Axle failure. Is this "normal"? w/pics

So the front wheel drive went out, and I went underneath to take a look at what could possibly be wrong and this is what greeted me…

I replaced this axle in the summer of 2013, and I have put approximately 100,000 miles on the truck since then. Is there anyone out there that sees this often enough to know if this is the "normal" place for an axle to break, or is this unusual?

Dothe photographs that I have (hopefully) posted shed any light on it's cause? Are there complications I cannot see from here?

All help is ABSOLUTELY appreciated…

 

You lost the bearing cage and the bearings. It happens.

 

Was it new Ome?

 

Ugh, meant
OEM

 

Had a blown boot on that axle for a while?

 

Where you using it when it grenaded?

 

You put on 100000 mi since 2013.... Damn

 

Yeah, I live in Alaska and I drive outside every summer so I put a lot of miles on my vehicle. Mostly highway miles.

Hard to say when it "grenaded", it wasn't momentous or anything.

The truck has had its suspension replaced with OME all-round, but nothing that in my mind qualifies as a "lift kit."

And no, I think I just went down to Napa auto parts and bought one down there. I did not go through the stealership

Does it look to you guys like just a simple straightforward axle swap? Because it wasn't especially complicated a few years ago, now it's just considerably colder. And I really don't want to have to do it outside…

 

Yeah should be as easy as swapping in a new one. Hell, yours might've been one of the lifetime warranty replacement deals. Might get a free replacement.

 

MTGirl, I don't frequent this forum consistently enough, but the last time I checked you were kicking around Montana in a white Tacoma and working at a design firm or something like that.

Have you been bounced up to moderator? Good for you…paying it forward. Thanks.

 

The stealership is offering me genuine Toyota OEM, but remanufactured. Online, I have the option of both remanufactured and (supposedly) new. Does anyone have any experience with those two choices? Clearly "new" is best, but when I asked the local stealership for a new one, she said "I don't think you're going to find a new axle for that old of truck." Was she telling the truth?

 

If you aren't lifted high and don't go offroading often then just get a NAPA or Autozone reman with the lifetime warranty. They're cheaper and last just fine under normal 4WD use. If you happen to bust it again they'll just swap em out and the only thing lost is time to swap it.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/182382...7290-0%26rvr_id%3D1160308264955&ul_noapp=true

This is absolutely beautiful. I haven't seen such beauty in years.

 

OE, good used OE or reman OE is going to be the best long term bet, with a caveat.

Caveat
Reman shafts can be anything from a reboot to a true reman (bearings/joints replaced as needed).
Take the NAPA reman, read the fine print and it turns out they are done by Cardone (not the best rep) with a 3 year warranty. Read a little deeper and it turns out they (Cardone) clean, inspect and "chase" any threads/splines with no mention of any new parts other than boots. Essentially this is just a clean and reboot with a huge core charge.
The better companies such as CVJ, Toyota and another who's name escapes me, at least "claim" to replace parts to achieve "like new" spec.
The NAPA "new" shaft with lifetime warranty is one of the Chinese knock offs (below). Several folks here in Co have been "blacklisted" by NAPA for returning an excessive number of broken lifetime shafts. One fellow did 9 or 10 in one year.

All aftermarket "new" shafts are Chinese knock offs. They suffer from poor quality control, sometimes lack full OE range of motion and can not be rebooted. Fine for a daily and mild off road use. They are cheap and frequently come with a lifetime warranty.

 

Hey Dirty Pool! That's exactly the kind of advice I needed. Thank you so much..

I'm headed down to Napa and see if they will honor a warranty. Money is tight right now when I have to do it on the cheap, so…

It's 0°F out. That's up from -51°F last week so I should be counting my blessings. It feels downright balmy by comparison

 

I have a buddy that lives up in your neck of the woods and a few days ago he sent a screen shot of the temp at -47, that is so damn cold!! I dont bkame you not wanting to do the swap outside, wrenching in cold temps is the worst!! Heck 0° is pretty much warm now though, lol, still far too cold to be turnin a wrench though...

 

Oreilly Automotive CVs are (were last time I bought one) LIFETIME guaranteed - I replaced mine when the boot tore, just because I didn't want to monkey around with the grease and mess of a re-boot.

 

And not even free shipping

 

Just finished replacing a right front axle on my 1998 Limited. Total cost was $432 for a brand new axle assembly, including shipping, from Mid-Atlantic Toyota. I don't go off-road more than 3 times a year, but when I do, I visit some pretty rough places in Nevada and Utah, and I go alone, so I buy only Genuine Toyota parts for all of my running gear.