Jeff96-993

I discovered a problem Friday night. The car was handling differently, so I was babying it until I got home. Pulled into the garage and noticed that the center cap on the drivers rear was gone. Looked inside, and also saw that the 32mm nut holding the stub axle was also gone. So the only thing holding the wheel on was the press fit on the bearing and the brake caliper... but thankfully it did hold.

Tore it down Saturday morning... the stub axle failed halfway along the length of the splines. The axle is out of the car, so I'll try to take a pic soon.

I've read another thread from a few years ago, but was confused as to what I need to fix it. Can I rebuild the driveshaft, just replacing the stub axle??? Or do I need a whole new driveshaft assembly, from where it bolts to the tranny all the way out to wheel??

Also, I need a new bearing and a new nut for the axle, as well as new bolts for the caliper. The hub looks fine... I'm not sure if the loss of clamp from the axle nut would lead to it being overstressed. I'll have it inspected then go from there.

Any help is appreciated.

chris walrod

Well this sucks!

I would replace the wheel bearing. These type of bearings (double row, angular contact) rely on clamp loading from the stub axle. The clamp loads actually increase the bearing stiffness, or assy stiffness.

And your right, the only thing holding the wheel on was the press fit of the driven flange.

I would be keen to see some pics of your broken drive flange. Next time my engine or trans is out, I will more than likely have my drive flanges crack checked. Seems as though there are more and more reported instances of this failure, unfortunately.

One failure mode comes to mind. As the wheel bearing wear, the clamp load can decrease leaving the assy. less stiff than designed. I say this because a shafts strength increases with axial loads, to a point, so to speak.

Sorry to hear of this, but certainly glad nothing major came of it in terms of damage.

Jeff96-993

Chris,

Thanks for the reply, and yes it sucks, lol.

Wheel bearing replacement is a given, and I've already removed it from the carrier. But do I need an entire driveshaft or can I rebuild it from the outer CV joint, replacing the stub axle? Hopefully so as it would seem to be less expensive than the entire driveshaft assembly.

I'll check PET and the manual tomorrow to learn more about how the driveshaft comes apart... hopefully it can be rebuilt in a decently equipped garage.