I am also in agreement with what other have said. Sorry to hear about your problems but it sounds like something was not installed correctly during the rebuild.

 

OK, this may be a new one for the books. Stopped by last night on my way home. Was going to get some measurements, axle codes, etc. in my hope of finding another donor assembly somewhere.


They had already gotten the rear end assembly out of the truck and found the problem Believe it or not somewhere, somehow, some way I bent the end of the driver side axle tube. About 12" or so from the end of the tube it is bent up at a noticeable angle. They had to torch it off to get things apart. the last 12" of the axle is still stuck (welded???) in the end of the axle tube that they torched off. The other end of the axle came out and you can see where it basically twisted itself in two. Appears that the axle was torqued in the housing after I bent it and still drove down the highway for 30-40 miles (who knows - I have no idea where, when or how I bent it) until it just couldn't take it anymore and snapped.


The incredible thing is that the bearings, while in rough shape, are still intact. I would have expected them to come out in pieces but no, still intact (we are replacing them though), no sign of excessive heating, etc.


They sent the axle housing out to have a new tube inserted and welded into that side. The carrier, pinion, ring gear - all of that - looks brand new. I'm keeping the 12" piece of housing tube they torched off. I want to use it as a paper weight or something. A memento to how strange life can be...


I have no idea how I did this. I asked my wife if she remembered me running over an 8" cement block on the highway while going 65 MPH or dropping the left rear of the truck in a sinkhole (tongue in cheek). If I hit something neither of us noticed it. One of life's mysteries.


Even though it's going to cost me a chunk of change I am almost relieved it turned out to be something like this. I feel really bad that I had starting doubting my mechanic - he's always taken good care of me and this is evidence that he continues to do so. He gets an extra big box of candy this year for Christmas


I want to thank everyone for their help, suggestions, support and input. It's really great to see so many people so willing to give their time and assistance. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic the whole episode has restored my faith in my fellow man to a certain degree.


I will post some pics once I get them. Unfortunately my phone was dead last night when I got there or else I would have taken some and posted today. It is something to see. Nothing I would have ever dreamed would be the culprit of all these ills... The axle tubes are so thick I cannot imagine how I could have bent them.

 

I'm glad you have solved the problem but makes me wonder how the tube got bent in the first place. I would think that would have been heard one heck of a bang if you ran over something big enough to bend the tube.

 

Bent axle tube, I thought of that but it was just about my last thing. Would like to see a pic of it.

Bending an axle tube on a D80 is rare with its 4 in tubes and its 2500 lb of torque

ability.

Maybe you need to add this...LOL

 

I would have never thought of a bent tube. Something that severe you should've noticed. I know about 2nd guessing your mechanic. I've had to call some out doing what I do. Glad it's getting care of. On a side note, if you hit something hard enough to bent that tube, I'd be checking the rest of the suspension while you're at it.

 

could a severely overheated bearing warp the tube? I don't remember where he said it was bent.

 

Something stinks...IMO. you don't bend one of those. Its just about impossible on a street truck. You could drop the truck from 3 ft and it wouldn't bend..If it is truely bent someone did something really weird..Well as long as it gets fixed...good luck.

 

I've never heard of one of those bending either. You would have noticed the truck leaning and the wheels leaning. Sounds a little fishy to me.....

 

It would turn the bearings into a pile of slag before it caused the axle tube to bend or warp.

 

IIRC the D 80 is a 4 in tube dia with 0.568 wall thickness. If its bent, I would not want to be in the truck when it happened.

I have seen more than one inner wheel bearing cooked to point it set the truck on fire and the axle was undamaged.

Pics PLEASE!

 

It really does sound strange. If the bent housing has been the problem the whole time why didn't they notice it during the axle rebuild?
If you hit an object in the road that is a collision. Check with your insurance.
Good luck.