Rear Axle Pinion snapped while driving

[Daw14]

Good luck with your repairs ,do not trust What the dealer tells you ,verify things for yourself.

 

[Sherman Bird]

Hello all. My vehicle is a 2016 Ram 1500, 5.7, crew cab, big horn. currently around 54,000 miles.
So yesterday I went to the local oil change place to get my oil/filter changed. they suggested change the front & rear differential fluids be changed as well. I said ok.
the receipt says they put in 75w90 x 2.4 pts in the front & 75w140 x 4.6 pts in the rear.
Mileage in was 54103.
I drove home, maybe about 2 miles away. took side roads. did not go over 50mph. No issues.
today i got on the expressway and i smell a burning oil smell and the truck is kind of "holding back" when i let off the gas pedal. the same feeling you would get if you were to put you car from "drive" then shift into "2" or "L". that sensation. I got off the nearest exit and now im on the service rd heading towards a red traffic lite and i hear a snap/bang sound. then a dragging sound. i feel no forward power when i press the gas and now the engine is sounding very weird. as if it were getting flooded from too much gas or something. I stop at the red light. now the smell is very bad and the engine seems to be stalling. i put it in park and shut off the truck. i get out and the truck starts rolling backwards because i am on a slight incline. i hop back in and press the brake and emergency brake. i get out and look underneath and find the rear driveshaft snapped and hanging on the street. see the attached pics. the mileage now is 54112. Ive driven 9 miles.
how can it be that a driveshaft snaps like that? any thoughts? looks like a clean snap.

Looking at the picture and seeing no oil on the flange, they likely drained the oil and failed to add new oil.

 

[JHoward]

That's a sharp looking blue machine. I know you must be feeling pretty low right know about your truck.

And, that's a reason why I do my own maintenance when possible. I've heard so many horror stories about the minute oil change places of not refilling oils/leaving drain plugs off, etc.

I also would like as well as others here to know of the outcome with your truck.

Good luck

JHoward

 

[turkeybird56]

OP pls report back, curious PPL we be, LOL.

 

[Dusty]

It’s a long shot but it’s possible the grease changer left a socket or extension laying in there . Make sure it’s documented with photos as it is disassembled. Let us know the outcome please, thanks .

Yeah, I've seen diffs seize up from no lubrication, but I've never seen a catastrophic failure like that. I'm suspicious, too, there's something in the diff that shouldn't be there.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 065595 miles.

 

[Daw14]

Looking again at the pics anyone have thoughs on what the three dark spots are ? Looks like they may have been there from the start.

 

[DA Smith]

Well just looking at the pictures you took first thing I noticed was the plug on the back of the differential housing has been in place since the truck came from the factory. This is where you fill and check the fluid level after draining the old fluid.the plug has to be removed and there is no mechanic anywhere that can remove the plug and refill the differential without getting a little oil on the housing. When they replace the plug they usually wipe off any oil that has gotten on the housing. I've changed my own fluid on numerous vehicle's and never have been able not to have a little oil to wipe off. First of all you can't even pull the plug without getting a little oil on the housing. This plug has never been removed on your truck.

 

[Dusty]

I had to enlarge the picture, but I concur it doesn't look like the rubber fill cap has been disturbed. Ever.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 065599 miles.

 

[bobdenver1961]

Have the dealership check the front diff to make sure it has fluid.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Of all the bearings in the rear differential, the pinion is the one that spins WAY faster compared to the axles. It will build up more heat. At about 1500 rpm the pinion would be spinning, about 1850 rpm (rough numbers -- will vary depending on gear ratio). The outer axles would be roatating at about 630 rpm (depending on wheel diameter). 630 rpm is like nothing in the world of bearings. The actual bearing rollers themselves rotate much slower than the axle shaft ...and the wheel bearing race can usually retain a spoonful of lube. Unloaded in cool temps, outer bearings are at less risk.

The pinion though will build up much heat, and soon seize. Yeah, it got so hot it melted the bearing and probably snapped off at the hot and weakest point. I bet the whole gearset and their bearings are quite a sight! Give us a complete autopsy when they take apart.

Course it's also possible there is enough lube in there and the pinion bearing cage failed (which they can and do), and took out the pinon. I've seen that happen.

 

[Trident309]

thank again for all the responses...
the dealer being backed up, was finally able to take a look at my car. i went and took pics. doesnt look like much damage in the housing, but there is some "shavings" or what seems to be "broken pieces" at the bottom of the housing. The mechanic said there was only a little oil that drained out, but that could have been due to the broken seal and towing, etc. i didnt really ask too many questions because they said they are going to rebuild the whole rear and are getting the ok from Chrysler. luckily i had extended the warranty coverage. of course, parts arent in stock at the moment, so will have to wait a bit for that. will also find out from Chrysler if my towing and rental car gets reimbursed. hopefully no out of pocket expense except for a $100 deductible.

