My son was driving my 97 Ram at low speed - he had just pulled out of the driveway - when the drivers side wheel hub shattered. He didn't notice anything wrong prior and vehicle has 155,000 miles on it, so I figured it just went. When we pulled the wheel the castle nut was laying in the hub cover with fragments of the cotter pin. I pull the hub and replaced it. Also checked u-joints and they felt OK - no slop. 20 miles on new hub and it does the same thing. Any ideas??? What could lock the hub so tight it shatters. Also, nothing happens prior to this - no noise, no wobble, nothing.

 

Hub. Are you refering to the bearing assembly or the stub axle???

[IMG]local://upfiles/29187/7A4E83FFBECB4B46B89C96FA1CA31AC8.gif[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/29187/CCD073621F054DA9B2A0DE7F09DBC768.gif[/IMG]

 

It was the bearing assembly. Both times the outer wheel bearing in the hub fragmented.

 

Only thing I can think of is either the bearing assembly is to tight or the castle nut, threads,spline are bad. Axle moving outward/inward jamming it. Just guessing at this point. Been a few years since I had mine apart.

New nut, Check axle spline, make sure something isn't jamming the bearings.

 

Fixed it!!! The threads were fine, the castle nut was cracked but you could only see the split with a magnifying glass. Part shop replaced the $150 wheel hub as defective but I had to pony up another $360 for a new stub axle - the second break trashed the threads. Also had to replace the caliper bolts - bent, and the bushing bolts on the sway arm.Best news is no damage to gear box. Runs like a champ again. Thanks for the advice chopper1.