SOLVED: Stripped Hub Flange/Axle Splines Causing Loss of Drive (1 Viewer)

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Joined
May 21, 2018
Threads
1
Messages
20
Location
Denver, CO
Good evening everyone,

I apologize if this thread touches on a subject that has had previous discussion, but through extensive searching I have unfortunately not found any other threads about experiencing this specific issue. I have a 1999 Land Cruiser that has about 283,500 miles and an 4-speed automatic transmission, and has never given me any significant trouble previously. Just this evening, I was driving in the CO mountains at about 55-60 mph when I experienced a sudden whine in the car’s driveline-a “thump” was heard, followed by a loud whine from the transmission. The car suddenly de-accelerated, and the revs jumped as if I had downshifted.

After pulling over, I attempted to put the car into park, but intermittently the transmission would not engage at all-moving the gear selector would not have any effect. I was thankfully able to nurse the car home by locking the center differential, which allowed the transmission to engage and for me to shift into D and drive the ~2 miles home without experiencing the whine and slippage in the transmission. I already am assuming this is some significant failure in the transmission that caused such a sudden issue to appear, but am curious in all of y’all’s knowledge and experience if anyone has an idea of what this issue could be, and what caused it to appear so suddenly. I have driven the vehicle at low speeds around the underground parking garage and it seems to drive relatively normal, but I have not yet driven at normal road speeds since the initial issue appeared. I have no warning lights appearing on the dashboard, oddly enough.

I have included a video of the whine when the car is stationary, at the point where the transmission would not engage at all. -apologies for the poor quality of the video, as I was focused on finding a way to make it home. Thank you all very much for any help and advice.

 
Thanks @JunkCrzr89-I can’t thank you enough for your knowledge and prompt response. From reading other threads with that info you shared I think I’ll look into seeing if I can pull the hub flanges and remove the front driveshaft, then lock the center differential to get it out of the mountains in RWD.
 
Thanks @JunkCrzr89-I can’t thank you enough for your knowledge and prompt response. From reading other threads with that info you shared I think I’ll look into seeing if I can pull the hub flanges and remove the front driveshaft, then lock the center differential to get it out of the mountains in RWD.

Just pull the hub flanges and drive it until you get where you can work on it. Not 'holding' in park (along with your other symptoms) pretty much always points to a hub flange.

@JunkCrzr89 nailed it.

Mine did the exact same thing. I pulled the dust cap and marked the CV shaft to confirm.

 
Thank you @flintknapper, I’ll definitely plan on doing that-the wealth of information from you and others on the forum makes me so thankful to be part of the LC community!
 
Look at the Front Drive Shaft (AKA-CV of each side) If neither is not broken (flopping around). You can drive with CDL engaged back to Denver.

If FDS not flopping around. It may be stripped splines of axle/hub flange. Which you can drive CDL on. But best to keep speed at minimum and stop every hour or sooner, to cool down axle & hub flange. The axle spinning in hub flange could build a lot of heat. Cooling can mitigate the chances of further damage.

It may also be, a snap ring popped off axle. You can pull off the grease cap and look. Snap ring would be likely lying in the grease cap. You may be able to squeeze it to a smaller diameter, and place back on axle. Then you can just drive "normal" back home.


For reference:
These new FDS, outer CV has yellow band.

1q.JPG



You'll not need this clamp set-up to pull axle, to get snap ring on. But you may need to push axle from back side enough to get snap ring in groove on end of axle. You can also use a 8x1.25mm bolt (many in engine bay, IIRC one holds down battery) threaded into end of axle, to pull axle out enough.

Grease cap
Grease cap channel locks.JPG

Thread 8x1.25mm bolt into end of axle, as means to pull axle out to get snap ring on.
Snap ring gap check 8x1.25mm.JPG

Snap ring
Snap ring.JPG
 
I'm R&R a busted FDS today. Which I found FDS to be aftermarket POS. Also found a very poor wheel bearing service. One in which wheel hub cavities were not repacked with grease. Bearings were burning up.
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IMG_5061.JPEG

I found "Nothing correct" with the last wheel bearing service, on this 100 series. Hub flange glued on, lock washer reused and barley holding on. Snap ring loose from being reused with way to wide a gap, axle bushing & bearing not lube, chisel used on adjusting & locking nuts, wheel bearing loose, grease cap loose seal allowing water entry. Worst of all. wheel hub cavity not filled with grease, so bearings burning up. Had this rig been on long HWY drive. Likely hub and axle would have supper heat and fused to each other.
IMG_5062.JPEG
 
Thanks @2001LC for the heads up regarding getting it back to Denver with the CDL-checking the Cruiser this morning, it thankfully looks like the CV’s are looking OK, and starting it up the truck goes into gear normally. I’m thinking I may drive back to Denver verrrryyy gingerly with the center diff locked back to my own home where I have a lot more tools, and pull the front driveshaft to run the vehicle in 2WD until I’m able to take it to a proper shop. I’ve never had a wheel bearing service done (mistake on my part). I initially wasn’t sure if driving with the CDL locked in this state would cause catastrophic damage to the driveline-all of this incredible information from y’all has really helped in easing my assumptions of the worst.

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If you'd liked to stop by this afternoon. I'll be in the shop installing FDS today. PM me with phone #. I can look-over up until about 3:45PM today or tomorrow. I can give you sense why it failed and what it needs.

