Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Is it common for a rear axel to bend but not break?

I'm running 32"swampers, front and rear lockers, and reduction gears and today i went to do the rear bearings and pulled out the passengers side(Longer axel!) and the slines where straight then went on a 45 degree angle! Was obviously gunna snap very soon!

My question is -is this common and i should i go for the strong as fu%k one or is it just cause it's 20 years old?

CHEERS

I'll get pic's up tommorow!

oversize tyres, lockers, gears, traction................................

You got out of it easy.
If the axle had of broken it would have been a lot harder to repair.
When an axle snaps, the bit in the centre is usually a bitch to get out without removing the centre from the housing.
You are running 32's or 33's with lockers aren't you? Upgrade your axles IF you can afford it or carry spares(incl. tools and oil) and you'll be ok.

Yeah i thought that would be the problem.....

Heres the axel...



Suzi sport or what ever don't have any and wont till the end of the week and car busters have 3 for $125 is that ok?

How much are the streghtened ones?

Any way how often do people with my set up find this problem?

CHEERS

You have discovered the weakest link , you might need to upgrade axles , diffs to take the load , Cheers Paul.

Yep, done it with narrow 34's.

You could try the chromo calmini axles. Beyond that, you're into custom territory. The calmini axles are quite cost effective.

I'm going to Hytuf or 4340 (depends who can make me what, either material is very similar in properties) and full float which will take a lot of stress off the shafts, but ultimately, I knew I was getting on it good when I broke mine, so something was going to give - a uni, a mount or an axle.

BTW - breaking a rear axle in the bush is a massive PITA. to get the broken bit out of the diff means you have to pull the "good" axle (I found my longside axle was bent at the same time, and 2 crown wheel teeth were cracked) and then pull the centre apart to punch out the broken bit. It took us 3 hours to swap mine on the track.

Drove up the hill then though







Thanks to Ljxtreem for the photos.

Steve.

im runnin 33's with lockers and broke passenger side rear which splintered and snapped off in the diff. Yay thats fun and the drivers side rear looks similar to yours. Is the cost of strengthend ones worth it
in my opinion - NO carry spares

I disagree MrRocky - as you cant drive the car any distance on a broken axle, I think it's worth looking at adding strength - It might be some distance until you can get he car into a position to swap an axle, and it is VERY time consuming.

When I'm full float (with a spool in the rear) I can pull a broken axle and drive home, even if I don't have a spare.

Although it's better not to break the axle in the first place

Steve.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
im a tight ass

Not having a go - but that's a good point. retail on replacement axles are $125 each, and I just replaced two.

Chromo custom axles run about $300 each. I need 2 $10 seals, 2 laser cut adpaters $8 each, and some little bits and pieces - like a pair of front hubs I have lying around.. Yes, it's dear, but not really that dear. Then I can also choose my track width, get rebuildable rear wheel bearings, rear discs...

Steve.

sorry bout the hijack. but what is a full floating axle?

Cheers,
Sean

i understand that only the cv on the front axles come with a
gaurantee not the actual axle itself or am i thinking of another brand

Sean wrote:sorry bout the hijack. but what is a full floating axle?

Cheers,
Sean

That is where you get on your computer, open Google and type 'full floating axle'.

Like a front- the weight of the car is supported on a spindle, supported on 2 rebuildable wheelbearings. If the axle breaks, it makes no difference to the wheel, it's unafected (but no longer driven)

a sierra has a "semifloating" rear axle, the weight of the car is supported by the axleshaft, and rides on one bearing which is pressed onto the shaft. In the case of a broken axle, the wheel can flop around as the other end of the axle is supported in the spline of the diff.

Full floating axles are stronger all other things being equal, as the axle only has to drive the car, not bear any weight.

Land rovers, range rovers, H260 diffed trayback GU patrols, 6 cylinder landcruisers (not bundy's) and all trucks are full floating.

Hiluxes, most patrols, pajeros, narvaras and all suzukis are semifloating.

Hope this makes sense.

Steve.

Thanks heaps guys it's good to hear what every one thinks!

The mechanic over the road was amazed it didn't break teeth off the diff before bending the axel!

want33s has a set i can buy off him just got to price postage!

I would think it happened when i broke my rear drive shaft?

I'l put stock ones in and check them every 3 months or so!

