AWD issue

[Scooby-X]

Hello. I am brand new to the Yukon world. I found a pretty good deal on an 07 Denali and grabbed it. Two weeks later I hear a loud boom and the truck wouldn't move. I looked under the rear and had the wife put it in drive to see if the drive shaft was turning. Nope. But the transmission was still shifting and showing speed. So today the snow melted enough for me to look under the front end. There I saw that the driver side front axle was detached. Could that cause the entire system to shut down? Or could it have somehow caused a chain reaction that killed center diff? Just wondering if this is something that had ever happened before and any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Bill 1960]

I don’t know the answer but I do not see any remaining stubs of broken bolts in the differential drive flange.

If your transmission is turning but neither the front or rear driveshaft rotates the transfer case is broken.

 

[Rocket Man]

Put some bolts in that CV axle and see. Somebody must have replaced that or the front diff and forgot to tighten the bolts. Better check all the other bolts under there. Then go from there. You can pull a bolt from the other axle, take it to a hardware store and match up the threads and length.
Edit: I should have mentioned to use grade 8 bolts for that.

 

[Doubeleive]

Well somehow you made it thus far with no bolts holding one of the front half axles in place, (there missing) and the front diff is leaking which probably means it needs to be worked on anyway
you may be able to get the bolts from the junkyard and bolt it back in and make it down the road still. (maybe)

 

[Doubeleive]

are the bolts missing on the other side also?

 

[randeez]

all that fluid on the diff

if the axle was left lose and popped off that would be the best case scenario.

worst, id say the front diff leaks like hell and ran dry for too long and seized up, and bolts for the axle sheared

but either way yea, jack up the passenger side and see what spins and what doesnt

 

[Jason in DLH]

Hello. I am brand new to the Yukon world. I found a pretty good deal on an 07 Denali and grabbed it. Two weeks later I hear a loud boom and the truck wouldn't move. I looked under the rear and had the wife put it in drive to see if the drive shaft was turning. Nope. But the transmission was still shifting and showing speed. So today the snow melted enough for me to look under the front end. There I saw that the driver side front axle was detached. Could that cause the entire system to shut down? Or could it have somehow caused a chain reaction that killed center diff? Just wondering if this is something that had ever happened before and any help is appreciated. Thanks. View attachment 271520

It looks like someone did some work on the diff and didn’t seal the mating surface to the differential carrier well and didn’t torque the CV axle to the output shaft down properly. I could be wrong though.

 

[donjetman]

Could that cause the entire system to shut down? Or could it have somehow caused a chain reaction that killed center diff? Just wondering if this is something that had ever happened before and any help is appreciated. Thanks. View attachment 271520

Yes this WILL prevent the vehicle from moving.

While I had my front driveshaft out, for curiousity sake, I tried to see if my 07 awd Denali would move by putting it in gear. It would NOT budge. Your situation has the same effect.

 

[Rocket Man]

Yeah, check that fluid level in that diff too! You never know, you might have dodged a bullet.

 

[thompsoj22]

Yes this WILL prevent the vehicle from moving.

While I had my front driveshaft out, for curiousity sake, I tried to see if my 07 awd Denali would move by putting it in gear. I would NOT budge. Your situation has the same effect.

There is a planetary assy in the transfer case that must require some power transfer/resistance to front wheels to drive the rear wheels? I think that is how the power is divided between front and rear wheels as a bias percentage. If the system were intact the traction control would apply the brake to the spinning wheel and force the power to a wheel with traction. No axle/driveshaft your a beached whale, I learn somthing everytime im on this forum! Hey i do advise using some factory hardware to reattch the axle to carrier.