or the big round part with the u-joint cradles if I'm not calling it the right name). Do I need some kind of puller to get this thing off? I tried the BFH and a pry bar already.

Here's what I'm working with. Got some of the wire cut but there's more down in there that I can't get to with the yoke on.

 

[bullfrogjohnson]

You will need a puller. They put a Teflon paste on the splines that over time turns into cement and is a pain to get off.

 

[Schwinn68]

I made my own. Take a piece of 1/4" plate. Drill four holes to match up to the yoke to bolt it on. Drill a big hole in the middle of the four small holes and weld a half inch nut over it. Thread a bolt thru the nut and you should have no trouble getting the yoke to come off

 

[Sledheadxp800r]

Don't try to hammer it off it's no good for the pinion bearings.

 

[thunder550]

Thanks for all the replies. I removed the driver's side rear wheel today and found the actual source of the binding....

Something on the driver's side of the axle is bent as well, so I'm not going to bother fixing it...just going to sell it as-is.

 

[AKlowriderZ71]

I use an old school harmonic balancer puller.