dwreck333

So I did some searching and digging but came up with nothing like my issue. Could be because I'm not wording it right in the search so if someone has a link to the thread I need that would be great.

Any way here's my issue, I have an 88 4wd pickup with manual aisin hubs. My drivers side half shaft pulls out of the hub when put into 4wd. This doesn't happen immediately after locking the hub but after driving for a bit or if I have to make a tight left it pulls it out. I have to take the hub apart slide the axle shaft back into the hub put the washer and snap ring back on and find a new bolt because it shears the threads off the one that's in it. If I put it in and leave it in 2wd it never pulls out. has any one ever heard of this issue?

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

What are the mods to your truck if any? Lift (bracket?, bj spacers? Body? A-arms?). Does it get wheeled hard a lot? By you or look like it got wheeled hard by the previous owner? What kinda of terrain were you on when it first happened? Does it happen if your in 4wd on any surface? Only when turning left? Just fishing for more clues so we can help you better. Good luck hope this helps.

dwreck333

I am second owner of the truck the guy who owned it be for me was a good family friend he never really took it wheeling just had it for snow and what not. The truck is 100% stock aside from a bad part here and there even stock rims and tire size. I don't do much wheeling in the since of playing in the mud or thrashing it. I mostly use 4wd for getting back into places and snow. I will hit the occasional mudd hole but it only ends up in 4wd if it gets stuck in 2wd so with that said I don't hit anything that doesn't at least look like I'll make it in 2wd. It does it on any surface depending on what I'm doing determines how quickly it pulls out. Turning left seems to be pretty much immediate. Up hill or letting the engine break in 4lo down a grade also pull it out but not near as fast as turning.

RJR

Odd problem.
Does it do it if you shift into 4wd but don't lock in the hubs? That will help isolate whether it's the axle rotation or the torque causing the problem.

Offhand I'd suspect something haywire in the outer CV joint on that half-shaft causing it to "shorten" slightly as it goes through its rotation. Try jacking up that wheel and watching that shaft carefully as you rotate it, especially with the steering cranked hard left.

dwreck333

Hadn't thought to try it with out the hubs locked. I'll give that a go in the morning and see what I get. I didn't mention this but when i found the shaft hanging out the first time I went a head and replaced it thinking the shaft was bad. But it still does it.

RJR

That pretty much rules out the CV joint. The other thing would be to carefully examine the suspension and ball joints to see if maybe the wheel spindle has shifted outboard a bit and is "stretching" the half shaft. Also check to make sure the front differential is still bolted up tight to the frame where it belongs.

dwreck333

I will check all this in the morning and see what I get. I wish I could say that replacing the axle rules it out but it wouldn't be the first time autozone sold me a broken part. Thanks for your suggestions I'll look it over a little more detailed in the morning and see what I find.

bswarm

See if the drivers side wheelbearing has too much freeplay, if so it might be sheering the bolt off from too much wobble on turns. Also, see if the steering stops have been modified or broken. Could be turning too tight on left turns.

RJR

As I recall when I changed my half-shafts, there was no way to pull the splined end clear of the spindle while the other end was bolted to the differential flange. The half-shaft simply won't compress that far. If your splined end is coming completely out of the spindle, it seems like you have too short a half-shaft. Do you by any chance have the shafts for the version with ADD? They would be somewhat shorter than the ones for without ADD, I think. I'm assuming since you have Aisin manual hubs that you don't have ADD (don't think it was available in '88 anyway.)

Corydude99

I had a cv shaft come apart at the inner joint. Turned out that the front carrier mount had bent causing it to be crooked. Sometjing to check....

RustBucket

iTrader: (1)

My vote goes to steering stops. I can't think of another situation where that much tension could be put on the outer axle shaft.

The inner tulip joint has some axial slack to allow the axle assembly to length and shorten as the suspension cycles up and down. If the axle was put into tension the inner joint would get pulled out and the boot would break well before you could shear both the snap ring and the gold bolt.

Outer CV joints can only handle so much of an angle. It could be that it is exceeding the max angle and when it binds the forces causes it to pop out. Imaging turning a U-joint too far and you can get a sense for what may be going on.

Can you share a picture of your steering stops?

dwreck333

Sorry it has taken me so long to reply. Thanks for all the responses. The half shaft doesn't completely fall out it it's pulled out about half way out of the hub. It doesn't sheer the bolt just strips the threads and the c clip is bent all to hell. http://imgur.com/a/y5bw6 here's a pic of it starting to pull out again after I put it back. I drove it 66 miles today and no problems I put it in 4wd when I got home turned it hard to pull into the drive way and that's how much it pulled out. And there's a pic of the steering stops in there too.

bswarm

Does the front camber look right? That 2nd photo looks like a lot of negative camber, but that may just be the way the camera was angled.

dwreck333

It's the camera angle. I didn't really think to frame the shot just snapped a quick pic of the steering stops lol

bswarm

The steering stop is missing the nylon cap, but so are most trucks I've seen. It looks like it's wearing a groove in the pad where the steering stop rubs on it. Put some grease on it if it makes that embarrassing noise on tight turns over bumps. You can try adjusting the stop bolt out more so it won't turn as sharp. Does it turn as sharp to the right as it does to the left?
How does the camber look anyway? Is the top of the tire leaning in when the wheels are straight?
The only other thing I can think of is the half shaft is too short, or the inner joint isn't letting the shaft extend far enough.

RustBucket

iTrader: (1)

When you install the axle along with snap ring and bolt is it pulled all the way up into the knuckle? In other words, that gap is totally closed?

dwreck333

Yes there is absolutely no gap when I reinstall with a new bolt and snap ring. the shaft is just as long as the passage side so I don't think it's to short. The end of the splines end at the 4wd hub. I'll take some pics of the tires straight and up load them. Tires wear right so I don't think the camber is an issue.

bswarm

I was just wondering, because adjusting camber negative pulls the shaft out more. I would expect no problems like that, but anythings possible.

dwreck333

I mean it's not supposed to look like those hella flush hondas? Lol here's some pics of the front end hopefully it helps http://imgur.com/a/ryxHH

bswarm

^ Looks good. I'm out of ideas.