Lower ball joint/Spindle hub failure

[TravThePro]

Even after seeing several other vehicles with similar failures, I always thought, "This will never happen to my vehicle." This will hopefully be a great wake up call to anyone who hasn't been checking their ball joints/bushings on a some what consistent basis.

The Story
I had just gotten home from a 200 mile trip to help further break the engine in from the restoration project (218 miles on the rebuilt engine at this point). I went to test my 4WD and saw that the light would not turn on in my dash even though the transfer case was engaging. I bypassed the vacuum valve system and forced the ADD actuator to lock into place while in 4 low. One more thing to note would be that the vehicle is double locked, so it puts a crazy amount of strain on the steering/suspension/drive train when it gets put into 4 low. I pulled it out of the driveway and it started to steer diagonally when I was straight on the steering wheel. I went 30 Feet down the road before I heard some pretty bad sounds, so I decided I should put it back into the driveway before I did anything too bad. So I shifted the vehicle into reverse and heard a thundering boom as the vehicle fell down on the passenger side. I went out to inspect the damage and the photos below show what I was greeted by.

What was the failure?
The failure point was the 4 mounting bolts for the LBJ plate to the spindle hub. Half of the bolts were missing, so I am assuming they fell out while I was on my 200 mile test drive. The third bolt was ripped completely out and stretched to a 90 degree angle and the fourth bolt was broken off inside of the spindle hub.

What was the damage?
-Broken LBJ
-Destroyed UBJ
-Destroyed mounting hardware
-Hard brake line got ripped off
-Bolts broken off in spindle hub had to be drilled/tapped
-Broken CV axle
-Destroyed what was left of the UCA bushings
-Took a chunk out of the rim with the LCA
-Brake fluid took a bunch of paint of of the hub, LCA, and frame.

Thanks to some amazing help from neighbors and family, we were able to replace and repair everything in about 6 hours. This could have failed at any time during that 200 mile test drive, I would not be here writing this post out if that was the case. Check your suspension before this happens to you!

 

[WeakSauz]

Yikes. I am very sorry to see this. Loctite is imperative on those LBJ Bolts, and you are very correct about the extra strains and stress of being dual locked.

One thing I always advocate is Marking paste on those 4 bolts:
Amazon.com: Tamperproof Tube Marker, Red: Automotive

After loctiting and torquing, Mark the bolt all the way on the mating flange all the way across the bolt head.

It makes visual inspections very easy at a glance. You can see visually if the witness marks don't line up that the bolt has loosened.

 

[HiLife]

Thanks for posting your delema. Lbj type of failures doesn't discriminate, for sure. It will take out the unsuspecting at will. Lady luck was on your side that day as it couldve been much worse. Thank your friends/family/neighbors for going to the site and lending a helping hand in getting you back on the road.

 

[phattyduck]

Undertorqued or overtorqued bolts there can cause problems. It sounds like 2/4 backed out from under torque, then the last two failed due to mechanical stress.

Glad you were able to fix it up!

What was the age on those parts? OEM or other?

-Charlie

 

[thegipper]

Undertorqued or overtorqued bolts there can cause problems. It sounds like 2/4 backed out from under torque, then the last two failed due to mechanical stress.

Glad you were able to fix it up!

What was the age on those parts? OEM or other?

-Charlie

I was going to ask the same thing, how old were the LBJ's and were the bolts ever replaced?

I replaced my LBJ's (OEM) when I first got my truck but I didn't replace the bolts. A couple years later I decided to replace the bolts also (added red loctite). I'm glad I did.....