Broken Axle - Outback ( way outback )

[Tinstar]

Sounds like terrain will prevent most of the ways to get it limped out.
The things that would work on much smoother ground would get ripped off where he's at I'm guessing.

Sounds like good practice for a National Guard Chinook Unit.
CH-47 would handle a CUCV without even trying.

Then reality kicks in and truck still stuck in BFE

Lots of tool and parts as already mentioned

Good Luck

 

[royalflush55]

Wheel dolly, remove drive shaft, and limp it home in front wheel drive? Guess you'd have to plug or keep yoke in transfer case output & maybe terrain is to rough.

If I'm seeing the picture right, that hole in the differential cover might mean there is more wrong in there, perhaps indicating axle swap. '

Good luck.

I don't think that is a hole in cover. Metal fragments that have collected on magnet.
If axle broke with all 4 wheels pulling how is it going to make it out with front wheel drive only? Just a thought?
Tough luck situation!

 

[swbradley1]

Coming back might not be as bad.

You put ratchet straps and/or chains to hold the rear together then it won't come apart and would be drive able over all kinds of terrain. If you had seen what Gimpy drove over to get the broke Deuce back to camp at Haspin this year you would see why I say that. It held together.

 

[royalflush55]

Coming back might not be as bad.

You put ratchet straps and/or chains to hold the rear together then it won't come apart and would be drive able over all kinds of terrain. If you had seen what Gimpy drove over to get the broke Deuce back to camp at Haspin this year you would see why I say that. It held together.

Yeah, But that was Gimpy!! LOL
Hey, I am for anything that works!

 

[Recovry4x4]

For what it's worth, I've had situations that could have been handled differently but I had it in my mind that my way was the only way. Once done I had no regrets either. I would embrace the challenge of swapping out a rear axle assy in the bush but I also know that they just aren't that complicated of a device. Royalflush is right though, a 4' piece of 1'' rebar and more hammer would almost certainly get the job done but I also know that making the trek in twice would really suck. 30 miles on the bush could be a half a day trip. Considering that, I think I would plan for both contingencies. Take the steel and the sledge and give fixing it at least a chance. If success doesn't come quickly, you have every spare part needed for the fix. Note to self, add 1'' rebar to the SECM.

 

[honda]

You guys all have great ideas.
The Chinook would be my first choice.
The 1 inch rebar is a good field fix, if it works. Not a sure thing, but worth a try.
Note to self is noted for 1" rebar. Along with sledge.

Its 3 hours to the trail head, 3 hours to the unit and then fix time. Then back out. Long day.
Heading for the complete differential housing swap.

This is definitely a two person job.
Terrain is very rough. Try googling "Rug Road" . Get the idea?

Now I gotta find a replacement housing.
Beg borrow or ?,,,,someone's got a differential setup they can sell or let me use for a few days.
Gonna try the yard in PHX and Tucson today.

When this is all done, the rear-end solution for this unit needs some beefy attention.

Thank-you

 

[gimpyrobb]

Still no answer on what truck?

 

[honda]

Sorry, M1009. 1986

 

[Chaski]

I'm with everyone else... cordless sawzall or grinder with cutoff wheel. Decent jack, lots of cribbing. Brand new u-bolts. Bottle of Jagermiester, lots of rags and gear oil.

And I'd try to remove and replace that broken axle first with the methods allready mentioned.

 

[fitz]

You should be able to find a 10 bolt rear end dirt cheap, although 3.73 gears are fairly rare. I stopped pulling 10 bolts from parts trucks years ago, I just couldn't get any $$ for them. They used to fetch $250 in the early 1990's.
I'm in Ma, if you were closer, I'd give you one.

 

[royalflush55]

I would want to KNOW that a 10 bolt rear end was usable (not just a salvage yard core) before going to the trouble of changing one in a remote location. High mile 10 bolt rears are not on the dependable list.

I would prefer a 1"pressed steel shaft material or cold rolled shaft material over 1" rebar for a long punch. Both will be smooth and tougher. If I had to use rebar it would be grade 60 rebar. On the farm I save planter shafts or combine shafts for situations like this.

 

[honda]

Royalflush55...so I was thinking the passenger side of the M1009 may be too close to the mountain side to allow insertion of a long enough shaft to reach through the passenger side of the housing - though the pumpkin- with enough length remaining to do the job of removing the broken axle. I may need to do the "well drillers" trick of cobbling together shaft pieces about 12" in length. Maybe use 1 inch threaded pipe ( 12 inch long pieces with threads on each end) with a threaded cap on each end of the assembly.

