I have a dana 60 with a detroit locker that i broke an axle with today. Is there a way to get the little piece with the splines out of the locker without taking the locker out? Thanks

 

I would reccomend that you not try. Bearings are finicky things. If you miss one peice, Murphy's law clearly states that everything will get trashed as a result. Take it out and clean thuroughly before reinstalling. If you really want to try it, you might have some luck getting the small peices gathered up with a magnet. But that's not real practical or efficient.

 

Just keep all the shims & bearing races organized so you can reinstall them in the same locations, but don't risk a set of bearings, a set of gears, and a locker just to save an hour or so of work - think how long you have to work to earn enough money to pay for a rear axle rebuild and then decide how much time you can afford to spend cleaning this one out.

 

You broke an axle in a Dana 60, you da man. Seriously though, take the time to do it right, you will be glad you did. If not, you are asking for trouble down the road.
T. Roberts
UFD Local 1147

 

This is the second axle ive broken on this truck-It has a decently built 360 with 39s. Who makes a stronger axle or would that make it worse putting strain on other drivetrain components.

 

How many spline axles are these? If you have a 30 on up axle you have some serious abuse issues that I wouldn't mind watching. If they are 16 or 26(i believe) then I could see breaking them with 39's. If the spline count is low do yourself a favor and upgrade while the diff is apart. It may be a bit of an expense now but it will be worth it in the long run.

Also you may be able to look in to stronger axles (material wises) from an aftermarket source, like Currie or something. Come to think of it there is a tech article out in one of the new mags (not sure which one) on diffs with parts sources.

 

It is the 16 spline but they are not breaking at the splines, they break about 1/3 away from where the splines are.

 

I thought I had found an axle but when i got it home it was about an inch too long but had the right spline count. Di ford make longer axles with that spline?

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 03-Dec-02 AT 08:38 AM (EST)]I believe that the 16 and 23 spline axles were a bit smaller in diameter than the 30 and 35. I belive some of the 60/61 diffs from Ford vans were offset a bit.
Diffmaster would be the guy to ask for sure on these points.

Just from some of the guys I go wheeling with, the 60's that they run with various traction products and tire sizes, it seems that the 16's break the most, though the others do break. The axles I've seen, break in different spots, and some that didn't break but twisted.

As for your original post, go with what everyone has said and dissassemble and clean it good.

Short cuts get you out of the bush, doing it right keeps you in the bush and smiling! The meaning of Bush is up to you!!!

 

Sorry about your luck. I broke a Dana60 axle awhile back as well, I just got around to looking at it.

Definitely take the carrier out...it's very easy. I found TONS of shrapnel from the axle shattering and banging around a bit...there's no way you'll get it clean without pulling the carrier. Also, somehow the carrier bearing was damaged from the breakage...if I had driven on it later who knows what damage it would have done to the ring and pinion or locker?

I decided to go Dana70 personally...but just wanted to say it's a good idea to clean it properly.

 

props to you for breaking a dana 60. get that axle stub mounted over your fireplace. Seriously though, if its just the stub piece and theres not little chunks of axle all over you could use a magnet to pull it out...otherwise clean it well. you can get stronger shafts, but then something else is going to break. you always will have a weak point, dana axles aren't too bad to change,,,so i'd leave that as my weak point if i were you, pinion shafts, transfer case outputs and the like are much more difficult to fix.

RYan

 

you can buy rockwell mil. axles but they are like 2k a piece. i would just buy a 7.5 out of a ranger and wrap tinfoil around it for extra tensile strenth. haha!
pete

 

I have 4 axle shafts that are from a 75 f250.The axles are the right spline but they are about an inch too long. Can you cut an inch off of the axle and have a machine shop extend the slpines back? Thanks

 

 

find you a sterling 10.25 full floater out of a 85-97 f-250/350. You cant beat 1.5 inch 35 spline shafts. WHen i swapped from my weak little 30 spline 60 everything bolted up including brakelines, shock mounts, springs etc. I ever gained a 1/2 inch of clearance under the diff.