01silvapathy Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I was off roading today not doing anything hardcore just going through some mud with not much wheel spin at all when I heard a strange sound and felt some weird shaking and popping noises. I was in 4hi at the time and when I was driving forwards and giving the truck gas it would kinda bind and sound terrible. So I had to get out of the mud and investigate. I unlocked my hubs and the noise went away along with the strange feeling. Crawled under the truck and with the hubs unlocked I could spin the driveshaft as per normal. Here is the issue, the drivers side cv spins right where it comes out from the diff which spins the cv and all that....the pass side does NOT spin at all. I mean from where the cv attaches to the flange on the diff....it does not spin. When I grab the cv itself I can spin it a bit until it binds on itself and is impossible to turn. So basically im asking wtf did I break? Im thinking that maybe the spider gear was the casuality. Im going to go take a video now of what im seeing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddfildvaynes Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 it could be spiders now that you describe it that way..... Easy way to fix is weld..... or replace. but then you would need to get a locker for your rear...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01silvapathy Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 (edited) Video of what is happening Edited April 11, 2011 by 01silvapathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 The fact that the one cv doesn't spin when you spin the driveshaft doesn't seem so conclusive with an open diff. However, being unable to turn that cv by hand seems like a bad sign. Could a busted hub on that side cause this? If that hub is somehow still "locked" then I would expect this behaviour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle94 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 my friends jeep did the same thing. granted it WAS on the rear axle.. but it turned out to be the gears inside the spiders??? the small gear... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTied Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Could it be the CV itself? If you jack that wheel up, can you turn the CV? If so, any crunching noise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehuntersam Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I agree on the cv or one of the gears inside of it where its binding up. I would pull the wheel off and pull out the cv if possible.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Before you remove your diff and tear into it, remove the manual hub and check the CV on your passenger side. It's possible that the CV axle broke and is binding inside the spindle. That's a lot easier to fix than the front diff. If the CV seems good, then confirm it by separating the CV axle from the diff (remove those 6 12mm bolts). If the diff doesn't turn after the CV is removed, the front diff may indeed be toast. If the diff is busted, what are your plans? Hopefully the ring and pinion are still undamaged by bits of broken diff parts, and you just have a busted spider gear, side gear or diff carrier. If so, consider installing an ARB locker, which replaces the entire carrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehuntersam Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 ^ Yeah that's what I meant.. Thanks lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaMountianbiker Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 I have a spare front diff if you need it 4.3's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick13 Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 My first thought was CV, but I'm not so sure after watching your video...but I'd check that first as others had said. Dude, good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Can't really tell but it seems that the final drive side of one of the CVs is a bit mangled. I would suggest unbolting the CV from the drive flange (the 12 mm bolts XplorX4 mentioned) and see if the drive flange spins when you do your test. If it does, the CV is bust. Relatively cheap and easy fix - reman/pick-a-part replacement. If the drive flange itself is binding, then, yeah, chances are something is toast inside the diff. I had a front ARB. They rock. BUT, the angle of movement is fairly limited when locked. As a consequence, if you're locked and apply too much gas while turning or highly articulated, you risk snapping the CV joint. Before doing all that, though, I'd invest in some skids.... Of course, if you unbolted the skids for the video then never mind. Also, before you weld gears or get a locker, might be worth analyzing the age and state of the front diff. I've seen some pretty intense R50 wheeling videos that didn't result in busted diffs. Was the diff just ready to go and the mud the final straw ? Do you regularly wheel so hard that a new/reman diff will wear out quickly ? If so, then look into an arb/welding. If not, then get a new/reman diff or gears and spend the money on some quality diff fluid. HTH and good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01silvapathy Posted April 12, 2011 Author Share Posted April 12, 2011 Its fixed, we took pretty much the whole front axle and wheel assembly apart. We did this to check the bearings and such for play or broken parts. Took the boot off on the inner part of the cv and checked out the joint. That boot had been torn for quite awhile and I guess that this last mudding session just did it in, there were rocks and grit all inside the joint and next to no oil. When you spun the cv by hand two out of the three round bearings inside the joint were binding and popping...not turning at all. So this is what made the axle move and sound like crap. We went to orilleys and got another axle under warranty for free as well as new grease seals for the hubs, we also repacked inner and outer wheel bearings on both sides while we were at it. All in all cost around 12 dollars to do and a few hours. Tried out the 4wd in the lot and it worked like a charm....no odd noises or wobble. Here are some pics Time for new grease seals!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Good to hear that it was just a bad CV axle, not your diff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTied Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Awesome, that was my hunch that it was the CV, glad it was an easy fix - and with warranty to boot! Wish all my repairs went down like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01silvapathy Posted April 12, 2011 Author Share Posted April 12, 2011 Yeah I was extremely relieved that it was not a big expensive repair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I figure that's what it was when I saw the boot torn. You also need to get some jack stands. I guess you never saw a jack fall on anyone, not a pretty site. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Dude, jack stands! They're $20 and will save your life... Glad it was just the cv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I also saw the first pic and thought "jack stands" then i scrolled down and saw you under the truck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howie Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I heard a story of a guy who was under his truck with just the floor jack supporting it. His 5-year-old kid came along, turned the handle and killed him. I wonder how much therapy that kid will need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I see a jackstand... just not being used... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick13 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Glad you got it fixed on the cheap. Because it looks like you might need a few more comments about not using a jack stand... ...you could always do what we do on the trails and just stack the tire you took off and your spare under the frame near where you are working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qx4donald Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Well - not to fully turn this thread into a "where's your jackstand dude?!" but... I was always skeptical about jacking up the truck from the from cross-member. But seeing you do it and hopefully not having bent or broken anything makes me wonder if this is ok. Also - nobody commented on you using the cross-member as a jacking point. Next time I jack up the truck, I'll considering using the cross-member. Also! Nice job replacing all that in 1day. Glad to see you back on 4 driving wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01silvapathy Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 Jesus people talk about beating a dead horse. I was never actually directly under anything. If the truck were to fall, it would fall on the lower control arm and even then it would not come anywhere near hitting my body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Jesus people talk about beating a dead horse. I was never actually directly under anything. If the truck were to fall, it would fall on the lower control arm and even then it would not come anywhere near hitting my body. Is it such a bad thing to have people car for you? Also, great news it was a cheap, quick fix...now you can get that badass monstrosity back on the trails! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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