I removed the right front axle today on a 2002 chevy tracker and the snap ring broke as I was prying the axle out. Oh yes half the ring dropped in the differential. So how do I fish it out. I have been poking around thru the axle shaft hole and the drain hole with a magnet hoping I would get it. No luck so far. So I suppose this means I have to take the differential out of the tracker and then take it apart to find the part. Not excited about this. Any Ideas???

 

Don't you hate it when stuff like that happens? Anyhow, they make a flexible magnetic tool that can get into more places. The problem is that the differential is made of iron too,
so its not an easy task.

 

 

LOL!! You ain't jokng about that!

Like they say: " It's always something"

 

I had the exact same thing happen to me. Harbor Freight sells a small retrieval magnet that fits down in the differential. I fished out the missing half of the snap ring on the first try.