Symptoms of a Broken Shaft Axle by Brad Melton . There are several different signs that might pop up to indicate you've bent or broken an axle shaft. Sometimes a metal shaft can snap due to metal failure. Symptoms of a Bad CV Axle Joint. Front wheel drive and independent rear suspension cars are designed with CV axles. A CV axle or shaft has two constant-velocity or CV joints: inner and outer. The CV (Constant Velocity) axle is a very important component in most rear- and front-wheel drive vehicles. One of the most common and most noticeable symptoms of a bad or failing CV axle shaft assembly is an … To inspect a bad CV joint, first, you examine the rubber boots found on the The Constant Velocity Axle, or CV Axle, connects your wheels to the transaxle or transmission, allowing your vehicle to drive. An axle can fail for various reasons, and the axle shaft can even suddenly break under certain circumstances. These clicks are on the side of the faulty axle shaft and typically become noisier during sharp or fast turns. CV axle failures are usually caused by a broken or leaking boot, which is often followed by failing bearings in a joint. When a CV axle goes bad you will hear clicking when you steer. This article talks about rear axles, seals and bearings. Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images. Luckily diagnosing axle shaft bearings does not come up very often, because the sounds they make can be mistaken for other drive train problems. Leaking Grease Leaking grease underneath the vehicle or on the inside tire edge can mean a leaking axle boot or CV boot, which is the rubber cover over the drive axle joint or CV joint. Posted on October 3, 2018 by Nicole Palange in Auto Repair. 5 Signs and Symptoms of A Leaking Axle Shaft. This video is sponsored by TrakMotive. Rear Axle Shaft Bearings. The axle seal is a circular piece of material that prevents a leak at the axle entry point while allowing the axle to rotate freely. A slight wobbling in your shaft while driving is the most obvious, and will probably be the first major clue that there's a problem. Advertisement. Loud clicking noises when turning. A typical inner CV joint has three rollers on a tripod (spider) that can slide inside the CV joint housing, so the CV axle can extend or contract as needed. Causes of Axle Failure. :mrgreen: This is for my '99 and I'm wondering if I have a bad passenger side axle shaft u-joint. By connecting two fixed rotating shafts with a set of CV joints, the axle maintains steering stability while handling the ups and downs from the vehicle's suspension. First, excessive vibration is the first clue of worn U-joints, slip splines and even out-of-balance components. CV axles have inner and outer joints with a “boot” on each end. But if it breaks, if can cause all sorts of problems for your transmission system. Axle shafts must be forged in a way to produce an exterior of hardened steel with a … When a driveshaft is worn out or damaged, there are two common symptoms. 1. I've had a bit of steering wheel wobble especially when I make a sharp right hand turn and sometimes to a lesser extent, with a left hand turn. Even a noisy tire with choppy tread can be mistaken for a defective bearing. Ok, a bit off topic, but not... like I said TJs are getting to be "older" jeeps now.