Driver side cv axle slipped out of hub

[greenbastard98]

I recently bought this 1998 ranger 4.0 with a manual transmission and 4x4, today I tried to see if 4x4 was working and set t case to 4 high and locked front hubs (after market rugged ridge manual lock) and drove on pavement under 10mph to a place I could drive in a circle and listen for skipping front tires. After driving in circles and concluding nothing I left the parking lot I was in and took a hard left turn to the exit where I heard a popping and grinding noise. After getting it down the street to my house I now see the drivers side cv axle has popped out of the hub. What can a cause this and can I just replace the cv axle with a new one or is there a deeper issue with my 4x4 system?

 

[Uncle Gump]

Does this truck have a lift kit... or the torsion bars cranked all the way up?

 

[greenbastard98]

Does this truck have a lift kit... or the torsion bars cranked all the way up?

I know the truck has aftermarket torsion key lift, couldn’t tell you how much they’ve been cranked but the cv axle that is still intact is at a pretty harsh angle around 35°-45°

 

[Uncle Gump]

I'm sure that added to the problem you are now experiencing.

I kinda think too that it probably didn't just pull out... but probably exploded.

I would be leery of the other axle shaft too.

 

[greenbastard98]

I'm sure that added to the problem you are now experiencing.

I kinda think too that it probably didn't just pull out... but probably exploded.

I would be leery of the other axle shaft too.

I wouldn’t be surprised of that but how did the yoke just slip right out of the hub if it did? Shouldn’t there be some retaining rings to keep it in place? There are two snap rings still attacked on the spindle that came out, I’ve never really worked on a 4x4 do I couldn’t say what’s what

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Driving around in circles in 4wd on pavement would do it.

 

[avid]

I wouldn’t be surprised of that but how did the yoke just slip right out of the hub if it did? Shouldn’t there be some retaining rings to keep it in place? There are two snap rings still attacked on the spindle that came out, I’ve never really worked on a 4x4 do I couldn’t say what’s what

I recently replaced the front wheel hubs in my '98 4x4, which has not been extensively modified. The axle shaft retainer rings snap into a groove on the cv axle, and those rings are the very thing that should be keeping the axle from pulling out of the hub. It's telling that your axle came out with the retainer rings still attached. I would guess there are only two possibilites here: 1) The wheel hubs installed are too large for the axles (or the axles are too small for the hubs) and the retainer rings cannot do their job; or 2) the axle wasn't properly installed with the retainer rings inside the hub. (edit: I guess a third possibility is that your hub completely exploded allowing the axle w/rings to come out intact, but I'm guessing if this was the case you wouldn't be wondering about the problem here).

I don't see how your axle could pull out with the retainer ring intact for any reason other than improper parts/installation. If you had somehow caused the axle to be pulled out by driving then the rings would have been deformed and/or ripped off. My guess is the previous owner did not use compatible parts and/or incorrectly installed them. If the lift was modified maybe he couldn't get the axles in properly and just said "F- it." Make sure you have correctly sized hubs and axles, and that they are installed so that the axle shaft retainer rings are snapped into the axle groove and seated INSIDE the wheel hubs.

I went through a situation with my parking brake cable, where a previous owner had replaced the original with an incorrect part (heavy duty cable rather than standard). The length was such that there was no way to make if function, so he just left it unattached and flopping around in the rear wheel hub, and as a result I had no parking brake until I got around to digging in there and figuring out the problem.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I wouldn’t be surprised of that but how did the yoke just slip right out of the hub if it did? Shouldn’t there be some retaining rings to keep it in place? There are two snap rings still attacked on the spindle that came out, I’ve never really worked on a 4x4 do I couldn’t say what’s what

What I'm saying is the internal race and cage broke and the axle just pulled out. You will see what I'm talking about when you pull it apart.

Don't confuse the hub and spindle with the axle and CV joint.