SYO237
SyTy Registry
Im having an issue with the CV axle flange (drivers side) that the CV axle bolts into and that goes into the front diff. For some reason, the flange keeps popping out of the diff under very low speeds (10 mph or so). Not sure if it pops when going straight or when I go into a very shallow turn (think lane change).
Some background to the story:
Drove the truck to Nats, beat on it and drove it home. Parked it in the garage, zero probs. Ran great. Didn't touch the truck from that point on. Back around Nov, I decided to finally do my C5 brake conversion so I pulled the truck out of the garage, and backed back into the garage. I also decided to put in my new AFCO shocks in all 4 corners. Conversion went fine other than accidentally ripping the boot on the driver side CV shaft. I have a lifetime warranty on them, so before I finished the brake conversion, I changed out the axle. No biggie.
I take the truck for a slow test drive around my neighborhood to set the brakes before going out on the street. Truck feels normal other than getting used to the stiffer AFCOs. Decide to go out to an abandoned parking lot about a mile from the house just so I could do some figure 8s and tight turns to feel the shocks. When I turned the wheel full to one side, I would feel a light clunk then nothing. When I went full opposite turn, again Id feel one clunk and nothing. My initial thought was the shocks. Called Tom @ Sportmachines and sure enough, I didn't have the spacers to put into the mounts to keep the shock from sliding back and forth on the mount bolt...hence my 1 clunk when I turned either direction.
No big deal, so decide just to drive home at this point. The stretch of road is 45mph, i probably got up to 50mph. Before I turned back into my neighborhood, I started to feel a weird vibration on the driver side, exactly like if you had a flat spot on a tire. Immediately slowed down and babied it into my garage thinking I just broke something on the brake conversion.
Ripped the driver wheel off and started to inspect all the bolts and suspension. Then I saw diff fluid dripping and saw that the flange had popped out of the diff. At this point, Im thinking since I had to change the CV axle, I wonder if I had accidentally pulled the flange out and didn't notice. Yanked the CV axle out and other than a bit of chewing on the outer edges of the splines from when it pulled out and I was still moving (they got slightly rounded on the very edges) on the flange and the C clip, everything looked fine. I even went as far as to remove the diff inspection plate and everything looked normal from what I could see.
So, put the inspection plate back on the diff, let everything dry and put the axle flange back in.....BUT, I was able to very easily pop it back out. Shouldn't do that. Harmon threw a C clip in the mail for me, but meanwhile I decided to take the one off the flange and give it a little stretch and try it again. This time, it held in even with me everything I could to yank it back out. Put it all back together....take it down the street slowly.... and the f*cker pops back out under low speed.
Group of us come to the conclusion that the only thing that majorly changed was the CV axle swap. OK, so maybe I got a sh!t replacement and it was to short, putting excess pull on the flange to pop it out. No prob, get another....lifetime warranties kick ass.
I just put the new NEW CV axle back in. I even put on the new C clip I got from Harmon on the axle flange. Put the truck on the ground, turned the wheels fully each direction a few times before even moving the truck. Check the flange, still in...but it does have about 1/8" of play in and out. Should be normal right?
Took it down the street at very low speed and the damn thing just popped out again.
So, at this point, Im lost on what the cause is. Ive checked the xfer case test to ensure the vicious is not locked. Everything spins and moves as it should. How in the F can I drive to Bowling Green and back with zero probs and now suddenly my flange won't stay in the diff?
Now, I just realized that during the brake conversion, I didn't reinstall that stupid ABS sensor ring back on seeing how I don't have ABS on the truck. Im thinking that a 1/16" thick spacer wouldn't cause this sort of prob, right?
Im up for input here. I'll be honest, I really hope I don't have to pull the front diff...cause Im gonna flatbed the truck back to bowling green to where I know a good size hole in the ground is and drop it in.
Some background to the story:
Drove the truck to Nats, beat on it and drove it home. Parked it in the garage, zero probs. Ran great. Didn't touch the truck from that point on. Back around Nov, I decided to finally do my C5 brake conversion so I pulled the truck out of the garage, and backed back into the garage. I also decided to put in my new AFCO shocks in all 4 corners. Conversion went fine other than accidentally ripping the boot on the driver side CV shaft. I have a lifetime warranty on them, so before I finished the brake conversion, I changed out the axle. No biggie.
I take the truck for a slow test drive around my neighborhood to set the brakes before going out on the street. Truck feels normal other than getting used to the stiffer AFCOs. Decide to go out to an abandoned parking lot about a mile from the house just so I could do some figure 8s and tight turns to feel the shocks. When I turned the wheel full to one side, I would feel a light clunk then nothing. When I went full opposite turn, again Id feel one clunk and nothing. My initial thought was the shocks. Called Tom @ Sportmachines and sure enough, I didn't have the spacers to put into the mounts to keep the shock from sliding back and forth on the mount bolt...hence my 1 clunk when I turned either direction.
No big deal, so decide just to drive home at this point. The stretch of road is 45mph, i probably got up to 50mph. Before I turned back into my neighborhood, I started to feel a weird vibration on the driver side, exactly like if you had a flat spot on a tire. Immediately slowed down and babied it into my garage thinking I just broke something on the brake conversion.
Ripped the driver wheel off and started to inspect all the bolts and suspension. Then I saw diff fluid dripping and saw that the flange had popped out of the diff. At this point, Im thinking since I had to change the CV axle, I wonder if I had accidentally pulled the flange out and didn't notice. Yanked the CV axle out and other than a bit of chewing on the outer edges of the splines from when it pulled out and I was still moving (they got slightly rounded on the very edges) on the flange and the C clip, everything looked fine. I even went as far as to remove the diff inspection plate and everything looked normal from what I could see.
So, put the inspection plate back on the diff, let everything dry and put the axle flange back in.....BUT, I was able to very easily pop it back out. Shouldn't do that. Harmon threw a C clip in the mail for me, but meanwhile I decided to take the one off the flange and give it a little stretch and try it again. This time, it held in even with me everything I could to yank it back out. Put it all back together....take it down the street slowly.... and the f*cker pops back out under low speed.
Group of us come to the conclusion that the only thing that majorly changed was the CV axle swap. OK, so maybe I got a sh!t replacement and it was to short, putting excess pull on the flange to pop it out. No prob, get another....lifetime warranties kick ass.
I just put the new NEW CV axle back in. I even put on the new C clip I got from Harmon on the axle flange. Put the truck on the ground, turned the wheels fully each direction a few times before even moving the truck. Check the flange, still in...but it does have about 1/8" of play in and out. Should be normal right?
Took it down the street at very low speed and the damn thing just popped out again.
So, at this point, Im lost on what the cause is. Ive checked the xfer case test to ensure the vicious is not locked. Everything spins and moves as it should. How in the F can I drive to Bowling Green and back with zero probs and now suddenly my flange won't stay in the diff?
Now, I just realized that during the brake conversion, I didn't reinstall that stupid ABS sensor ring back on seeing how I don't have ABS on the truck. Im thinking that a 1/16" thick spacer wouldn't cause this sort of prob, right?
Im up for input here. I'll be honest, I really hope I don't have to pull the front diff...cause Im gonna flatbed the truck back to bowling green to where I know a good size hole in the ground is and drop it in.