Since your FDS okay. You likely pop off snap ring or stripped-out hub flange splines.

Some more pictures for reference:

Hub flange ready to strip-out splines
Hub flange Failing (2).JPG

New hub flange
Hub flange new (5) 06LC 196K.jpg

FDS outer axle worn down

FDS 04LC 210K bad axle snap ring goove DS.JPG

New FDS outer axle
FDS axle new.JPG

FDS axle & hub flange new.JPG
 
See you soon!

Update with some very good news-@2001LC's amazing technical know-how got me and the Cruiser out of the mountains and back home safely, until I can get the front driveline properly fixed. I cannot thank him and everyone else on this forum enough for the insight and knowledge. Just as he originally suspected, the culprit was very stripped splines on both the hub flange as well as the axle-the axle groove on the FDS was completely worn away, making it impossible for the snap ring to do its job.

@2001LC traced the issue back to the front passenger side wheel bearing-I've owned the Cruiser for about 8 years, though it has been in my family since it was new, and I cannot recall ever having the wheel bearings serviced. Though there was evidence of the wheel bearings being serviced at some point in the vehicle's lifetime, it was done improperly. Though it wasn't as poor of a job as the one in post #7, it was still enough to result in a bit of play in the front axle that snowballed for likely 10+ years and hundreds of thousands of miles until it finally gave up last night. Needless to say, from this point forward I'll without a doubt be much more on top of making sure those wheel bearings are serviced, and properly. Again, I cannot thank @2001LC for his expertise, as well as the insight that everyone provided into the source of the issue-makes me so glad to be a part of the fantastic community here.

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Snap ring, was found in the grease cap. It's retaining groove in axle was eaten away. bye bye front drive shaft (FDS).

Actually Hub flange splines, were only stripped at inner few mm of splines. Seem FDS outer axle pulled inward, likely during a turn with bump or dip in road, as lower control arm (LCA) dropped (normal in driving movement of LCA). At that point, drive (forward or reverse) would have been lost without CDL on. But as it was driven with CDL on, axle must have pushed its way back out, catching remain splines in hub flange. Hub flange looked like it had been replaced before, but that hard to say. I suspect this rig had a FDS replacement, if no wheel bearings service in history. Because at some point, someone did pull wheel bearings on PS for sure. Which may have been during a FDS (AKA CV) replacement. Which if no wheel bearing service in first few one or two hundred thousand mile, would damage FDS.

It was fortunate, @p0pcorn's snap ring popped off when it did. Which brought him to me! He was deep the midst of a very damages and dangerous failure. Especial when HWY driving and hitting the curves. As His front right wheel, was in danger of falling off.

His wheel bearings had been service at some point. Several signs of this. Number one being; The lock washer was re-used. Two previously bent tabs, had been hammered out (straighten). BUT THE LOCK WASHER was NOT LOCKED on either nut. The lock nut, had come off the spindle. Adjust nut was only a few thread from end of spindle.

What I'm pointing at, is the lock nut as it sat, once hub flange removed. Lock nut was just hanging on the axle. Wheel bearings were walking off. The wheel hub was wobbling and thew off the hub cap from right front wheel. The brake rotor was wobbling, hitting cast-metal of caliper.

Lock nut was off the spindle. Behind it was lock washer with not one of the tabs bent over the adjusting nut or locking nut.
IMG_0064.JPG

Hard to see in picture. But the outer~20 mm edge of rotor has been ground down ~0.5mm. This metal to metal pound as wheel wobbles, can separate rotor from hub. We've seen a few pictures of this in mud, where wheel fails off. VERY VERY DANGEROUS
IMG_0064cc.jpg



We tighten the adjusting nut, after checking to make sure wheel hub cavity was packed with grease. Put a new claw washer on, as old had already been flipped at least once, and both side badly scored. Set breakaway preload at ~10lb. Install new lock washer. We also had to replace lock nut, as threads were damaged. But we could NOT install a snap ring. As nothing short of new FDS was going to hold a snap ring. Since axle snap ring groove was gone. Eaten away from improper wheel bearing service.

He'll need new front drive shafts as snap ring groove gone from RH side, both FDS have remarkable play in CV and worn splines. Hub flange also damaged, splines on inner side, as axle pulled out of hub flange and works it's way back in. Brake rotor may be to far gone to turn. Also we found both lower ball joint shot.

I've seen worst wheel bearing service!
 
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I'm R&R a busted FDS today. Which I found FDS to be aftermarket POS. Also found a very poor wheel bearing service. One in which wheel hub cavities were not repacked with grease. Bearings were burning up.
View attachment 2895554

View attachment 2895552
View attachment 2895553
I found "Nothing correct" with the last wheel bearing service, on this 100 series. Hub flange glued on, lock washer reused and barley holding on. Snap ring loose from being reused with way to wide a gap, axle bushing & bearing not lube, chisel used on adjusting & locking nuts, wheel bearing loose, grease cap loose seal allowing water entry. Worst of all. wheel hub cavity not filled with grease, so bearings burning up. Had this rig been on long HWY drive. Likely hub and axle would have supper heat and fused to each other.
View attachment 2895555
Replying to an old post but I just drove across from Los Angeles to Georgia and had this s*** happen to me from a poor repack service. Bummer Lexus Dealer did such a s*** job when they did this. It probably would've been better just to leave it alone.
 

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