What the heck is wrong with my axle?

[zyewdall]

So... I've got a bad vibration in the front end when going up hills. Feels sort of like loose lug nuts or castle nut or something. Except, you can't really feel it in the steering wheel. More in the tranny (and the whole car shakes). Goes away immediately if you let off the gas, or put it in 4wd. I checked for anything loose, and this is what I found:

 

The passenger side axle can be slid in and out -- it's suppposed to be fixed in the outer joint, and the inner one slides in and out with suspension flex, right? But the passenger side on mine both slide in and out -- makes a pretty good clunk in the DOJ if you slide it back and forth by hand. What the heck went wrong with it, and can I fix it, or should I get a new axle?

 

EDIT: this axle is about 15,000 miles old.... rebuilt

[Gloyale]

So... I've got a bad vibration in the front end when going up hills. Feels sort of like loose lug nuts or castle nut or something. Except, you can't really feel it in the steering wheel. More in the tranny (and the whole car shakes). Goes away immediately if you let off the gas, or put it in 4wd. I checked for anything loose, and this is what I found:

 

The passenger side axle can be slid in and out -- it's suppposed to be fixed in the outer joint, and the inner one slides in and out with suspension flex, right? But the passenger side on mine both slide in and out -- makes a pretty good clunk in the DOJ if you slide it back and forth by hand. What the heck went wrong with it, and can I fix it, or should I get a new axle?

 

EDIT: this axle is about 15,000 miles old.... rebuilt

 

Check that the knuckle is connected to the strut tightly and not moving. It may be that the circlip that fixes the axle end into the outer joint has popped off or out. Go buy a CV clamp, cut the old one( the clamp) off of the outer joint, and inspect it. If it has popped out, you should swing the knuckle out far enough to pull the end of the axle out and install a new clip. reassembly, grease the joint and clamp the boot back on.

[zyewdall]

Thanks. I'll give that try, when I get my truck fixed tomorrow so I can drive it instead. Another interesting thing..... it only becomes a problem on a certain road -- going up to my house after about 30 minutes of WOT in 3rd or 4th gears -- it starts vibrating. But by that point it's only 3 miles from my house, so I just slow down, or put in in 4wd. But for the first 90 miles in the day for the past several days, no problems whatsoever -- can accelerate as hard as I like, and no vibration. Hmm.... Also, I noticed that after getting to my house, the tranny is too hot to touch -- I'd expect that of the engine block, but I've never actually felt the tranny after a hard drive before, so I don't know if that's normal or not. Wonder if my clutch is slipping and creating heat.

 

Z