I floored it from a dead stop to make a light and the front driver side axle sheared off at the balancing bushing. I've seen plenty of half shafts break but always at the joint and never at 113k miles, always 200+. Just curious if it's an isolated case or know to happen. Makes me a little nervous about the others.

 

yes, its some what common for the TL, I guess they need a better material.

 

that tq though

 

Good to know, thanks for the reply. Any advise on swapping it out? I've got the broken one out but haven't purchased the new one yet. Here's my problem : I removed the through-bolt that holds the lower control arm to the strut but I can't remove the tie rod end or sway bar end link because the studs are spinning with the nut. In the past I've used heat or applied pressure to counter this but I'm working outside on a floor jack in the Minnesota winter so I'm limited in what I can do. Is it possible to wiggle a new axle in place without removing tie rod?

 

If you can turn it enough you might be able to sneak it in. You can unbolt the sway bar from both side if the linkage won't come off. Best of luck to you , I know how much it sucks working in the cold

 

There have been a few threads recently with half shafts breaking at that same spot where the rubber balance piece is. I suppose some sand and water must be able to sit there and rot the axle

 

So I'm working on replacing the axle and I've got a major problem. Since the shaft is broken in half, I have no way of locking the hub in place and it spins when I try to break the axle nut loose. I don't have access to an impact and I'm wondering if there's any tricks anyone knows of. Also, the axle nut is dimpled in place to prevent loosening. Do I need to do something about that or can I just force it loose?

 

You can take a punch to un-dimple the nut. So the wheel is attached to the broken piece... I can see how that would be tough as that nut is usually very hard to remove. Do you have access to a large vise? Maybe using a very large pipe wrench on the broken side- get a large pipe over the handle of the pipe wrench and secure that against the ground. Just thinking of ideas...

 

By axle nut, I assume you mean the spindle nut? It has a locking tab that needs to be raised.

I'm not sure an impact would help unless/until you can hold what's left of the axle somehow. Maybe a very large vice grip on the axle outboard of where it snapped? You may need 2 people for this. Good luck!

Check with you local autoparts stores to see what they have available in their tool rental programs.

 

Punch spindle nut tab up (try not to damage axle thread). There is a easy way to get it loose but you'll need to basically reassemble the suspension (reinstall strut, maybe the other stuff too). Remove wheel, remove wheel center cap, reinstall wheel, drop car so that the tire is on the ground - this will stop the hub from spinning so that you can loosen the spindle nut. This is also the method that the service manual states to follow, so technically it's not just the easy way but also the correct way.

 

After I posted last this idea dawned on me lol! It worked fantastic the nut came right off with my huge breaker bar. I didn't worry about the dimple I just forced it loose. The obstacles never quit coming though. Now I need to gain clearance between the steering knuckle and the fork in the bottom of the strut to slide the broken half of the axle out. I have the pin that connects them out but I need to remove either the tie rod or upper/lower joints on the knuckle. All the studs are spinning with the nuts! I really don't care what but SOMETHING has to move for me to get the old out and new one in. Anyone know best method for this?

 

get the jack handle and stuck it between the hub and lower control arm. Put pressure on it . This will stop the nut/ball joint from spinning. also make sure you have the tool to remove the lower ball joint without damaging the rubber. Most likely you will need to replace the lower ball joints also, but that can be done on another brighter and sunnier day.

 

That axle looks a lot older than the miles you quote. If you're not the original owner, maybe the prior replaced it from a junkyard for a quick fix from a TL with much more mileage?

 

carbon fiber might be a solution

 

Invest in a compressor and impact gun. It will pay for itself, just in this job alone. Even a 3/8" electric impact gun.

 

I bought the car with a salvage title, it had front end damage and was repaired so its very possible that it was a junkyard axle now that you mention it.

 

Just thought I'd let everyone know I finished the job! I removed the tie rod end from the knuckle by sticking a scratch awl into the cotter pin hole to hold it while I turned the nut, then when it got too low I used a vice grip just tight enough to hold it but not damage threads. I hit it with a hammer a few times at the taper and it popped right out no prying or anything. Once I did this, I still needed more space to get the new axle in, especially since the outboard joint passes through the bottom of the strut. I pulled the upper and lower joints on the knuckle but the bottom was stuck and wouldn't budge. Luckily with the top one free I was able to remove the fasteners holding the wheel speed sensor wire and that gave me enough play to swing the knuckle forward and insert the axle in the hub. Pain in the ass but nothing comes easy! Lol thanks for everyone's input!

 

^Thanks for the follow up, nice work!!