Fairly new to Mazda's but has anyone ran into any issues replacing the axle on the passenger side?
I have replaced axles on other cars before (Honda's, Toyota's, etc) but never a Mazda.
Any special tools I may need besides a crow bar? I have a variety of tools and air tools for axle nut.
Any help will be appreciated.

 

i have never done one on a 2.5, we have 2 2.3's, and it is probably the same. the very first thing to do is blast off the nut from the end of the axle, and see if you can push it back thru the hub. sometimes, i use a puller to push it, you just need to start it, and know that it will go. if that sucker is froze, you have a LOT of work ahead. i always pull the knuckle off. you will have to disconnect the sway bar links, and turn the bar up for clearance. the threaded part of the swaybar endlink will turn freely in the link, you will need a 5mm allen to hold it, iirc the nut is 14mm. i disconnect one end on each side, then twist the bar up. you can try the turn-the-knuckle-to-hell-and-breakfast to get the outer end off, but it will be way more difficult to put the new one on. the lower ball joint has 3 bolts that connect it to the control arm, i take those off, then the 2 upper links and outer tie rod using a separator. if you use a pickle fork, forget it. you will destroy the boots. on the very top link, i disconnect it from the inner fender, and leave the ball joint connected to the knuckle. if your car is rusted all to heck, then you might break one of the studs connecting the upper link, and there is no way it can be fixed. pb blaster the hell out of it before you break off the nuts. of course, you need to pull the brake caliper and tie it up, then pull off the rotor. i have never been able to break the axle loose from the jack shaft with a pry bar. i take a long rod, and a hammer, place it on the inner part of the axle, and whack it, and a couple of whacks and it breaks loose. with a lift, you might be able to break it loose with a bf pry bar. getting it back into the jack shaft is also a chore, a good dead blow hammer is a great help. lots of people dont pull the knuckle, i always have, it is way easier for me

 

Thanks for the response and instructions. Will post back on the ease of replacement.

One more question: What size was the outer axle nut? 36MM?

 

Axle replacement done. Took about 1.5 hours on the ground. Piece of cake and didn't have to remove the entire knuckle, but it would have saved time if I did. Thanks for the help!