I'm a new subscriber looking for some help troubleshooting a rear lockup. During a left turn through an intersection, my daughter felt the car veer left and she overcorrected, running up onto the curb. I was dispatched to the scene, and after changing both right flat tires (from jumping the curb) the car wouldn't go more than a foot in either reverse or forward without locking up. I had it trailered home and tried to turn both rear wheels independently...the right rear was difficult, the left easy. I suspected the right rear because of the skid marks left from my attempts to move the car before the tow truck arrived. When the truck arrived, the car would move but was making clunking noises from the right rear.

The car was trailered home, where I pulled the right axle shaft. The outer wheel bearing rolls easy without notchy feeling, as does the differential bearing. No metal filings in the differential housing or oil.

The outboard CV joint feels notchy (as I believe it should) and stays off-center when released from that position. The inboard joint is sloppy and stays on-center when released from off-center. I believe the looseness would result in noise or vibration, but not lockup.

Would the bearings have a smooth feel and still be bad, because there is no load (on jackstands)? Am I missing a typical source for problems?

Thanks for any assistance,
Paul Jones