Broken shafts, now what?

[whitetrash96]

A little while back I was doing some light snow-wheeling and hammered the gas and bang, bang, bang, you get the picture. I broke the driver side shaft on my d35, after getting out of the truck and confirming my suspicions I unlocked the hubs threw it in 2 wheel and limped it back to the cabin we were camping in.

I had spare shafts at home but since I hadn't ever broken any shafts/u-joints I didn't carry them with me.

Once at home I got ambitious picked up some new spicers swapped them into my new 'old' shafts and tried to put them in. The problem was that the ears were torn wide open and would not pass thru the knuckle to let me replace them, some time with a bfh and die grinder allowed it out however.

Okay now to my question, when guys are snapping axles is it better to hammer on it and totally grenade the shafts or baby and get off the gas like I did?

 

[Ranger44]

I'd say do the least amout of damage possible.

Who knows what else could have been damaged with that shaft flailing around.

 

[Mechanickid]

+1

 

[downzero]

In my experience, it doesn't matter either way. Once the joint fails, both shafts are typically trash.

 

[whitetrash96]

Thanks for the responses guys, now say with broken driver side shaft (like I had) if I'd continue to drive on it with it broken do you think the inner shaft would stay in the differential or fall out and lose all my fluid? I know theres lots of guys on here who have broken many shafts I'd kinda like to hear from experience.

 

[4x4junkie]

Very doubtful you would be able to drive on it. The broken yokes will just bind up together (very possibly busting something else in the process).

If you need to continue driving it, do so in 2WD. If you have a front locker and need at least 3WD to limp along, pull the shaft out and stuff a rag into the side of the diff so the fluid doesn't run out.

 

[whitetrash96]

Thanks thats what I was looking for.

 

[97BlackBetty]

When I popped the passenger side shaft I fully removed it, I then used some RTV sealant gasket maker, and ran a bead around the outside of the seal on the case, a few strips of duct tape, and I limped it home.

 

[Totalled]

Very doubtful you would be able to drive on it. The broken yokes will just bind up together (very possibly busting something else in the process).

Like the lower ball joint stud... and that fully brings the suck.