The other side is fine!

Still thankin my lucky stars cause Gwagen steve's story doesn't sound like much fun!

HAs any one priced the custom shafts?

THANKS HEAPS GUYS!

steve's story was heaps of fun

it took us all day to cover just a few k's, and we did trail repairs on the way

ive broken many of axles and NEVA once has it done this to my center

Wow that looks magled!

I'm pretty happy i found it when i did now after hearing all the storys!

and thats y im chasing 3.9 rear diff if anyone can help me out

11_evl wrote:ive broken many of axles and NEVA once has it done this to my center

That damage isn't from breaking the axle.. It's from the axle flopping around while you continued driving on it after it broke.
You have a welded centre don't you?

correct and correct

So how is the in side of the axel tube- housing that would petty knocked up too wouldn't it or it wouldn't make a difference?

Nah the inside of the axle tube will be ok with a clean up.

That's the problem with semi floating axles - trying to drive out of the spot you broke in just ads to the problem.

It was heaps of fun- seriously - fixing our junk in the bush is often as much fun as driving it - Greg, Mugginsmoo, Ljxtreem (mock) and a bunch of other non outers people all pitched in and it was a good experience.

We did a mock-style diff setup on the track and that diff has done a few kays since then.... cracks in the crownwheel and all

In a sierra, the axles will go before the diff, if the diff's in decent nick.

You are young padwan.... you will learn the ways of lying in the mud fixing your junk with a shifter and a hammer....



Steve.

Well it went for a few years with pretty much no maintenence(just changed oils!) and wheelin 4 or 5 times a week so i guesse some thing was bound to go and i have pretty much replaced every seal, uni and stuff like that it should be at 100% with the new axel!

suzuki boy wrote:Well it went for a few years with pretty much no maintenence(just changed oils!) and wheelin 4 or 5 times a week so i guesse some thing was bound to go and i have pretty much replaced every seal, uni and stuff like that it should be at 100% with the new axel!

what axle did u end up getting, stock second hand or beefed up new??

Stock second hand for now been fixing it up sence bathurst weekend when i broke some stuff was in my members thread but it dissaperd!

So yeah i'm just hangin for a wheel! I'll keep an eye on it BUT if i go the stronger one that makes something else along the line break!

Ok sorry for the hi-jack but here goes.

I have a 89 WT SWB sierra with rear locklrite. Soon I will be running series 4 transfer gears and 32x10.5x15 simex pedes (33.3" diam). I have no plans on going front locker for some time (till I can afford an air locker). So what axles will be necessary? Can I get away with just the calmini rears? I would buy the calmini fronts also but they require rear "side gears" (not very knowledgable when it comes to the inner workings of diffs) and seam like a bit of work. I'll probably be paying someone to do the axles and new wheel bearings at the same time so the less labour and custom stuff the better.

depending on your driving style i think even the stocko rears will be fine with the lockrite.

mine only broke because i was REALLY hard on it, bouncing up an incline (totally my stupidity)
but b4 that, they still look like new from factory with lots of wheeling and a welded diff.

so if your stepping up to the calmini ones that will always help..

as for the front, and the different side gears, its fairly basic. the orig front axle spline
is a smaller one than the upgraded axles u can buy, the replacement ones are 26? spline,
same as rear, so u can use the SIDE gears that turn the axle from the rear diff in the front.

GRPABT1 wrote:Ok sorry for the hi-jack but here goes.

I have a 89 WT SWB sierra with rear locklrite. Soon I will be running series 4 transfer gears and 32x10.5x15 simex pedes (33.3" diam). I have no plans on going front locker for some time (till I can afford an air locker). So what axles will be necessary? Can I get away with just the calmini rears? I would buy the calmini fronts also but they require rear "side gears" (not very knowledgable when it comes to the inner workings of diffs) and seam like a bit of work. I'll probably be paying someone to do the axles and new wheel bearings at the same time so the less labour and custom stuff the better.

I have a lockrite in the rear of mine! Running 32's swampers! I drive pretty hard and i put it down to that! I'm goin stock again and will keep checking to see if it happens again!

So how much are these "side gears" and where do I get them from?

Oh and it's got a GTi swift mottor too, so it has a little extra power. I'm pretty sensible offroad though and we don't have alot of clean rock stuff up here.