M1009 front axle lock up

[trooper632]

Happy Thanksgiving guys and gals... Here's the problem, M1009 front axle locks up after about 3 feet of travel ONLY in reverse. Im guessing carrier bearing gone bad but i havent opened it up any ideas, thanks

 

[Recovry4x4]

I'm thinking pinion bearing. Slide under and grab the front shaft at the pinion and give is a shake.

 

[trooper632]

but why would that only lock up in reverse

 

[Skinny]

Pinion may be wedging itself into the carrier if that was the issue opposed to it trying to come out of the housing. Either way you will see a ton of oil near the yoke.

Sounds like catastrophic failure, I would prepare for an axle swap or costly internal repairs.

 

[Chaski]

Be sure to post some pictures once you decide to pull the cover.

 

[Recovry4x4]

There are enough NOS 10 bolts out there that rebuilding is probably cost restrictive.

 

[Skinny]

I think most people would give away a 3.08 10 bolt just out of shame...

 

[cucvrus]

The only shame I see is. The shame that it went bad. I am sure you are not looking for something to do. I have had 1/2 ton 4 X 4 Chevy trucks all my life and everyone had one of the cooperate 10 bolts in it. I never had any problems with them. Same as the millions of others that were built and used. They worked well for the intended use. If you were closer I could give you a deal on one right out of the crate. But as a rule I never/seldom sell any used front 10 bolt axles. They just don't seem to go bad. The 10 bolt rears? Well that is a different story. These 3:08 gears may not be the greatest. But they did serve well for the past 30 years. I must agree with Recovery 4 x 4. They are not worth going thru the problem to rebuild. Unless you do the work yourself and caught the damage in time that it is just a few bearings. But are you sure it is the front differential? Have a happy Thanksgiving.

 

[trooper632]

I have another complete front axle, if i need to I'll just swap out whole thing

 

[cucvrus]

Just be sure that is the problem. And swapping the entire assembly is the wise thing to do. I was pointing out to make sure the problem is not something else. Did it run out of oil? Or is one of the calipers / U-joints locked up? I sold a 6.2 engine to a friend a few years back and he said his engine had thrown a rod. He pulled the engine and when he had it out he found a cracked flex-plate. 2 mechanics told him it was a rod knocking. I never heard the noise but he brought the engine back and i refunded his money. A few months later a a man called me and said he had the same sound on a 6.2 and I told him on the phone to check his flex-plate. He called me back and thanked me because he was at a garage and was going to get the engine changed. So I am not sure of your mechanical skills. But i always advise people to find the problem and properly diagnose it before going and changing a major component. You may already know that. But some people are not as skilled and are gullible for poor diagnosis and the mechanics will never call you back and say . Hey I changed your engine the bill is $2K but all that was wrong was it needed a $50. flex-plate. Same as the front axle. it could be something simple. Good Luck. I hope it works out for you. Happy Holidays.

 

[Ilikemtb999]

I'd check the outer U joints. They can bind pretty badly when very worn/seized.

 

[trooper632]

i can unlock the front hubs and everything works just fine. Havent looked inside though

 

[trooper632]

**** its just and old ranch m1009 that i bought for 400 bucks about 10 years ago, rusted out floorboards abut it has run great the whole time ive had it. cant complain, i leave the hubs locked all the time on it, just use 4wd when i need it.