Blew BOTH CV Axles Out at the Same Time

[L8apex]

I don’t own a Bronco yet and it will be my first 4x4. Didn’t realize it was rear wheel drive by default. Thought it was like AWDs where it’s front by default.

While in 2 High only the rear two wheels are powered, HOWEVER all 4 axles and both differentials are spinning while driving down the road. The disconnect is at the transfer case.

So you'd need to remove the front axle shafts in this scenario to avoid damage.

That is until some releases some locking/free-wheeling hubs.

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[dooberj]

Sorry, not a question/comment about the CV joints, but where did you get that front bumper? It appears that it accommodates the LUX technology & a winch. I've got the lux package and want a winch, I didn't want to sacrifice the money I paid for LUX and not have it work correctly after adding a winch.

 

[mike8675309]

No one knows the max angle.

Who else make axles for the Bronco?

A quick look around the various Baha groups indicates around 27 degrees to be a maximum they are willing to deal with.

 

[MUDLVR]

Sucks about the CVs, I remember reading somewhere that they should have been slightly longer from the factory. Glad you made it out okay!

Opinion on the Radflos yet?

Still too soon to really tell, but already I can tell that they are nice and plush and already soak up the tiniest pothole, lol.

 

[MUDLVR]

Do you think it would be worth an upgrade to RCV axles that Jeepers often upgrade to? https://www.rcvperformance.com/axlesets/ford/ford-bronco-rcv-axle-set.html

So just the housing for it cracked? Since you drove home I'd assume it still spun the wheels on both sides right or is there a way to put the bronco in just rear wheel drive mode?

I don't think personally it is worth the $2200 for the RCV axle's. Coming from the Toyota world even those blew on the trail. I'd rather spend $350 for the OEM ones. What I should have done though was install a front diff drop to decrease the angle.

 

[MUDLVR]

Sucks that happened! I see you have a 3" lift, what's your plan to prevent this from happening again?

I think this is the 2nd time I've heard of CVs blowing at full droop, I don't recall how much lift the other one had. Sounds like we should never engage the front locker when we're full droop.

Edit: before I installed the 1.5" spacer up front I got hung up, was full droop, sounded terrible if I turned at all while locked. And that was stock!

The best way to prevent this from happening again would be to install a front diff drop. That way it decreases the angle of the axle's.

 

[MUDLVR]

FYI, another RadFlo user mounted his reservoirs similar to yours and was rubbing them on full lock. Not sure what wheel / tire combo he was running but something you may want to double check.

Edit. I am not sure his new mounting location is any better.

Thanks! I'll keep an eye out for that and consider alternative places to mount them

 

[MUDLVR]

I have the King adjustable coil-overs and had the external reservoirs mounted behind the front bumper similar to the Radflo. I've since relocated them to the rear of the vehicle tucked in behind the wheel well liner, similar to how Fox does their installation. I had no clearance issues with 35's w/ 0mm offset wheels. However, ran into an issue when upgrading to 37s. There is also the added risk of damage by rocks/obstacles at approach.

Thanks for the tip! I will definitely consider this

 

[MUDLVR]

Thanks for the report! Curious about your thoughts as to why the CV axles broke, in your assessment, because I'm interested in the systemic drivetrain stresses that upsizing could cause. You started with Badlands Sasquatch, added 37's and a lift (how high?), but upgraded the UCAs and added a rear track bar. Are there upgraded CV Axles, or would adding that break other components in the drivetrain? Whats to keep this from happening again? Whats there to learn?

The main thing that would have prevented this would be to install a front diff drop so that the angles of axle's stay linear and not over stress them.

 

[MUDLVR]

If you figured out that max angle could you install a strap to limit droop like on the rear.

That's another consideration that Tyler at Broncbuster brought up also.

 

[MUDLVR]

Sorry, not a question/comment about the CV joints, but where did you get that front bumper? It appears that it accommodates the LUX technology & a winch. I've got the lux package and want a winch, I didn't want to sacrifice the money I paid for LUX and not have it work correctly after adding a winch.

The bumper is from Hefty FabWorks: https://heftyfab.com/collections/bronco/products/2021-ford-bronco-front-bumper

 

[broncoepic]

Thanks for the tip! I will definitely consider this

We're lucky to have Filthy and 303Shocks local to us. Tim @ 303Shocks is the man that got this done for me.

 

[Rkgzx9leftcoast]

Its been brought up, but anyone with a lift should absolutely be checking for full droop bind, and putting limit straps on if you have bind. Also, nothing is worse on CV joints then being stuck on something and just giving it gas and turning back and forth.

Also anyone looking into RVC axles , should also look into the Spicer Advantek 44 front axle , the CV Shafts that come with it are bigger than stock, more splines. Its spendy, but if your doing a lot of rock crawling....may be worth it.

 

[Jer]

So BOTH CV axle's blew out at the same time. I was high centered in the front on a boulder, so both wheels were at full droop. I put the rear locker on and tried to back out but the ground was so soft that I was just digging a hole. Then I put it in drive and put the front locker on, which just made the wheels spin. As I was wiggling the steering wheel, I all of a sudden heard the load POP and immediately thought it was my steering rack. Luckily it was just the CV axles, and luckily I had a spare set at home! Coming from the Toyota IFS world, owning an FJ Cruiser and a 4Runner I knew instinctively to always have a spare set of CV axles.

I was pulled up the hill and then just drove home without any issues. And when I got home I was comforted with the delivery of my Radflo kit. So I started replacing everything all at once. I got the driver's side all put together last night and will spend this evening and tomorrow doing the rest.

Unrelated question. Where did you get that front bumper? I like it a lot.

 

[Felix808]

Its been brought up, but anyone with a lift should absolutely be checking for full droop bind, and putting limit straps on if you have bind. Also, nothing is worse on CV joints then being stuck on something and just giving it gas and turning back and forth.

Also anyone looking into RVC axles , should also look into the Spicer Advantek 44 front axle , the CV Shafts that come with it are bigger than stock, more splines. Its spendy, but if your doing a lot of rock crawling....may be worth it.

Do you have a price on the Dana Parts? I was trying to get a ball park on both their extreme axles shafts & the Ultimate 44 & couldn't get an answer so I went with the RCV's. Still waiting for them to ship from RCV.

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