What are the symptoms of a damaged car axle?
2 Answers
The symptoms of a damaged car axle are: 1. Metal friction sounds or metal collision sounds; 2. Abnormal noises when the steering wheel is turned fully to the left or right; 3. Severe shaking when the car is driving at high speed; 4. Obvious body sway when the car is in motion. The car axle is the shaft that transmits torque between the gearbox reducer and the drive wheel, with a universal joint at each end connecting to the reducer gear and the hub bearing inner ring via splines on the universal joint. The car axle is used to transmit power between the differential and the drive wheels. For ordinary non-disconnect drive axles, the axles can be classified into three types based on the outer end support form: full-floating, three-quarter floating, and semi-floating.
I've been driving for over twenty years and have seen many cars with damaged drive shafts. The most obvious symptom is a clicking sound when turning, especially when the steering wheel is turned all the way. Another sign is feeling vibration in the steering wheel during acceleration, which gets worse as speed increases. After parking, you can crawl under the car to check—if you find oil stains on the inner side of the wheel axle, it's likely that the drive shaft boot is torn, causing grease leakage. This issue shouldn't be ignored. My neighbor once heard strange noises but didn’t repair it in time, and the drive shaft ended up breaking halfway, nearly causing an accident. I recommend going to a repair shop for inspection as soon as you notice any unusual noises or vibrations. Repair costs can range from a few hundred to over a thousand, depending on the specific car model and extent of the damage.