This discussion relates to a question I have regarding the upper nuts/spacer on the diff end of the PPF. The video in message #9 shows the mechanic doing what the factory service manual says specifically NOT to do: remove the upper nuts from the PPF. In fact, the FSM says that if the nuts are removed from the PPF, the entire PPF must be replaced! That seems a little extreme.
I don't know a lot about cars, but I did well in college physics. I can't imagine a reason why removing and replacing the upper nuts would make the entire PPF unusable. They are just press fit nuts and a spacer, right? They were separate pieces at the factory, so why can they assemble them but the garage mechanic can't? Is it just that if they get popped in and out enough times, they will get "sloppy", and won't hold any more when you torque the bolts?
I also don't understand the sleeve that fits inside the upper part of the front hole (not the one at the bottom that gets pried out). The FSM says to thread a bolt into it a few turns, then pull it down. When I tried to do that, I'm pretty sure I was threading into the upper nut. Nothing was pulling down, and when I pushed up a bit, the upper nut popped off, with the bolt threaded into it. The car is a 1991, and I'm sure the PPF has been off and on a few times. Is it possible the upper sleeve isn't there? Can that be replaced without replacing the entire PPF? If it is there, is it threaded the same size as the upper nut? How many turns of the bolt do you need before you start threading into the nut itself?
I am not sure about the upper/forward sleeve, because I have not been able to remove the differential mounting spacer that fits between the lower part of the diff and the lower lip of the PPF. Hence I have not separated the PPF entirely from the diff.