86 Bronco 2 4x4 driver side axle help

[ecgreen]

I'm so lost on this adventure

Confusion always precedes knowledge!! Hang in there.

If its rusted in, can you get a large screw driver in and try to gently pound the yoke outwards towards the spindle? I wouls also spray a ton of PB blaster up in there if you can.

 

[Curious Hound]

Unclamp the boot at the slip joint and move it all thevway onto one part of the shaft. Then the shaft will slide apart there. FIRST, take a paint marker and draw a line straight across both parts of the shaft so that you can line it up properly when you reassemble it. The two u-joints must be properly aligned (it's called "clocking") so that the shaft will not bind later.

Shouldn't be rusted to the spider gear. Everything inside the diff should be coated in oil.


Here (post #45) is my passenger side shaft, showing the c-clip eliminator spring. The boot is over to the right. Notice the white paint lines for clocking the u-joints.

1993 Splash in SC

Progress will probably be slower now through the holidays. I am an industrial maintenance tech, so I will be working a lot of extra hours while everyone else is off through Christmas and New Years. I decided to replace the front axle drive shaft u-joints while I have everything apart. The old...

www.therangerstation.com

 

[piercings4_u]

Confusion always precedes knowledge!! Hang in there.

If its rusted in, can you get a large screw driver in and try to gently pound the yoke outwards towards the spindle? I wouls also spray a ton of PB blaster up in there if you can.

I'm going to try that and see if that works... earlier I hooked a ratchet strap to the yoke and tried to get it out but I couldn't even tighten it enough... the axle moves up and down and back and forth but thats it... is it supposed to move like that or be solid with no play

 

[piercings4_u]

Unclamp the boot at the slip joint and move it all thevway onto one part of the shaft. Then the shaft will slide apart there. FIRST, take a paint marker and draw a line straight across both parts of the shaft so that you can line it up properly when you reassemble it. The two u-joints must be properly aligned (it's called "clocking") so that the shaft will not bind later.

Shouldn't be rusted to the spider gear. Everything inside the diff should be coated in oil.


Here (post #45) is my passenger side shaft, showing the c-clip eliminator spring. The boot is over to the right. Notice the white paint lines for clocking the u-joints.

1993 Splash in SC

Progress will probably be slower now through the holidays. I am an industrial maintenance tech, so I will be working a lot of extra hours while everyone else is off through Christmas and New Years. I decided to replace the front axle drive shaft u-joints while I have everything apart. The old...

www.therangerstation.com

yes I see the marks... I understand that part... I'm just not seeing a boot on passengers side

 

[piercings4_u]

yes I see the marks... I understand that part... I'm just not seeing a boot on passengers side

I see the boot now... so now your saying to tear down the passenger side like I did the drivers side and then slide boot back and make marks on shaft and then pull it out... then unbolt differential and drain and then maneuver it in a way that I can pull it towards the passenger side and the stuck driver side axle will come through and still be attached to differential... and after that then how am I gonna get the driver side axle out of the differential if its still stuck

 

[broncc]

Lol ouch! I had the same failure on my bronco. I have a d35 sitting in my garage waiting to go in. I'm not sure how much luck you will find replacing that axle shaft.


I broke the axle climbing a hill. Slid down and got stuck uphill of this rock. Good chance to flex the lift, though.

 

[piercings4_u]

Lol ouch! I had the same failure on my bronco. I have a d35 sitting in my garage waiting to go in. I'm not sure how much luck you will find replacing that axle shaft.

View attachment 62395
I broke the axle climbing a hill. Slid down and got stuck uphill of this rock. Good chance to flex the lift, though.

this has been a nightmare for me... I'm wondering if a slide hammer would work to get it out...

 

[ecgreen]

this has been a nightmare for me... I'm wondering if a slide hammer would work to get it out...

I think it would, but how to attach it to the shaft?

 

[ecgreen]

All else fails, remove the carrier and how to proceed should be self-evident at that point

 

[piercings4_u]

I think it would, but how to attach it to the shaft?

