Broken Axle or Differential?

[rocky61201]

Broken Axle or Diff?

I had a thread in the brake section, but that's not the problem lol.

Its a 71 Charger with an open diff 2.45 ratio 8.25 axle.

I still have to take it apart to find exactly what's broken but I'm hoping an expert here will tell me what's broken so I can get a head start and order parts. I've never had a problem like this before. The car will not move with wheels on the ground so here are the symptoms with the car on jack stands.

1. I can still rotate the wheels with the car in park and they spin in opposite directions just like an open diff should. I verified the car is in park because I can't spin the driveshaft by hand. The wheels shouldn't turn when park is engaged and if an axle was broken I would hear some grinding or clunking and the other wheel wouldn't spin right?

2. Put the car in neutral and spin the driveshaft by hand in either direction. Only the left wheel spins. I still can't hear any loud grinding or clunking.

3. It's only when I put the car on the ground and everything gets locked up when engaging in drive or reverse. Car won't budge even when I put some throttle into it.

Here are a couple pics.

 

[daredevil]

With the car in neutral can you push the car?

 

[rocky61201]

With the car in neutral can you push the car?

Nope, doesn't budge. I can spin the wheels no prob on a jack stands. Lower the car, doesn't give at all in neutral.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Does that axle use c clips to retain the axles?

 

[rocky61201]

I'm in middle of taking a closer look now. C clips. When I play with the outside end of the axle and look inside the diff and observe the inside end of the axle there is no free play in any direction when I wiggle or turn it. Axles are not broken. No grinding, clunking. In other words, I wiggle one end with my hand, the other end moves exactly the same.

 

[moparmarks]

So you can spin the drive shaft?

- - - Updated - - -

. I can still rotate the wheels with the car in park and they spin in opposite directions just like an open diff should. I verified the car is in park because I can't spin the driveshaft by hand. The wheels shouldn't turn when park is engaged and if an axle was broken I would hear some grinding or clunking and the other wheel wouldn't spin right?


Yes the wheels will spin when in park with an open diff. With a Suregrip, no. With an open 2 of the 3 will spin. D/S and one wheel, D/S and the other wheel or the 2 wheels.

 

[rocky61201]

Ok axle's are out and they ain't broken. None of the splines are stripped, they look good. The spider gears look ok too but maybe a little worse for wear, the splines inside the spider gears look A-OK. Outer wheels bearings look good. The carrier is coming out tomorrow.

All I know is I had this problem when I first bought the car. No biggie because I was doing a resto and towed it home. I've been rolling this car around in the garage back and forth for a year or two when it was in neutral. Park, couldn't roll it. Then I get electrical done and fire it up. Put it in reverse to pull out the garage and the car won't budge. The car lurches like when your trying to power brake the tires loose to do a burnout. I gave it enough gas but backed off the throttle when it appeared it wouldn't budge and didn't want to grenade anything.

Like I said everything works with wheels in the air, car running in drive or reverse, but only the left wheel spins. Turn the car off. Put it in park and both wheels turned by hand work as it should. Put it in drive and turn the driveshaft, only the left wheel turn in either direction I spin the driveshaft.

What the hell is going on????

I hope it aint the tranny. I'm broke.

 

[Hemi Rebel]

With the the rear wheels off the ground, start it up and put it in gear and see what happens.

 

[66Satellite_in_NC]

drop the drive shaft and then see if you can push the car?

 

[BeastlyBirdie]

Maybe I am reading the posts wrong, but, you say you pushed it around in neutral while working on it, no problem. The diff seems to be intact, as it spins the way it should. And the revving up produces a surge? Sounds like a transmission problem to me.

 

[daredevil]

Broke sprag.?

 

[eric383]

I would look at the trans. also.

 

[moparmarks]

I'm also thinking the tranny.

 

[dryheat]

Agree on the tranny.

Not sure this is possible (wiser people than I will answer) but is there any chance that the linkage being slightly out of adjustment could cause this behavior?

 

[rocky61201]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys. Gonna get back to work on it today. Axles are out, carrier is coming out soon. Before I took the rear end apart I had the car on jackstands, wheels in the air. Start the car and put it in drive or reverse and nothing is locked up, but only the left wheel will spin backwards or forwards depending on drive or reverse.

This only happens with car on the ground. Put the car in reverse to back out of the garage and the car won't budge. Give it some gas and the car lurches as if the wheels are trying to break free but won't budge. Just like if you had the parking brake on. But trust me when I do this the parking brake isn't on and my foot isn't on the brake. I removed the parking brake cables as one last try before I took the diff apart just to make sure I didn't have brake problem.

I'm gonna inspect everything closely today and put the rear end back to together and give it another shot. I'll post more later. Still hoping it aint the tranny, but like I said everything works with car in the air and wheels up.

 

[rocky61201]

Problem solved. I feel like a freakin idiot. The parking cables were unhooked from underneath the car but the rear cable attached to the drum was left on. The right side cable is seriously stuck in the closed position. I sprayed some break free down the cable and its still stuck. Put it in a vise and pulled as hard as I could and still couldn't budge it. Anyway its on the right side of the car which is up against the garage wall so its doesn't get looked at by me as close as the left side of the car. The left side parking brake worked just fine. Sometimes it helps to have two sets of eyes I guess. Been a frustrating past two days. Gotta order another cable now. Cheaper than a tranny or rear end or axle. Painfull but cheap lesson, lol. Still

I thought it was a brake problem at first. But when I jacked up the car on stands and put it in gear and things looked like the were working just fine in forward in reverse I thought it was something more serious. Stupid open diff fooled me.

 

[HT413]

Hey man, it's good news. Most of us don't do it for a living so we have to pay the vig every now and again.

 

[Supershafts]

Lmao, and you learned a valuable lesson right ??? did you???