CV axle mystery

[GAmes]

My grandson drives an '08 Ford Fusion with front wheel drive. A couple days ago he put it into a muddy ditch, whacked a few small trees with the right front fender, then came to a stop. Besides the sheet metal damage one of the axles popped out. The big ends are still there, but the boots and axle were laying on the bottom control arm when it was pulled out. I asked him if the tires spun when he tried to drive it out but he doesn't know. I have looked and looked but can not find any bent or twisted parts of the suspension. How does the axle come out without damaging a strut or a control arm?

 

[NIsaacs]

Did you check the motor mounts? Maybe the motor moved.

 

[GAmes]

Good idea. I'll take a look.

 

[BigPapa]

Something moved.

My niece ran her Honda Accord into the side of a fellows trailer, bent the fender and broke the control arm. Insurance totaled it. I wasn't able to help him so my brother and his FIL trailered it home and pulled the wheel off to see what was damaged. All they saw was the broken control arm, bent tie-rod, and bent strut. I told him to take it to a pro for inspection, that there may be something else there that they didn't see. His FIL told him not to waste his time. So, I got his parts for him and he took it to the shop that does all his Honda work for the install. After they installed the suspension and steering parts they test drove it and found fluid leaking on the ground. Turned out to be a cracked transmission housing. Too late to go back to the insurance company.

Check it ALL.....

 

[GAmes]

Other than the torn up plastic bumper, the headlight and the fender I can't see a bit of damage. The air bags did not employ, the five mile an hour bumper mounts aren't bent. The engine and transaxle are solid, no flex or give when I push on them. I agree that something moved, but I'll be darned if I can figure out what. The tire did rub on the inner fender a little so I'm going to have him put the wheel & tire back on and crank the steering wheel hard left to see if it will rub. I'll take a good look under it after he jacks it a little higher off the ground. It is parked in gravel so not the best place to be working.

 

[mwilson]

Some of the circlips inside the C/V shafts don’t grab the axle shaft all that tight..

If the tire \ spindle was at full lock either left or right there would have been a bit of stretch going on. A quick impact could have popped the end off of the axle stub...

 

[mwilson]

Just read your post again, was the axle end of the C/V still locked onto the axle shaft?

 

[GAmes]

This is what came out. The little circle is part of the bearing cage from that end of the axle. The rest of the cage and the ball bearings are on my workbench.

 

[mwilson]

Yup, something moved..

Recovery vehicle didn’t get ahold of it by mistake??

 

[GAmes]

No, I watched him place the chain. He hooked it on the other side of the frame. It's too hot to mess with it right now. I'll look some more tomorrow.

 

[TFucili]

Are the upper strut mounts rigid, or do they have cushions/biscuits in them? Any give or flex, whether designed in or not, could stack up to overtravel/overextension and yank an axle, in an extreme circumstance I suppose.

 

[GAmes]

They seem to be rigid, but that is worth a second look.

 

[GAmes]

Mystery solved. I got under there with a ruler and a straight edge. The lower control arm, sort of an I-beam looking thing, is bent forward about an inch at the outer mounting bolt. The strut has a wishbone that goes over the axle and bolts to the control arm, it is twisted. Maybe it will twist back once disconnected from the lower arm, don't know. The tire on that side was forced up and to the max stop at the spindle bracket base. Something had to give, so it was the lower arm. The spindle bracket quit turning when the tire hit the inner fender. Sure hope his Covid unemployment check comes through.

 

[BigPapa]

Glad you found the problem. Our stimulus check was direct deposited last week. Hopefully yours is on the way.

 

[GAmes]

We and he got ours too. Mine is going to savings, his to car repair it looks like. One thing is for certain, it's a good thing that my transporting job was nothing more than a paid hobby. Not many new RVs will be sold for awhile.

 

[GCroyle]

Mystery solved. I got under there with a ruler and a straight edge.

A Paul Harvey and the rest of the story moment.

Good catch.