I was thinking of getting the slide hammer and get the cv axle attachment that looks like a U.... slip it over the axle and the yoke should keep it in place when using it... I don't know... and if all else fails just push the whole truck over my hill and into the river and call it a day

 

[Curious Hound]

I see the boot now... so now your saying to tear down the passenger side like I did the drivers side and then slide boot back and make marks on shaft and then pull it out... then unbolt differential and drain and then maneuver it in a way that I can pull it towards the passenger side and the stuck driver side axle will come through and still be attached to differential... and after that then how am I gonna get the driver side axle out of the differential if its still stuck

That's probably what you will have to do. At that point, you will have access to both ends of the broken shaft. You may have to remove the carrier cross pin. Then get the side gear off the shaft. Then pull the shaft out. I would recommend replacing the shaft seal on the diff before re-assembly. It's old and may even be damaged by the time you get this apart.

 

[piercings4_u]

UPDATE..... well I got creative and made i guess what I'd call a wanna be slide hammer... 6 yanks on this bar and out came the axle... I had to use my angle grinder to cut off part of the yoke because it wouldn't fit through the hole due to the deformity of it... but now I got another question... look at the wave in the splines on the axle... do you think the differential internal splines are ruined or do you think my axle was weaker than those and just started to twist... either way I gotta buy a new axle and I guess ill just try it... also in the picture of the seals, should I replace those too... the smaller one seems offset in there...its my concern... its it supposed to just kinda float and not touch all the way around until you put the axle through it... I'm pretty excited so far... and not a bad job for a girl lol

 

[Curious Hound]

Great job! I feel certain that your new shaft will slip into the side gear splines just fine. Most of that twist was extra spline that was not engaged. You definitely torqued that pretty hard before it broke.

Not sure what that piece is that looks off-center in the hole. Your oil seal may have worn into two pieces, probably after the shaft broke. There shouldn't be any other part in there. Just the seal, then the side gear and it's shim, which is centered on a shoulder on the side gear. I would definitely install a new seal. If in any doubt, remove the diff from the axle beam so you can inspect properly inside.

Wow. The anonymity of the web. Didn't know we were talking to a woman. Welcome to TRS. Keep up the good work. And please tell us more about your truck some time with pictures of it.

 

[Shran]

I am with Eric, I would still tear the whole thing down and replace at least both axle seals in the 3rd member and inspect everything. Cool carnage, I have never seen a D28 shaft twist before the u-joint breaks!

You do have to tear down the passenger side shaft assembly. But I would really recommend that anyway, change ALL of the u-joints while you're in there and use Dana/Spicer joints... parts store ones are garbage. And lube the slip yoke.

I have found that a lot of u-joint breakage on TTB axles is due to bad u-joints or a locked up slip yoke...the former could have been why this happened... better to inspect everything right now instead of fixing the passenger side next because the same thing happened.

 

[piercings4_u]

Great job! I feel certain that your new shaft will slip into the side gear splines just fine. Most of that twist was extra spline that was not engaged. You definitely torqued that pretty hard before it broke.

Not sure what that piece is that looks off-center in the hole. Your oil seal may have worn into two pieces, probably after the shaft broke. There shouldn't be any other part in there. Just the seal, then the side gear and it's shim, which is centered on a shoulder on the side gear. I would definitely install a new seal. If in any doubt, remove the diff from the axle beam so you can inspect properly inside.

Wow. The anonymity of the web. Didn't know we were talking to a woman. Welcome to TRS. Keep up the good work. And please tell us more about your truck some time with pictures of it.

thank you so much ... a big thanks to everyone for all the help... I'll definitely be chiming back in to let everyone know if the axle fits smoothly or if there are other issues... I'm headed to the parts store in a few... probably have to order these parts I'm sure... and about my truck, its a 84 ranger with a chopped bed sitting on a 86 bronco 2 frame with a body lift and 33s...