was recently clipped by another driver on the road. they were turning onto the same road i was going down swung out too far over the line and clipped my back right wheel. The wheel bent and was pretty gouged up but wasnt so bad that i couldnt limp another mile home. Their insurance is paying for damages. But i just spoke to 4WP and they said they almost guarantee my D44 rear axle was bent. Going in tomorrow to have it checked but how likely is it that my axle was bent? I wouldn't mind a new axle but the timing is terrible, I'm supposed to be going on a cross-country trip I've been planning for months, in 10 days.

 

It's not likely that the axle housing is bent, which might be what you think of when your mind goes to "axle", but it's highly likely the axle shaft flange could be bent. If they hit you hard enough there would be a chance rear control arms would bend, but that would be more likely if you were T-boned in the rear. It sounds more like a side swipe.

The axle shaft flange is what the rear lug studs are pressed into, and what the wheel is mounting to.

 

okay yeah, i instantly thought the housing. It was a side swipe, she turned into my lane, i tried to swerve but she turned right into the rear passenger wheel. was able to drive a mile home but was hearing some light on-and-off squeaking. Control arms im not sure but i did just have them upgraded to some independent rotational control arms and are much beefier.

So with this axle shaft flange can that be replaced easy and quick?

 

It would just be replacing the whole axle shaft on that side. Pretty quick and easy if that is all.

They'll pop near bearings and seal on the new axle shaft too. No sense resuing old ones.

 

Heres the wheel, it's really not that bad, she side swiped me, not a straight on impact. It's not noticably bent, the only way I could tell is by watching it in the side mirror and seeing it wobble slightly.

 

If you were seeing it rotate in some bent fashion in the mirror, it is more likely it is just the axle shaft flange it's mounted to. That damage appears superficial to me in the picture. Just my opinion though.

That could even be one of those things I'd take the insurance money for a new wheel, put it towards some other goodie, and use that wheel as a spare....assuming of course you have a 5th matching wheel that is currently your spare. When I bought my first set of wheels, that is what they looked like after the first day out playing in the rocks

 

alright makes sense, someone esle just told me that flange is kinda weak and most likely bent. I'm getting a slight squeaking that comes and goes, do you think that would be from the flange or bearing?

Yeah so that's exactly the plan here, i literally have all the parts for a complete rebuiild and regear of the axles that were suppose to go on the week after i was swiped, and i have that 5th wheel plus i had ordered a new set of wheels for BF so im not trying to get this work done and just get paid for it.

 

Yes, the flanges on a factory shaft are a common weak point to bend, generally with larger tires. The squeaking is a typical symptom of a bent flange. Keep in mind that the brake rotor slides over those same studs before the wheel goes on. If the flange bends, then the rotor is no longer passing through the caliper and pads as cleanly (with clearance) as it normally would. That could be some of the noise as well. If you are going to regear, maybe it would make sense to take the opportunity to upgrade to chromoly shafts. Northridge4x4 usually has a set that they have new seals and bearings pressed on already which is nice.

 

ok now that makes sense becasue the squeaking light and when it hit the brakes it gets louder. way ahead of you, i already have new shafts and locker that was going to get installed with the master regear, as well as new brakes all around that i was going to do myself but was waiting on the mopar master cyl and booster.

 

I went thru a similar event where I was driving thru an intersection and was hit by a driver turning across traffic and hit my left wheel. Axle flange was immediately suspect. Axle shaft changed out. Changed the wheel also (probably not required but insurance was paying so why not) But spend a few minutes underneath your rig checking the condition of the wimpy stock rear track bar and ensure that your fuel tank can be filled up normally. In my case, the stock track bar folded up like a pretzel, and the vapor connections at the top side of fuel tank cracked. Insurance inspector and guys at the garage did not pick up on the bent track bar or broken connections at top of tank. I had to find it myself when I got it home. Replaced the rear track bar with a Terra Flex heavy duty forged unit, quite the beef. Had to change out gas tank after trying to repair vent system.