I snapped my driver's side axle at the 3rd Annual Shocker Run at the end of the day. Lucky for me, it was a clean snap and it broke off at the splines going into the diff.

I snapped it climbing this concrete hill on Rausch Creek's Comp Course.


Here is the video of it happening. The truck starting hopping and that was all it took to snap it.
http://gallery.me.com/brandonkennedy#100008/Cv%20snap&bgcolor=black

We removed the broken half shaft right after I broke it and I drove home with only 2WD.

This past weekend, acting on the advice of BklynX, XterraVT and XVTer I safely and successfully removed the broken piece of axle and replaced the half shaft with a new (used) one. Dave XterraVT was in town to help me.


The steps to remove the broken piece:

• Jack up the truck and support with a jack stand
• Remove tire, loosen UCA/Spindle and undo coilover shock.
• Drill into the broken axle piece.
• Tap the hole with threads.
• Screw a bolt into the threaded hole.
• Apply pressure and remove the broken piece.
• Clean Diff opening with magnetic retractor.
• Replace Axle Shaft with new one.
• Replace front Diff fluid and check Diff drain plug for metal shavings or debris. (Fluid is 75W-90 synthetic gear oil in the R180)
  

Broken axle shaft.[/b]




Step 1. Using a 1/4" drill bit, drill into the center of the broken piece of axle shaft. You will need a 6" long drill but to reach the broken piece without hit the frame or bump stop mount. Do NOT drill through the broken piece! Use the remaining axle shaft to gauge how deep to drill. I suggest no more than an inch.

Drilling into the broken piece.



2. Tap the hole you drilled with a 1.25 thread pitch, 5/16" tap.

Tap slowly and do not force this step. You may have to tap a quarter turn and then reverse the tap before moving forward again. This is will assure you do not get the tap stuck in the hole

5/16" Tap and 5/16" bolt to screw into broken axle piece.


Threading the hole with the tap.



3. Clean the area of debris, such as metal shards or large pieces of axle shaft.

Axle shards from the drilling.



4. Thread the bolt with a large washer into the tapped hole and apply pressure both outward and upward to remove the broken piece. Do not rush this step. Slow and steady is the way to make this work.

I used a pair of vice grips and a pry bar to finally get the bolt out. The double pressure was need to release the C-clip at the end of the broken axle shaft.

Success!


The culprit of my troubles.


Two pieces reunited again.


Clean brake leaves diff intact.


Side by side comparison.


I also purchased a new 32mm axle nut and new cotter pins for both sides. The broken half shaft was used and had a 36mm axle nut, which does not match the OEM specs.

Old 36mm half axle shaft nut.


New nut and appropriate 32mm axle nut socket.





6. Remove diff plug and drain diff. Check drain plug for metal shavings. Replace plug and refill with 1 quart of 75W-90 synthetic gear oil for the R180 Diff.

A very special thanks to Dave, XterraVT, for helping me out with this repair. I definitely recommend having two people for this repair, as it makes the hole process quite easier.

Nice fix.

Who thought up the drill, tap and bolt idea?

What do you think about changing the dif gear oil just to be safe?

I thought you, Dave and Bobby thought of it?

Changing the gear oil is a good idea that I plan to do very soon.

Addressing the concerns posted on thenewx HERE.

Let me first state for the record that I know nothing of auto mechanics and even less about the 2nd gen Xterra. My ramblings here are points of view I post in order to hopefully gain a bit of knowledge from those of you 2nd gen folk who know a great deal more than I ever will.

Let me start with driving home the truck in the condition it was in at Rausch.
From the little I know of the 2nd gens front drive train ether attempting the ?fix? above or dropping the entire front dif, cracking it open and cleaning it out would have been impossible to accomplish on the comp course at Rausch. Though I believe the tools and know how were present at the time that job, at the very least, would require a clean, heated space and, in the case of cracking open the diff, a clean bench.
Flat bedding the truck home did not seem necessary because the broken material was cleaned out and the broken end of the axle kept the gear oil from ?slinging out? while driving. The gears and bearings in the diff are sitting in a bath of oil that is spread about as they spin. The seal that is formed between the axle and the diff, IMHO, is more to keep stuff out rather than to keep the gear oil (that is not under pressure) in, even though it does serve that purpose as well. The rag that was stuffed in the opening left by the removed axle prevented any substantial amount of un-pressurized oil that was not held in by the broken piece of axle from ?slinging? out, kept any crap from getting into the diff and deterred any parasitic load from the gears causing the one bearing that was pointed out to not be getting any oil from turning. The axle is not there to turn it. If it was somehow made to turn; wouldn?t it have thrown the rag? If that bearing is not turning I do not believe we need to be concerned if it does not get oil for a short time. The gears and bearings that were turning, parasitic drag of the passenger side axle still in place, did so without any real load. Any load that was present, IMHO, would be hardly enough to cause damage even if there had been a slight loss of gear oil. Of which, we are told, there was not.
Having my own fully equipped, heated garage with a small apartment above at Rausch Creek would have been ideal; that being unavailable, IMHO driving the truck home was OK to do.

The fix itself and again, I admit to knowing nothing, seems correct. I was told when removing a front axle, broken or not, the method is to ?pop? it out of the c-clip inside of the diff., is this correct?
If it is then it seems to me that Stephen?s ?fix? would be the preferred method when compared to dropping the dif, cracking it open. I agree that the gear oil should be changed a few times and the magnetic drain plug should be checked.
Please correct me if I do not know what I?m talking about and educate me. Otherwise I do not see a down side to this fix. IMHO, rep points for Stephen!

I'd have done it the same way. Nice write-up

Thank you for seeing things my way Tom. A couple of guys over at TheNewX.org seemed to overreact as soon as I posted that thread. They don't see the bigger picture. Of course I am going to cycle the diff fluid and make sure the magnetic plug is free of metal shavings or debris, that is a given.

I think this was a great way to solve my problem and get my 4WD back up and running properly.

I was going to post my response on thenewx but I?ve already pissed off some folks there and did not want to risk that again, trying to be nice and avoid being misunderstood.

I trust that you and Dave know about your 2nd gen trucks so I found the reaction to your ?How To? there a bit odd. They were alarmed and seemed to be scolding you.

Yea, nuts to that. They are being a bunch of nancies.

I have owned my truck (II Gen) longer than most of them. 5 years.

Wheel it more than most of them. 1-3 times per month.

Worked on it myself (with help) more than most of them.Excpet my clutch.

I trust what Dave and I did because I know my truck very well.