Probs replacing rear axle assy

'03 4wd Limited Stepside, 206K with successive bearing, diff and general back end problems; giving up on piecemeal work, and trying to replace entire back end. Having a bear of a time finding a replacement rear axle. Had one shipped in, was misrepresented as for ABS, but isn't. Gearing and LSD appear to be correct, though. Can we use this axle? If we do, what would/might happen? Can we modify it to accommodate ABS? Returning it doesn't appear to be an option; I don't have time for legal recourse, and there don't appear to be other options... we're a bit stuck. But, I also don't want to do something supremely stupid. Thoughts? Advice?

 

Paid with a CC? Dispute it.

You could take the old abs sensor boss and weld it to the new housing. It'll take skill to get it exactly right, as sensor placement is key.

Otherwise if you leave it off, you'll no longer have working ABS. Just regular brakes.

 

Thanks much... we're trying to work it out... seller was a few states away, so dealing with freight, long-distance return, etc. Hoping that pans out.
Good to know about the rest... I doubt we'll try to modify this if the return fails; I've got to do something soon, though. A bit difficult to have a bunch of horses/critters and no truck to haul feed.
It's still used quite a bit on the highway, and I'd rather not diminish braking efficacy if at all possible. So bloody frustrating.

 

Seems like least stressful option would be slap it in and pull the 2 ABS fuses and be done with it.

What kind of issues were you having with the old axle?

 

Which I recommend doing regardless. Best upgrade I ever did to my truck.

 

That hadn't occurred to me whatsoever, likely because I'm a chicken when it comes to brakes. What can I expect, and in what way was it the best thing you'd ever done to yours? (Sincere question... hoping that doesn't sound snippy.)

 

Why don't you swap all the new guts to your old axle housing? You'd still have ABS because all your bungs would be in the right spots.

Don't forget the tone ring!!!

 

Not only that, but ... considering the lack of needing to freight stuff back/forth you could potentially negotiate some of the cost off, which could help pay for someone else to swap innards if you're not comfortable doing the work. The work isn't rocket science, but I can understand someone not wanting to do it. Same reason I don't rebuild my own transmissions.

 

Thank you again... and agreed. But... "tone ring"? Help?

 

The tone ring for the ABS. It's what the wheel speed sensor reads. They have to be in the exact right spot. If you're not changing wheel bearings or backing plates you shouldn't have to worry about them.

Personally I think I'd just roll with what you got shipped to you and slap it in. I say that mostly because my truck didn't have abs in the first place so I'm bias.

Also I'll ask again what issues are you having with the original axle?

 

Sorry for not getting back to you right away, I was camping.

So first off, it depends on if you drive on snow, ice mud, or loose grave at lot.

On pavement, ABS only slightly increases stopping distance and by keeping your wheels from locking up, you maintain full steering control throughout the stop.

On loose surfaces, it can more than double your stopping distance, and on a steep downhill on loose surfaces, it can keep you from being able to stop period. In snow, mud, etc, there is little friction between the tire and the surface, but if you lock the wheels they will 'plow' into the soft surface and can actually stop you very quickly. Or if your on ice, but can get one side of wheels off the ice, you can use those wheels that are not slipping to stop. ABS however, keeps all the wheels turning at the same speed no matter what, which means that your brakes are only as good as the wheel with the LEAST traction, so if even one wheel is slipping, your ABS essentially turns of the brakes to all your other wheels.

The very first time I went down my driveway in the winter in my Tundra, I almost wrecked as when the ABS kicked in, because the instant it cut in, it was like someone had cut my brake lines and the truck actually started accelerating because of the surface I was on, the only way to stop was to get the tires to dig into the snow, but the ABS wanted to keep them rolling, and all rolling evenly at all costs and I simply could not stop and had to just ride it out and dodge the trees as I bobsleded down the road.

Pulling the ABS fuses made a world of difference in winter driving for me, and since I was raised on cars without ABS, feathering the brakes when you need to steer during an emergency stop is second nature to me so I really really prefer to having the choice to prioritize braking over steering left up to me, rather than to the vehicle.

So in short, what you can expect is radically reduced stopping distances in snow, and otherwise, you will never know the difference.