Loud bang, then no power to rear wheels

[hoverfish]

1988 Bronco II XLT, 2.9L 5-speed 4x4. Starting from a stop today I let out the clutch, heard a loud bang, and the truck wouldn't move. There was a slight rattling noise with the truck in gear with the clutch out. I pushed it off to the side of the road and just for the hell of it I locked my front hubs and tried some FWD driving. I got it back to work which was a couple hundred yards away. What's the most common failure here? Do the ball and cage style driveshafts destroy themselves often?

 

[rochhound]

it could be anywhere from clutch to rear end jack your rear end up and start it put it in gear check the drive shaft if its turning its your rear end if its not its probably your trans
or maybe transfer case? your question on drive shaft that is junk they've always been a problem.

 

[adsm08]

1988 Bronco II XLT, 2.9L 5-speed 4x4. Starting from a stop today I let out the clutch, heard a loud bang, and the truck wouldn't move. There was a slight rattling noise with the truck in gear with the clutch out. I pushed it off to the side of the road and just for the hell of it I locked my front hubs and tried some FWD driving. I got it back to work which was a couple hundred yards away. What's the most common failure here? Do the ball and cage style driveshafts destroy themselves often?

Oh gosh, where to start...

it could be anywhere from clutch to rear end

No, it really couldn't. Not if I understand the end of his post correctly, in that he drove it back to work front-wheel style. That would mean the clutch, transmission internals, and the transfer case as far as the splines of the rear output shaft are all intact and functioning.

Yes, the CV-style drive shafts are kinda junky. I don't think they usually fail suddenly and spectacularly like that though.

With the trans in neutral hop under and spin the rear shaft by hand while holding the end cups. If the center section moves freely at either end you need a new drive shaft. If both feel solid and won't move, you need to pull the diff cover and take pics of the carnage.

 

[509lifted]

adsm i wouldnt doubt that it broke suddenly i mean i was going 15 and shifted to second and let the clutch out easily on mine and a then a big bang and my drive shaft was dragging on the ground haha. But yea like adsm said i bet ur drive shaft is the problem but maybe ur gears blew up but idk anything on gears but i doubt that would happen just by trying to go

 

[hoverfish]

It's the driveshaft. With the truck in gear the shaft spins up to the rear joint.

 

[shane96ranger]

It's the driveshaft. With the truck in gear the shaft spins up to the rear joint.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding.... the rear driveshaft is turning all the way down to the rear joint - as in the u-joint down on the rear axle? If so, it's in your differential.

 

[hoverfish]

Up to but not including the rear joint. CV style joints here. The shaft is rotating but the rear joint boot and everything beyond is not moving.

 

[shane96ranger]

Up to but not including the rear joint. CV style joints here. The shaft is rotating but the rear joint boot and everything beyond is not moving.

OK, thanks for the clarification.

 

[4.0B2]

I have one of those shafts with the same issue lol..
something about playing with 4.0 power to a worn out cv joint crap shaft... it doesn't hold up well. lol

 

[70roadrunner]

my opinion is that custom driveshafts are $ well spent, especially if you do any wheeling at all!

 

[Thed]

I was going to say blown re-tread... but I guess you guys already figured it out.

Word of the wise: Convert to one-piece.

 

[country0001]

Bronco graveyard has some affordable u joint style driveshafts. I built my own for around 150 bucks.

 

[hoverfish]

All I've found locally so far was $450 at Napa, I haven't got that kind of cash to drop. I've looked at broncograveyard.com, it looks like they charge $30 to even think about sending something to Canada, and who knows what the shipping will actually cost. I expect that to approach $400 total when all is said and done.

Checking around at the local wrecking yards, nobody has a BII. I suppose I'd be able to get a shaft from a Ranger shortened, wouldn't I?

 

[country0001]

Try this.....http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126558

 

[hoverfish]

I'll probably get things thrown at me for this, but... I found a freshly rebuilt CV style shaft locally for $125 so I jumped on it. I don't do any wheeling, the worst this truck will see while I own it is snow.