0

Replaced my driver's side axle / driveshaft with a new one after I started getting vibrations while accelerating. Solved the vibration problem, but a few hundred kilometers later my gear box seized up. Replaced the gear box with one from a junkyard, drove about 150 kilometers and the next day while driving around my parking lot the shaft just popped out of the gear box. Parts shop swears it's the right driveshaft. With everything fully assembled I can easily pull the shaft cup out of the gear. That doesn't seem right, but I'm wondering if someone with more experience with Ducato gears and axles might be able to comment. I've been told that it's normal for Ducato's not to have retainer clips on their axles, so I'm wondering if this behavior is normal, because usually a bit of effort is need to pull an axle out of a gear.

I uploaded a short video showing the problem here.

EDIT - The Gear side of the axle

enter image description here

Improve this question
9
  • Is this a new axle? On most vehicles I've dealt with, there is a snap ring which resides on the axle which should hold it in place when inserted correctly. I use the word "snap" ring, but I don't really know if that is what it is called. It should squeeze down and be allowed to go into the hole, the it would expand out when completely inserted, thus holding the axle in place. If this is a new axle, I'd see if it is there. Only thing I've got for you.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Jun 26, 2022 at 19:22
  • Can you upload a photo of what the end of that shaft looks like? The part that goes into the gearbox?
    – HandyHowie
    Jun 27, 2022 at 6:20
  • Why does the inner CV joint rubber boot look so stretched? Has the small diameter end just been fastened too far along the shaft?
    – HandyHowie
    Jun 27, 2022 at 6:22
  • @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 yeah, brand new axle. it didn't come with a snap ring and there wasn't one on the old axle. People I've spoken with say the Ducato vans don't have snap rings on their axles.
    – Robert S. Barnes
    Jun 27, 2022 at 10:09
  • @HandyHowie I uploaded the pic. The boot looks a little stretched because it's not the original boot. When the tow truck came to get the van after the gear seized up, he apparently managed to rip the original boot so they replaced it with what is apparently a smaller than standard boot.
    – Robert S. Barnes
    Jun 27, 2022 at 10:21

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

So I found out what the problem is:

inner axle joint with spring

The inner axle joint is supposed to have a spring in it that keeps pressure on the cup to keep it in the transmission.

When my truck was loaded on the tow truck, they ripped the boot on the inner axle. When the guys who replaced the transmission went to replace the boot before installing the axle, apparently the spring fell out without them noticing...

Here's what it's supposed to look like installed:

enter image description here

I would have thought this would have been the first thing to pop into the head of the guy who replaced the transmission, but... oh, well.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .