Busted front shaft, what the heck...

[compleckz]

so i went out on my grandfathers property tonight and tried to go through this big ditch.. i drove in at an angle, right front first.. the left rear came off the ground a few feet, truck felt a little unstable, so i backed out. the truck backed out easily, so i tried again.. i got into the ditch almost completely, but my front bumper hit the other side of the ditch, so i had no choice but to back up.. my right rear was still off the ground and no locker in the rear yet... so fronts only driving me, and BFG a/t's (i now hate these tires) they gummed up and i wasnt going anywhere.

i had my girlfriend come down with her jeep and i hooked up a strap, and she tried to tug me out, after a few attempts it started to come, i was backing out then bang the right front slipjoint female shaft broke at the ears.. i had full circle clips on 760x joints, i clearanced the slipjoint shaft like in the tech article.. oh and the cap on the slip joint got popped off during all of this, i wasnt able to find it in the dirt.. and i did have the wheel cut when this happened, but i wasnt flooring it

this was in loose dirt, front end has lock-right and 4.56 gears, and c-clip elim.. i cant believe it broke this easy.. i beat on it much harder before all this work.. this is the first time i really tested it this hard though..

 

[projectnitemare]

I can assume the joint was at an angle when it broke, the locker and having the wheels turned didn't probably help it either. U-joints will take much less torque to break when running at an angle and the changes in speed from having wheels turned then the stress of a locker. That was a lot going on for those poor little shafts. I don't even bother with the full clips anymore. I use the stock clips then tack the caps on. I usually break the shafts before the joints need replaced.

Matt

 

[compleckz]

is it possible to get caps separately? the ujoint is fine.. i only found 1 cap in the dirt though, should be able to clean it out and regrease/reuse that one.. i need the shaft though, anyone got one? i still cant believe it broke so easy.. next time i'm definitely tacking them, too much work to snap them so easy. maybe im just too rough with it..

 

[4x4junkie]

You have any pics of the broken pieces?

The way you describe how it broke, sounds like something was bound up, or maybe a defective part?

No, you can't get caps seperately, but you could try pulling ones off another joint maybe if you have one laying around.

FWIW, that part is the same on the D44 TTB, so you could keep your eyes peeled for one of those to replace it as well (you'll have to swap the opposite shaft though)

 

[crbnunit]

If you popped the slip-joint cap, you might have bound up the shaft and popped the ears. Doubt it but the extra stress probably didn't help any. Those shafts are fragile. Putting a load on them in reverse is always an iffy proposition. That puts all the load up front. Throw in a locker and cut wheels, something is going to pop.

 

[compleckz]

im hoping this somehow happened after the ears broke, otherwise it looks like the clips came off and i just suck at grinding? so i guess that joint is junk now..

there are more pics in that dir if interested

 

[compleckz]

what should i expect to pay for axles? bronco graveyard has a new slip joint for $59+ ship.. someone has both the center slip joint axle shafts on ebay used for $57 shipped.. or a compelte shaft set $143 shipped.. the local junker lists 'rh shaft' as $100 i assume thats for all 4 shaft pieces.. none of them seem to have a seal on the slip joint.. whichs costs freakin' $25 at the dealer!

 

[4x4junkie]

You don't need the small seal inside there, just as long as the outer boot is intact (just hose-clamp it down good). (be sure to use a Moly-type CV joint grease on it)

$59 for a NEW part sounds like a decent deal to me. Junkyard shafts should be around $30-60 depending on your area (generally includes both shafts attached to one u-joint).


Something doesn't look quite right to me on that break though, it looks busted downward more on on the same two sides (if that makes sense), rather than the diagonally opposite sides (which would be the case if nothing but a torque overload was present).

How is the axleshaft where it passes through the "window" on the passengerside beam? Could it be rubbing there at all? (causing the shaft to bind by being forced sideways)? The broken cap on the opposing shaft would seem to support this also.


(good pics, BTW)

 

[Thumper113]

I broke mine once also. Due to a severe angle bind (and a holeshot)

 

[compleckz]

well i did clearance the window in the axle a bit when i had the shafts out last time.. i also painted where i ground, so im gonna go check and see if there is any wear in the paint, or on the shaft...

 

[compleckz]

very minimal wear on the shaft, more like a few little rub marks.. the window looks like it did get rubbed just a little bit on the drivers-side of it.. the inside of the drivers beam has 2 little gouges in it... but thats probably from when the axle broke.. but really nothing looks severe enough to bind the axle.. maybe i'll grab some pics after lunch.

and something interesting i noticed.. the pass side far outer stub shaft, the yoke holes are already worn, when i bend the 2 axles at the joint, the caps dont move with the yoke, the yoke just moves around them with ease.


that $59+ shipping is JUST for the one i broke, not both shafts together.. a few people have sent me some offers on here, we'll see.. i plan to get another u-joint, and tack the caps this time.. i should open up that window just a little bit more to be safe... could the c-clip eliminator have cause any of this? it seemed to work just fine when i assembled it... had good pressure at the spindle, it didnt fall apart, i had to undo the hose clamps when i took the axles out... its a 30ppi spring..

 

[compleckz]

cell phone pics:

this is after i drove further down into the ditch, it was MUCH less tippy.. maybe cuz my front bumper was supported by the opposite side of the bank

the stock springs flexed much better that these skyjacker 6's and the belltechs....

they definately stuffed more.

 

[4x4junkie]

and something interesting i noticed.. the pass side far outer stub shaft, the yoke holes are already worn, when i bend the 2 axles at the joint, the caps dont move with the yoke, the yoke just moves around them with ease.

That has got to be from the shaft hitting the beam window (the lateral force being placed on it is what's stretching the yokes). IIRC, that was happening to CheapthrillEX also, I'll bet his was from the shaft hitting the window also.

STick a grinder in there and open that thing up more. That shaft needs to be able to move around quite a bit in there (I widened the hell out of mine, and it still wants to rub a bit).



I assume there's no problems on your driverside shaft (joint) at all?

 

[compleckz]

haven't checked the drivers side shaft yet, but after the pass. side snapped, i unlocked the pass. hub, cuz i still needed the help of the left to try and get unstuck, and it spun and made no bad noises

the pass shaft has no where near the amount of scuffing as the shaft in the picture you posted.. just a few very small scuffs (lighter colored rust ), and not in a circle all the way around.. and the window is only slightly rubbed on..

im defiantly going to open the window more, i ordered 4 more 760x's to build some spare shafts, and repair this set.. i plan to tack the caps too, we'll see how that works.

thanks for all the help, let me know if u have anymore pointers!

 

[4x4junkie]

thanks for all the help, let me know if u have anymore pointers!

Just make sure you don't overheat the cap while welding it and smoke all the grease out (IIRC, there's a plastic bushing in there that could melt too).

When you get it all back together, see if you can find someone with a forklift and get them to lift it up by each REAR tire to flex it out and make sure the shaft can still rotate freely (alternatively you can take the coils out (frame supported on stands), then use a floor jack to cycle the suspension each way and check it).

Good luck on it