how important are cv axles if your front differential doesn't work ?

[LCALDERA98]

I have a 98 k1500 and I was changing the lower control arm on the passenger side and I decided to remove the cv axle since the driver side didn't have one. thought it would be fine. I got everything reinstalled and I went for a test drive and I took a right turn and the hub assembly broke.

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then I went to the parts store and got a new hub and installed it... then I went down the street and it snapped again

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so then I took look at the driver side and seen this

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looks like the person before me used a pice of the cv axel to hold the hub in so i went a head and installed a new cv axle on the side that I was working on and I got home but I went supper slow I'm scared to take it on the highway because I feel like it would snap again what do y'all think ???

y'all think I'm safe to drive it ??

 

[LCALDERA98]

I guess I'm good

 

[Schurkey]

SOME front hub assemblies do not need a CV joint through-bolted to hold the bearings in place. Example: GMT360/370 (Chevy Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, etc. 2WD and 4WD/AWD use the same hub assembly, and the 2WD versions don't have a CV shaft or a CV joint securing the bearings.)

The GMT400 hubs aren't like that, as you figured out. The bigass nut on the outside end of the CV joint keeps the bearings together. If you've got a CV shaft and the bigass nut properly torqued on the outer joint...you're good in terms of the bearings. I gotta wonder how much damage you did to the brakes--rotor, caliper, caliper pistons, pads, etc. Looks like you scraped-up the wheel, too.

 

[offroadtahoe]

I guess I'm good

yeah,you have to run the outer cv cup on gmt400's

 

[GoToGuy]

Do you have the service manuals for your year? If not your wrong. As you found out the hard and expensive way. There free to download here. Just search the link.
If your a parts expert, I would have expected you to have reference some service guidance.

 

[RichLo]

X2 to everything above.

I've never eliminated 4wd myself but there have been threads in the past of people converting to 2wd for various reasons... got a free 2wd transmission or swapped rear ends with different gears and wanted to make sure they didnt blow things up if a spouse or neighbor borrowed the truck, etc. In every one of those threads taking apart the CV and installing just the outer hub came up for that reason.

There has even been a thread or two about somebody working on their truck and moving it 20ft from their garage to the driveway and having the same thing happen. I'm surprised they held up long enough to even back out of your driveway

 

[Rocket Surgeon]

I did the same on a powertrain-less FWD body shell I own. Someday I will fix it into the fine FWD convertible it should be... it is now sitting at year 20. $#!%

These hubs are held together by the tension of the CV nut.