thanks redbayredneck. i figured there would be all sorts of awful sounds and grinding if that happened to me, long before the axle got pushed out of the housing. thanks for the input.

 

I cannot believe the spyder gears caused this. These are NOT c-clip axles. Even if the spyder gears grenaded, they wouldn't push the axle out....

 

Don't let them get away with telling you that! If it was the spider gears you would definitely know - they sound like somebody threw a bunch of rocks in your diff when they fail.

Judging by the fact that shoulder on the axle that the bearing presses onto still looks to be in good shape and the bearing seems to be retained in the bearing cup, I would venture to say that they either 1) didn't put the c-clip in, 2) didn't seat the c-clip in all the way or 3) forgot to put the bearing collar on before the c-clip. I would recommend trying to find that c-clip if it is in there and not completely trashed then they probably didn't seat it down in the groove properly, if it is missing then chances are that they forgot to install it and if it is trashed then they probably forgot the collar or something else is to blame. Being that it appears that you axle didn't come all the way out, all of the parts should be in the axle housing somewhere. Pop off that bearing cup and you should be able to find everything

 

I dont think it is spider gears either. there would be some terrible noise coming from the rear end before it grenaded. The bearing looks like it cooked on the axle, could be wrong tho. I would sooner say it's missing something important back there.

 

Oh, and if the bearing failed, chances are that the inside of the bearing would still be on the axle shaft.

 

He said the c clip failed.

Quick what are the chances of that happening?

 

On a Ford 100%, on a Toyota... Not so much.

My $$$ is on improper assembly and it eventually failed.

 

considering you hardly ever see a Toyota on the side of the road with an axle sticking halfway out of the housing, I would say pretty slim chances. The only why I can see a c-clip failing would be if it actually broke in half or it wasn't seated in the groove all the way. I'm not a professional mechanic, but I have rebuilt about a dozen rear axle and I have never had a C-clip fail or had any other catastrophic failures. My finger points to the mechanic's negligence. Ask to see the broken c-clip, if he can't produce it then I would demand a refund (I wouldn't let him repair it again if he screwed it up the first time).

 

Also, if he says that he can't produce the failed c-clip, you better be ready to remove that diff because there is a good chance that it is still in there (if in fact he put it on) and that would cause some hell on your gears.

It's not rocket science to replace a rear axle bearing, I've done it before even without a press. In fact, taking it apart is the hardest part - If I had the axles out and the bearings separated, I would be able to re-assemble both sides in less than 30 minutes.

 

he should have replaced the c clip when he did the work, at least that's what i would do. that's like changing out a u joint and reusing the retaining clips from the old u joint.

 

Here is a picture of my axles if you aren't familiar with how they go together - notice the c-clip and the collar between the c-clip and bearing. The whole axle slides into the axle housing and four bolts bolt through the bearing cup to the axle housing. The actual bearing cup pretty much holds the axle in place while the clip just keeps the axle from sliding out. The c-clip can be a weak point in very extreme conditions, but for daily driving there is very very little chance of failing.

 

Quick update. He isn't budging on the c clip failure. And twist is that he had it all together when I got there!! TOLD HIM NOT TO BUT DID IT ANYEAY

 

Sounds like its free then

 

I would pull it apart and inspect it myself at this point. Sounds like this guy is probably a turd.

 

Yeah, any repairs they do without your permission in advance, they cannot charge you for. That's the law in here anyway.

 

That mechanic is definitely a hack.

 

next question. in pictures 3 and 6 that i supplied is there any significance to the discoloration where the wheel bearing and retainer attaches to the shaft?
could he have pressed them wrong?

ps. i will update you all on current status after i see him again today.

 

I hope for you sake he isn't dumb enough to reuse those axles... Sorry to hear about all the troubles man.

 

Yes,
There is some chaffing on the rear side of the clip groove. This usually happens when the bearing was not pressed on quite enough to allow the clip to seat fully into the groove. Lateral pressures begin to wallow out the grove, and eventually the more play the harder the forces on the clip. Very similar action to a slide hammer, then the clip fails.

That axle is now damaged, as is the seal, and bearing. I would be quite surprised if that axle is not bent now from the vehicle weight sitting on the end of it.

Either way, the shop owner needs to stand behind the work, period. Even if it was a part failure(its not) he would need to stand behind the work and have his parts supplier file a claim for reimbursement of his labor.

Unfortunately a holes like this make being an Automotive Technician hard today. Mistakes can be made, some are worse than other. Thankfully no one was hurt, he needs to stand behind his business and work and make it right. He has no case to stand on in court, period.

The trick is be polite and calm, don't be an ass and scream and yell at the guy. Just tell him that you paid money to have your truck fixed, you want it fixed!

Dave
ASE Master Tech

 

I haven't taken a diff apart in a couple years, but I DON'T think the spider gears breaking could cause pressure to make that axle pop out. No c clip on the diff side. There is the bearing retainer(which is pressed on and off I believe? I recall doing mine with the shop press), then the four backing plate bolts. Did the studs on the backing plate shear off, break the axle housing?