Snapped axle!

Hit a pot hole the other day avoiding an idiot on my side of the road. When I got to work I noticed oil dripping from the end of the axle. What I had thought was a weep from the eyeball seal recently was obviously a crack in the axle itself! The pot hole had finished the job and the wheel was now at a bit of an angle and a 1/4" gap at the bottom! Luckily the brackets fitted at the recall had done their job and stopped it falling off completely. Here is how I solved it....

It would have been interesting to see what Land Rover had to say since the failure is part of a recall.
Did you speak to them?

Anaconda said:

It would have been interesting to see what Land Rover had to say since the failure is part of a recall.
Did you speak to them?

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Yeah, that would be a good fly-on-the-wall moment ...

Anaconda said:

It would have been interesting to see what Land Rover had to say since the failure is part of a recall.
Did you speak to them?

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No, I didn’t see any point. If they were going to do anything surely they would have replaced the axle at the recall!

Gary Huston said:

No, I didn’t see any point. If they were going to do anything surely they would have replaced the axle at the recall!

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They like to save money thinking, owners will replace because of rust underneath etc. it saves them millions on a recall ...

Gary Huston said:

No, I didn’t see any point. If they were going to do anything surely they would have replaced the axle at the recall!

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You never know your luck.

Although the recall has stopped a more catastrophic failure, JLR are clearly aware of the issue and the recall hasn’t cured the issue completely. Id be asking for them to replace the axle.

Knappster said:

JLR are clearly aware of the issue and the recall hasn’t cured the issue completely. Id be asking for them to replace the axle.

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If / when mine goes (it has got the recall brackets on) I'll be looking for an axle case from an earlier defender, pre-problem type. Would not replace it with the same type.

Bad job is it not, someone at JLR or supplier decided to change the design to likely save a bob or two or maybe just because. I have used and even abused [sometimes] Landy's for over fifty years and the worst I have done with an axle case is put a hole in the diff pan. Plus one on @Windblowdrive plan above.

tottot said:

Bad job is it not, someone at JLR or supplier decided to change the design to likely save a bob or two or maybe just because. I have used and even abused [sometimes] Landy's for over fifty years and the worst I have done with an axle case is put a hole in the diff pan. Plus one on @Windblowdrive plan above.

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I agree. Such a substantial component as an axle case breaking unheard off a few years ago. I remember once having a Rangie classic chassis intended for a project vehicle that had been from a written off Rangie that had overturned. With its over-sized wheels and extra offset the rolling forces when the axle hit its bump stop bent the axle casing to the point it had negative camber which is impressive on a solid axle! Not a trace of it actually breaking though. Just how can they get the fabrication of something this simple so wrong? Bad job as already said.

Looks good, not bad welds for the stick welder for those angles!