Im using my phone and can't circle the issue, but most can probably see it. So my truck has 7,000 miles, I recently had a Zone 6" installed about 500 - 600 miles ago. Yesterday I put my truck in 4x4 for the first time Offroad. I was on my hunting land and the trail is very easy. When in 4x4 I heard a few pops and took it out of 4x4, and it hasn't popped since, only in 4x4. Looking at the driver side it looks like the metal got in a bind where the front axle goes into the front diff. Any idea what could have caused this? Could the lift install somehow played a part in this? Any help would be appreciated

 

Looks like a broken halfshaft. With the 6" lift, my guess is you surpassed the maximum allowable CV joint angle.

 

Angles look great to me. Of course I could be wrong though

 

Was the steering wheel turned when you heard the popping noise? I don’t think it’s unusual to have some popping/binding in 4WD at full lock with steering wheel?

 

Tossing grease out as well...looks like the rubber boot is slipping from the band clamp.

 

I think it was now that you say that. Look at the pic showing the metal is bent it's not right. The driver side is where the issue is. Any idea what could cause this to be in a bind?

i took some more pics of the driver and passenger side. There is grease on the driver side where the popping was coming from and the metal looks bent.

Driver Side




Grease on driver Side


Passenger Side Looks Normal


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I'd hazard to guess that the rubber boot is torn somewhere and slinging the grease out. The bent metal looks like the shop that installed your lift may have used a pry bar to try to pull it from the case and bent that metal piece. The popping you heard may be the joint being dry of grease.

 

Yep I just found a small tear in the boot. Why in the hell would it be torn? The angles are all good, Do you think the shop that installed it tore it somehow? Would the shop that installed the lift have to pull it from the case during the install? Now I'm getting pissed that it wasn't installed right. I paid too much money to have this lift installed for this mess.

 

Its also possible that when whoever did the lift install, pulled the halfshaft out of the race when removing/installing the halfshaft.
Some or all the ball bearings fell out, or they were partially disengaged and when engaging 4x4, it fell in.
You wouldn't see it as its inside the boot.

My money is on that being the issue.

 

That bent metal piece is part of the axle seal I think. The boot is like that likely from when they remove the front axle assembly for the lift as was already said and likely over extended the that cv joint when removing.