Replacement rear axle assembly, used donor
ChosenFord (OEM, used)
In hand since 30 Sep 2026 — replacement passenger shaft delivered 13 Oct 2026
Why this option
The housing is bent from the rear impact, which puts it past repair. A complete assembly from a 2023 F-150 STX 5.0 4x4 donor with about 12,000 miles, bought from Martin's Auto Salvage in Raleigh, costs a fraction of a new axle and arrives as a matched unit rather than a rebuild of unknown history. Same model year as this truck, same 9.75 in ring gear, 3.73 ratio and electronic locker, so the wheel-speed sensors and locker plug are the same parts and nothing needs splicing.
Trade-offs
Sold with the calipers removed, and it arrived with a bent passenger-side axle shaft: a hand spin showed the flange wobbling about three degrees per turn. With the cover off on 3 Oct 2026 the carrier, ring and pinion checked out, so the fix is a new Ford shaft, bearing and seal rather than a return. The yard has agreed to credit the shaft and bearing; that credit has not landed and the figures below do not assume it. Someone had rattle-canned the whole axle black before the sale, which hides the housing's condition until it is cleaned. The electronic locker has not been confirmed working yet.
Photography
The axle it replaced: a straightedge along the original housing shows the bend.
Hung under the truck with the cover off.
What it actually cost
- Part
- $2,399.90
- Shipping
- $58.88
- Tax
- $26.83
- Hardware not included
- $615.70
- All-in
- $3,101.31
The axle and its freight to the Knoxville terminal were priced together at $2,399.90, with money off because the calipers had been removed before sale. Hardware is the bent-shaft repair and the fluids for the swap: a new Ford passenger shaft ML3Z-4234-C ($287.64) from Stumpf Ford; two axle bearings, two seals, a paper cover gasket and threadlocker from AutoZone ($117.39 after discounts); a Ford metal-backed cover gasket HL3Z-4036-A from Rich Ford ($49.68), bought to use instead of the paper one; and four quarts of Motorcraft 75W-85, two bottles of DOT 4 LV brake fluid, TA-25-B thread sealant and XG-1-E1 grease from eBay sellers ($160.99 plus $14.90 tax), bought after those lines came off the Stumpf order. Shipping is $4.99 from AutoZone, $11.35 from Rich Ford, and half of the Stumpf order's $85.09 freight, shared with the driveshaft. The credit Martin's has agreed for the shaft and bearing is not yet reflected.
Installation
What wasn't in the instructions
- With a rear caliper off its rotor, do not press the brake pedal, and enter Brake Service Mode before starting. On this truck both rear pistons came out of their bores with the calipers hanging off the axle; the pedal or the electric parking brake will each do it when there is no rotor in front of the pads.