DRIVE SHAFT TWISTED SNAPPED IN HALF

[gdwalker626]

2008 4.7 273k mi
my drive shaft fell off into my driveway, had it replaced with the shaft bushing.
Husband was driving it on the highway and the mfr breaks off again, causing a bunch of mess along the way.
Currently having another one built and rear diff looked at with all the other damages.
Shop claims bad shaft so they're covering most of the damage but I'm so lost.. How does this happen??

 

[rzr6-4]

Shop claims bad shaft so they're covering most of the damage

If a shop willingly covers the cost, either A) they screwed up the installation or B) the part was faulty from the manufacturer and they will reimburse the shop for the parts & labor to fix it. In theory the shop could just be very generous, but unlikely.

Did the rear U-joint fail allowing it to drop and the shaft got busted after it fell? There's not really any sign of torsional buckling, so for the shaft to have just sheared like that would be very odd.

 

[Smokeybear01]

I agree with rzr6-4, that shaft doesn't look like it twisted off. So either the front fell out because it was too short, or someone forgot to attach the rear U-joint properly. It looks, based on the pic, that it hit front first and got wedged into a pretzel which makes me lean towards it being too short from the getgo. Good luck and hopefully they do it right this time and you didn't suffer any other damage underneath the truck, IE fuel tank, etc.

 

[3pedals]

Maybe better to go with an OE driveshaft? Just crossed 430k miles on my ‘08 4.7 and never had a driveshaft issue. I’m seeing more and more instances of subpar aftermarket replacement parts since Covid.

 

[Racer_X]

My 2009 Hemi did that at 60K miles. Was going 30-35 mph and it dropped, the rear end locked up and the tires hopped. The rear pinion nut had backed off and locked up the rear end, dropped and pretzled and broke the drive shaft. Took it to the dealer and the idiot service writer asked me if I was racing the truck! Sure, racing a quad cab, 7,000 Lb truck at 5am taking my wife to a surgery appointment Thanksgiving week.

 

[Marshall]

Why did it drop , that's the question?
maybe a close up picture of the front end, is the yoke broke on the rear end?
I presume if the front dropped, it would mess up the bottom of the box, and front end would be chewed up.

 

[howie12]

Why was the driveshaft being replaced in the first place?

 

[Blue Truck]

Are those balancing weights I see right at the failure point? Were they screwed on or welded with an arc welder?

 

[chri5k]

The rear yoke has a pretty crappy looking weld. Wondering if that is indicative of the overall quality of the drive shaft?

 

[Marshall]

2008 4.7 273k mi
my drive shaft fell off into my driveway, had it replaced with the shaft bushing.
Husband was driving it on the highway and the mfr breaks off again, causing a bunch of mess along the way.
Currently having another one built and rear diff looked at with all the other damages.
Shop claims bad shaft so they're covering most of the damage but I'm so lost.. How does this happen??

So what happened, one post and can't be bothered to return and answer questions?