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Topic: Towing/drive axle issue (Read 2752 times) previous topic - next topic - Topic derived from A/C Compressor Question

Towing/drive axle issue

Well I'll have to put the AC on hold for now. I'm sitting on the side of interstate 25 just north of Raton. Something on the driveline broke right as a I crested the climb.  Luckily I was able to coast to a halfway decent spot on the highway to pull over. Sitting here now waiting on a tow truck to haul me to Denver. I'm holding my breath on how many coach bucks this is gonna cost. 😭

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Reply #1 –
If it is just a U joint/drive shift issue, you certainly don't need to go all the way back to Denver.  Truck shops in Raton or Trinidad should certainly be able to take care of you.

Transmission or engine-- you would need to check.

Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #2 –
Russ Miller had a U-joint break and he lost the whole drive shaft. Took about a week to get a new drive shaft built as he couldn't find the broken one. Mark Crick put a lot of time and effort into getting the specs together so the shop could build the new shaft.
As a side note it was found that a certain factory repair shop where Russ always had his service done never lubed that slip joint and U-joints over a period of years because he never specifically asked them to! Just changed the oil, filters and lubed the chassis.
So sad.

Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #3 –
Here is a short summary. Crested the above mentioned climb. Noticed the engine revved and let off the throttle. It was in 3rd gear. Looked down and the transmission indicator, showed 6 over 1. 6 available currently in 1st. Speedometer showed 10mph. I was doing about 30 when all this happened. Coasted down to the first available place to pull off the highway. Heard a thump thump thump from the rear of the coach until I stopped. Engine temp 195. Trans temp 200. No lights on the dash. No warnings on the vmc spec. I let it cool for 5 minutes and shut it down. Went back and checked for leaks. Nothing. Checked the oil. Normal. Cranked it backed up to check transmission fluid level. Normal. Put it in gear and felt nothing. But the speedometer was showing about 5mph. Put it back into neutral and walked back and looked under the coach and the driveshaft is slowly rotating. Something obviously broke. If it was a U-Joint I don't think the driveshaft would rotate like it did. I thought these big truck differentials were pretty much bullet proof. Maybe not. We sat for 12 hours waiting on coach-net to find a tow and a shop that would work on it. It's in Denver now. I'll report on what they find. I've been staying close to home. This was our first big adventure. We are planning on full timing for a while next year when I retire. I'm hoping it's not always going to be this exciting and expensive. 😂

Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #4 –
Quote from: Res777 –
.  I thought these big truck differentials were pretty much bullet proof.

If you broke a pinyon in that rear end would sure be rare but it could happen. Most likely if something in the differential broke it was from a bad casting or heat treating as it is unlikely you would be able to thrash that rear end like some in oil field equipment that get broke. You may have just broke an axle at the spline which is more common. If that happens getting the broke end out is always a challenge.

Mike


Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #5 –
Brett, how about breaking the coach drivetrain failure into a new thread and get it out of the AC thread.  I will be interesting to see what the failure really was and would help in the future with someone searching.

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Reply #6 –
Quote from: Pamela & Mike –
If you broke a pinyon in that rear end would sure be rare but it could happen. Most likely if something in the differential broke it was from a bad casting or heat treating as it is unlikely you would be able to thrash that rear end like some in oil field equipment that get broke. You may have just broke an axle at the spline which is more common. If that happens getting the broke end out is always a challenge.

Mike

That brings up an interesting question. Which side is normally the drive side since it's not a  posi-trac differential nor do I see a way to lock it. The wrecker driver pulled the passenger side axle. It was in one piece and looked normal. Also oil ran out so I know the rearend hadn't run dry.
A side note; I thought I had read you are supposed to pull both axles to tow and questioned the tow driver on this.
He assured me that towing MHs was his specialty and you only have to pull one. I tried calling Foretravel tech. Only voicemail and no return phone call.

Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #7 –
Both axles need to be pulled especially if there is damage in the rear end. One axle out and the spider gears are going to be spinning. If towing MH's is his specialty he needs to get another job. He is just being lazy.

Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #8 –
Echo Craneman. Both axles NEED to be pulled. Don't let the tow truck driver argue with you!

For those sitting at home or in the coach reading this, crawl under the coach (when stands have been put in place) and check the U joints. Grease if they have not been done lately and check for red dust around the U joint caps. A sure sign of dry U joints.

Pierce

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Reply #9 –
Me three on pulling both axles.  I have 2 plastic caps to be put over the openings while axles are out.

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Reply #10 –
Well, since that didn't happen. It was towed from Raton to Denver with one axle still in place. What should I ask the repair shop to look for in case any damage was done while being towed improperly? I've been trying to get a call into Foretravel technical to ask the same question, but it just goes to voicemail and no one ever returns my call. That tech line is pretty much useless.

Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #11 –
Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart –
Echo Craneman. Both axles NEED to be pulled. Don't let the tow truck driver argue with you!

For those sitting at home or in the coach reading this, crawl under the coach (when stands have been put in place) and check the U joints. Grease if they have not been done lately and check for red dust around the U joint caps. A sure sign of dry U joints.

Pierce
That was supposedly all done last year when I purchased the coach at MOT. A full lube job and differential service was part of the $3000 plus fluid service package.

Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #12 –
Quote from: Res777 –
That was supposedly all done last year when I purchased the coach at MOT. A full lube job and differential service was part of the $3000 plus fluid service package.



Pretty easy to tell if they have been lubed recently when they disassemble the U joints.

Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #13 –
Quote from: Res777 –
Well, since that didn't happen. It was towed from Raton to Denver with one axle still in place. What should I ask the repair shop to look for in case any damage was done while being towed improperly? I've been trying to get a call into Foretravel technical to ask the same question, but it just goes to voicemail and no one ever returns my call. That tech line is pretty much useless.
OK for short tow at low speed. The diff has to turn at double speed with one axle in place.  Loaded on the wrong side of the gears and probably low on oil  .  Bad idea.

Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #14 –
Quote from: Protech Racing –
OK for short tow at low speed. The diff has to turn at double speed with one axle in place.  Loaded on the wrong side of the gears and probably low on oil  .  Bad idea.
Unfortunately it wasn't a short tow. About 4 hours.

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Reply #15 –
The spider gears also have only plain bearings (bushings), not ball or roller. Normally, they are only in used in turns.

Pierce

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Reply #16 –
Well. Still don't know what failed. All I know at this point was a lot of metal was found in the differential housing and I'm looking at a $9600 total rebuild of the differential. I'll post pictures when I have them and have asked for the mechanics opinion on what may have caused the failure. The tech at Foretravel said he wanted to hear as well as he has never heard of this happening before. I joke about the "Stout" luck occasionally. It bit me again. 😂

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Reply #17 –
4 hrs spinning  the diff could ruin it for sure . IMHO

Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #18 –
This thread has me thinking we might benefit from a "Mandatory Reading For New Owners" sticky thread where we aggregate the important things like pulling both axles, never letting your AH freeze, etc..

Re: Re: A/C Compressor Question

Reply #19 –
Okay. It's been a while. Three months in the shop to be exact. Here's what the driveline issue turned out to be. The drivers side axle twisted into two pieces. I'll attach some pictures. And for bonus points while it was in the shop someone didn't set the parking brake and it coasted backwards across the parking lot into another vehicle.