Anyone know the inside diameter of the spider gears through which this cobbled together shaft must pass?

Maybe 1/2 inch pipe would be better than 1 "

Thanks again for everyones input.

Picking up U-bolts this afternoon. ( just one piece of a story yet to be told )

 

[Awol]

Sounds like quite the situation.

It sucks now, but someday it'll become one of those stories that gets shared and everyone has a laugh. If I lived in AZ I wouldn't mind giving you a hand.

If you think of it, could you take a few pics where the truck is at? I'm curious to see the terrain.

 

[royalflush55]

You are going to need a replacement axle. Measure the correct axle diameter on the splines that go thru the gear. Your "punches" will need to be smaller than this measurement. I would use a solid shaft to drive the broken axle end inward to remove c clip. Hopefully this will loosen the material around the axle end that has it tight.

Not enough room on passenger side for one piece punch poses a problem. You will have to have enough room to remove this axle too.
If you can remove the pass. side axle shorter pieces of pipe coupled together might work but be careful because the threads are not going to be as strong as solid shaft. If driving broken axle inward relieves the bind on it your chances will be improved. If you don't have enough room to remove passenger side axle you are going to need a piece of 5/16"or 3/8" steel sucker rod or something similar that will flex, a little longer than the axle. Go in thru the back of the rear end where cover was removed and push the axle piece out. This will only work if broken axle piece is not in a bind after driving inward. After c clip comes off you may have to drive axle piece back with different length punches until you can get sucker rod in. You may have to drive the axle piece back and forth a few times to free it up.

I have seen medium duty truck axles twisted off pretty bad and they always come out.

Good luck man with your problem.

 

[gringeltaube]

..........................................
Not enough room on passenger side for one piece punch poses a problem. You will have to have enough room to remove this axle too.
.........................

If Plan B still was to replace the whole axle housing, then I don't see the lack of room as a problem, really. Just prepare to pull the existing rear end from under the truck and fix it where it is much more comfortable to work on. I know, it sounds like much more work but: 1st, the necessary tools and hardware (U-bolts, etc.), would have to be at hand anyway; 2nd, much less weight (and $$) of spare parts to be taken there - and back!; 3rd, that "multipiece-pipe-punch" wouldn't be any better than the hi-lift handle which he already tried...


honda: That broken axle piece may be seriously twisted right at the splines and not move any further inward without splitting that side gear in pieces and/or damaging the other carrier components. So have a spare for that part too. Better bring the whole set of gears, just in case.
If the C-clip is only barely exposed and cannot be destroyed/removed somehow, then prepare to go to business with a cordless die grinder & tungsten carbide burr, cutting/grinding the end button off, or at least weaken it enough until it pops off, after some serious wacks via sledge hammer and a long, solid punch, stuck all the way through from the passenger side.


G.

 

[rustystud]

Honda, do you have a winch on this truck ? Or does your Razor have a good winch on it ? You might consider moving the truck down to a spot with more access. That is if you have enough "snatch blocks" and cable and chains. If you do have a winch you can use a differential with a different gear ratio and just lock-out the front axle, since you can get unstuck with the winch.

 

[royalflush55]

I suspect the high lift jack handle is fitting OVER the broken axle enough to not drive it out. The solid shaft punch with sledge should move the axle end enough to remove c clip. Hard to tell from here without measurements of all the affected parts.

 

[fitz]

Where your stock axles assymbaly regeared to 3.73's, or did someone swap in axles from another truck at some point?
The reason I ask is that most of the 10 bolts I've seen with 3.73's came from 89-91 blazers/suburbans that used 30 spline axles (not the 28 spline like a stock M1009).

 

[Recovry4x4]

Where your stock axles assymbaly regeared to 3.73's, or did someone swap in axles from another truck at some point?
The reason I ask is that most of the 10 bolts I've seen with 3.73's came from 89-91 blazers/suburbans that used 30 spline axles (not the 28 spline like a stock M1009).

That is a great point to consider.

 

[cucvrus]

I would sure hope this CUCV M1009 break down has been resolved by now. The vehicle could have been completely dis assembled carried out to the interstate and reassembled in the time spent figuring out how to replace a broken C clip axle. It could not have been more dramatic unless it broke down on the lunar surface. This is a photo of the abandoned lunar rover from the 1970's. It was a memorable moment in both cases. I hope it all worked out for you.