 

[Trident309]

once they get that bearing out, they said they would send me the pictures of that. i would love to see that and the pinion gear....

 

[Jeepwalker]

"Called it!!" He he...


Thanks for the pics. I had almost the same thing happen once. Only it was due to the pinion bearing cage failing not low oil.

I have a classic low-oil story that illustrates how tolerant some items are of low oil conditions. Many yrs ago, before going on a family vacation across the plains to western S Dakota in the ole Jeep Grand Cherokee (w/ SelecTrac xfer case). I checked all the fluids except the transfer case ..because it started to rain and I didn't want to lay on the wet pavement. I figured, "Why would it be low?". But I threw the big wrench in the back anyway to check it later. Well, later never came ...and I kept thinking to myself "Jeez, I really should check that transfer case!". Ha ha.

We drove about 2200 miles there and back. 70+ MPH. Had a great time, lol. The first thing I did when we got back home was check the fluid. I ended up pulling the drain and literally no more than 3 tablespoons of fluid came out!!! Wow! I figured it was scortched and would need replacing. I disassembled the xfer case and to my surprise it looked absolutely normal inside. It had 150k on it at that tiime. I put er all back together and my wife drove it to about 300k miles. Never gave a problem. There's a pump on those xfer cases and there must have been enough aerosolized oil dropplets floating around inside to lube the bearings.

OP: Looks like this will end up working out ok for you.

 

[GTyankee]

this sure does not look right

 

[bigred90gt]

Of all the bearings in the rear differential, the pinion is the one that spins WAY faster compared to the axles. It will build up more heat. At about 1500 rpm the pinion would be spinning, about 1850 rpm (rough numbers -- will vary depending on gear ratio). The outer axles would be roatating at about 630 rpm (depending on wheel diameter). 630 rpm is like nothing in the world of bearings. The actual bearing rollers themselves rotate much slower than the axle shaft ...and the wheel bearing race can usually retain a spoonful of lube. Unloaded in cool temps, outer bearings are at less risk.

The pinion though will build up much heat, and soon seize. Yeah, it got so hot it melted the bearing and probably snapped off at the hot and weakest point. I bet the whole gearset and their bearings are quite a sight! Give us a complete autopsy when they take apart.

Course it's also possible there is enough lube in there and the pinion bearing cage failed (which they can and do), and took out the pinon. I've seen that happen.

I bought a mustang not long ago that I’m rebuilding. When I pulled the engine and transmission, I tried to push it out of my garage but the rear end was locked up. I took the rear WBS out and took it to have it rebuilt. The shop called and said it had to have been empty for a while and everything was destroyed. LSD clutches were basically melted, and this is what’s left of the bearing cage that was on the pinion. I had to buy an entire new rear end because this one was all gouged out and beat up inside.

 

[Trident309]

I guess maybe i should thank my lucky stars the rear end did not lock up while i was driving at 55+ mph on the LIE when this happened? I imagine this could have been a lot worse. Like one of the responses said a few posts ago, parts and gears are replaceable, human life is not. Hopefully all is covered under warranty and i get reimbursed for towing and car rental. btw- i feel like my ass is dragging on the ground. rental place gave me a toyota corolla. i tried parallel parking it and hit the curb. if i was in my ram, would have been no problem. so funny how i can manage the big truck, but get in the little car and i feel totally lost..

 

[Jeepwalker]

Yep, The rear and rear-side visibility in vehicles has become terrible in the last 10-15 yrs. Seems worse in cars/SUV's as you've indicated. They've replaced common sense windows and eyes with a bunch of distracting lights and buzzes. And "avoidance" features that tug the wheel away from ya when you try to avoid a pothole or dead squirrel.

Yeah, rear locking up on the road would have added more excitement. Also glad the driveshaft didn't cause any downstream damage like whack open the gas tank.

 

[bigred90gt]

If they do cover that under warranty, you got away with one there. The fact that you just had a stand-alone oil change place do the gear oil, and very little came out when they opened it, tells me they didn’t refill it. I would be shocked if they warranted the replacement because of another ship’s negligence.

 

[WireEd]

Make sure your vin number is not tied to this thread. Just sayin. I used to hit these forums when I was a supplier to Chrysler when wet got Warranty hits. Easy search to then deny payment to Chrysler It wouldn’t come back on you though I don’t think.

 

[Dodge trucker]

Looks like a clean break, as in it doesn't look like it had been cracked and just finally gave out. Usually if it had been cracked for any length of time the previous cracked area would show as being darker.and the last part that was together would be lighter, yours is uniform so it all went at once