After wheeling last Friday for the first time since the OME kit, my CV broke. I don't think it was because of the OME kit though, because the CV angles are very very safe. I did hit some stuff weird though while off roading, and it was after that point that things went downhill for the health of my poor axle. So, some work coming up here soon. I'm going to redo the suspension as well, as the OME setup in the rear is really really bad/stiff.

This is a really stupid question I'm sure, but, is it safe to continue driving with it like this? I don't mean off road or anything, but on-road, is it still safe?

This is new for me ... so it's time to do some more research.

 

I assume you mean actually broke the cv not ripped a boot. I don't know how badly broken it is but unless you have manual hubs so you can keep that shaft from spinning then you really don't want to ride on it like that.

 

HUH? are you sure you broke your CV?

Pictures.... that'll help btw

 

maybe not, i don't know, i definitely damaged it. it is spewing grease/oil from some part (but all the boots are fine and in tact ... the grease/oil isn't coming from anywhere near a boot) and it clunks/pops when i turn. i've checked under there and nothing is rubbing, so that can't be the problem ... i noticed it on Friday but didn't think anything of it. now that it is happening even in normal driving conditions when i turn and i can feel it through the pedals/floor, it's scaring me.

but i could be wrong. i'm just going by what i've read on here as symptoms.

 

All the seals are good? Is your X-Reas still in tack or is that leaking? If your CV is leaking, the grease smell is very stinky. I would clean up the area and start poking around to see where it can be coming from. Yeah, the popping/creaking might be the CV, but could be a suspension part also. Take some pictures there.

 

XREAS has been gone for months. it's not the suspension parts - i checked, everything is as it should be. i'll try to get out to take some pictures soon.

 

1. stop driving it.
2. take tires off and take pictures.
3. based on the pictures we'll be able to see what part has gone bad.
4. if you need parts i got tons (except for new axles and such )

 

Hey hey! Welcome to the broken CV club!

When mine went I didn't even know it was broken until I tried a hillclimb and realized that I wasn't getting any bite from the front end. After thinking about it, the only place I could have possibly broken it was a run a couple of months before - I figure I had been driving on it for 500+ miles.


Is it "safe", well, no, technically not - a lot depends on how it broke. If the shaft is snapped, then there's not a lot of support in the front end and you have two pieces of steel flailing around. If the end knuckle is destroyed, then you have parts sitting loose that are grinding away at the hub. If the knuckle ring has popped off then... you're "okay" as long as you don't let the front end drop too far.

My 500+ mile journey was the latter, and frankly, I was _lucky_. There wasn't a sound from the front end, no grinding noises or anything of the sort.

I could suggest that if you don't hear it, then it's "okay for a while", but it's really not safe. You're running the risk of doing more damage with each revolution.


(late add... other people have replied while I was typing this. You may have just torn a boot. Like Lance says, pictures!)

 

i hope i'm totally wrong here ... that would be excellent!

i will try to get pictures soon. it's on the driver's side, and i know exactly when it happened.

 

I fully admit that I am stupid here, especially with this issue, but I can also promise it is not an issue with any boot. I tore the tie rod end boots a long long time ago, and so I know what to look for. There is no grease/oil leaking from any boot ... but from what looks to be the part where the arm thing attaches to a more central piece ... I don't know if that's the diff. or what. Anyway, pictures will come when I have time to do all that ... in the meantime, I won't drive it.

 

ooo... That's a help!

Did you hear a snap? Were you applying power in a hard turn? Does the front end still engage when you hit the 4WD button? (umm, on 2nd thought, the passenger side is the powered side so this may not be a useful question)

 

Is there normally oil/grease stuff coming out of the differential?

 

Yes, I was applying power in a hard turn, and smashed it up against a rocky ledge thing. I didn't hear a snap, but it was loud in there from all the braking / or something where it was lurching a lot.

 

tracy, your description really doesn't help much unfortunately since what you may call one thing may be something totally different and confuse us. I'd say a quick photo will definitely help as we've all see what a busted axle and any surrounding parts look like.

Instead of trying to describe the damage, it might be faster to show us. Don't worry about photochopping arrows n stuff, just get the photo up and we'll just go from there.

Checking out carnage is always fun

 

boots in tact:



and hopefully this oil is normal, although it stinks to high heaven:



so it's not a busted axle .. there are no parts sticking out or falling off, but there is something going on there because I typed in the "symptoms" and read through all the threads and they described exactly what I'm experiencing - maybe not a broken/busted axle, but something in there is damaged.

 

And I'm sorry that I don't know all the terms and may be confusing you guys. I'm describing things the best I can!

 

Maybe try pushing the CV back and forth. See if there is excessive movements if so it's possible you've broken the axle inside the boot or the joint is broken.

 

Looks like you might have toasted the stub shaft on the tulip that plugs into the diff. thats the tripod cup, or tulip some people call it. that oil on it is front diff gear oil. Stop driving it. Take a pry bar and try to separate it from the diff housing like you are trying to pull it out. It won't come all the way out because it will only move so far since the spindle and hub are still assembled at the ball joints. but, if you can pull it out maybe .5-1 inch you may be able to see the seal and if the seal is trashed and mangled, then you twisted off at the stub.

 

I have obligations for the early evening tonight, so I probably won't be able to check that until tomorrow when it's light again ...

Keep throwing suggestions out there, that way I can investigate all the possibilities.

 

What would this require??

(and thanks guys for all the help)