Rear axle longevity (carnage pics)

[guarnibl]

I always think about how Ford put a Dana 50 in the Bronco Raptor, which comes with 37s. They don't put more expensive axles in for fun, it's because the Dana 44 can't handle 37s. Jeepers who offroad on 37s with stock axles are living on borrowed time.

I don't agree but to each their own.

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[beast40]

If this is true why does the 4xe Rubicon have 4:1? Same 470 lb-ft of torque as the 392.

4xe: 470 * 4.71 * 4 *4.11 = 36,393

Hybrid vehicle. Gas mileage and EV range would benefit from the part time 4wd. Could be other concerns like DL length, I haven't work on a 4xe to speak on it.

99% of 4xes will never see the trail, 99% of the ones that do will have a dry battery by the time they reach the trailhead.

 

[five9dak]

All those torque formulas don't mean much unless you actually go WOT in 4low and first gear.

Can't say I ever have. Definitely do use full throttle occasionally in 4high in mud and snow though.

 

[PatriotX]

Hybrid vehicle. Gas mileage and EV range would benefit from the part time 4wd. Could be other concerns like DL length, I haven't work on a 4xe to speak on it.

99% of 4xes will never see the trail, 99% of the ones that do will have a dry battery by the time they reach the trailhead.

^^^ There are quite a few assumptions there.

We still get max torque and HP when ’empty’ as there is an approximate 15% reserve for hybrid use.

1/4 mile times don’t change much when battery at >1% from testing here.

I wheel my 4xe quite a bit, and am watching this thread with interest.

 

[SpaceCase]

Hybrid vehicle. Gas mileage and EV range would benefit from the part time 4wd. Could be other concerns like DL length, I haven't work on a 4xe to speak on it.

99% of 4xes will never see the trail, 99% of the ones that do will have a dry battery by the time they reach the trailhead.

Wow, rendered speechless for a second until I remembered I posted in a 392 forum. I see more 4xe Rubicons on the trails in the Rockies than 392s. And as PatriotX mentioned above, Torque does not change when battery reaches 0%.

Still have not answered my question on why the 4:1 exists on a Jeep with the same Torque output as the 392 if that really is the cause of the failure? Seems HP may play a part?

 

[1996cc]

Driver’s side shaft was totally fine…

 

[azwjowner]

Driver’s side shaft was totally fine…

So at least you're sort of only slightly exceeding the limits. Incrementally, if you upgraded to the 35 spline shafts and an Ox or ARB 35 spline locker, you may take care of it.

 

[~Blue392~]

Driver’s side shaft was totally fine…

Those look like they are either two different manufacturers. They are either two different models or the machining tolerances are very wide. The teeth area of the left shaft is a larger diameter than than the smooth section of the shaft. The right shaft is the opposite. The smooth area of the shaft is thicker and there is a slight taper down to the teeth.

 

[1996cc]

??? Camera angle?? both Dana Spicer Chromoly shafts, bought direct through a Direct Dana distributor. With Dana’s reputation though, I wouldn’t be surprised. Took me 1 year to get a U joint out of them…

 

[cgrosen324]

My passenger side rear axle shaft was replaced at around 7K miles due to a seal failure. Honestly, I’m not knowledgeable when it comes to axles, so I don’t know if this is a bad sign or not. I do know this, along with the small percentage of hemi failures (yes I have the wonderful hemi tick), prompted me to pull the trigger on an extended warranty last week.

 

[roaniecowpony]

We're all living on borrowed time...

Truer with every sunrise.

 

[58Willys]

My passenger side rear axle shaft was replaced at around 7K miles due to a seal failure. Honestly, I’m not knowledgeable when it comes to axles, so I don’t know if this is a bad sign or not. I do know this, along with the small percentage of hemi failures (yes I have the wonderful hemi tick), prompted me to pull the trigger on an extended warranty last week.

Why would the axle need to be replace, if the only the seal was bad?

 

[roaniecowpony]

Why would the axle need to be replace, if the only the seal was bad?

The axle could be re-used. It would require that the press-fit collar, that retains the bearing, be cut off, the bearing pressed off, the seal, bearing and collar replaced.

But likely the dealer sources the entire assembly of the shaft with the collar, bearing seal and retainer flange installed.

Why do they leak? My JLUR leaked shortly after I bought it. I disassembled it myself and replaced the collar, bearing and seal. IMO, the way it's designed with the 4 bolt retaining flange that has to be on the axle before all the other components, is the culprit. it can scratch the seal surface of the axle shaft during shipping and handling and probably during inventory movement too. My shaft's seal surface had some light scratches and it compromised the seal in a few thousand miles since new. I took it to my friend's shop and polished the scratches out in a lathe, installed a new collar, bearing, and seal and protected the seal surface from the flange rattling around on it while handling. Once installed it sealed like it should.

 

[cgrosen324]

Why would the axle need to be replace, if the only the seal was bad?

It wasn’t the entire axle - just the right side axle shaft. To answer your question I honestly do not know; all I can tell you is that’s what the dealership did.

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