Hi Guys, after a marathon maintenance session at home, I ran out of time and took my 80 to the shop to finish up. In going through my front axle (bad leak at the pinion seal and 3rd member gasket), they have come to the conclusion that my front axle is bent, they say maybe 1/4". I would be surprised if it was that much--no noticeable camber, unusual tire wear or anything visually out-of-the-ordinary. My truck was in a front end collision before I bought it, so it wouldn't surprise me if it was a little bent. They are trying to sell me on a whole new axle, brake to brake, which they can procure, but is way more than I was prepared to spend. Can't find any used locked housings at the moment.
Is there anything fundamentally terrible about running a with bent housing for a while? Keep in mind, I have been happily wheeling, road tripping, pulling a camper and doing home depot duty in this truck for the last 35k miles. Would it be stupid to instruct them to just put it back together and deal with this problem on my own time/dime with a used axle?
They are also saying that sometimes when it's bent they can pull the axle apart (shafts and 3rd), but then not be able to get it back together. This sounds a little bit like hogwash to me. I have done a knuckle/birf service and didn't have any trouble removing the shafts and poking them back in.
I trust the abilities of the mechanic working on it, but not necessarily the shop's profit motivations (dealing primarily with the "front desk guy," not the mechanic). Hoping to get over there and get a closer look tomorrow, but if anyone has any thoughts on the matter feel free to chime in.
Is there anything fundamentally terrible about running a with bent housing for a while? Keep in mind, I have been happily wheeling, road tripping, pulling a camper and doing home depot duty in this truck for the last 35k miles. Would it be stupid to instruct them to just put it back together and deal with this problem on my own time/dime with a used axle?
They are also saying that sometimes when it's bent they can pull the axle apart (shafts and 3rd), but then not be able to get it back together. This sounds a little bit like hogwash to me. I have done a knuckle/birf service and didn't have any trouble removing the shafts and poking them back in.
I trust the abilities of the mechanic working on it, but not necessarily the shop's profit motivations (dealing primarily with the "front desk guy," not the mechanic). Hoping to get over there and get a closer look tomorrow, but if anyone has any thoughts on the matter feel free to chime in.