[Joel_CA]

Does anyone have any idea what could cause the axle to separate from the transmission like that? With the axle not being connected to the transmission does that mean I was running with only one wheel? What if anything can I do to prevent this from happening in the future?

Yes- it separated because you pulled it out. The exposed joint in the last 2 pictures rides inside the cup that is still attached to the transmission. As you travel down the road and the suspension goes up and down- the axle will slide in and out of the cup while still maintaining forward thrust. Due to the limits of suspension travel- it will never slide far enough to pop out of the cup. It was not like that before you pulled it apart otherwise your car would not have gone anywhere. As it was suggested, a long pry bar in between the axle and the transmission will pop the rest of it out. It will require a sudden jolt type pull to pop it out. Not a progressive pull like in a tug-of-war.


J