Benzinnn

Hi all,
I'm experiencing a problem with my car, it seems that an axle is broken, I was driving and suddenly I heard a broken noise below the car with something hitting (with regularity) just below the central console, the engine was still running but no power at all ?

After stopped the car I noticed that the engine light was on and verified directly: it was an O2 sensor in bank 1, I presume it's the axle that by being broken disconneted the sensor.

I'd like to know if someone has an idea of the axle in cause and giving such a behavior to the car ?

The gearbox level reacts normally but the hitting comes again when in drive position (no power)
Do you think it's the central axle ? (front to rear)
I don't understand how the car behaves when an axle is broken on a 4Matic, sorry curious but not specialist.

Btw I heard a kind of whistle for some time and thought it was the joint of this axle, does it make sense to you if broken ?

Thanks

rapidoxidation

Dropping a belly cover and putting your eyes on it will confirm whether there's a busted shaft or not...

Use jack stands before going under the car. The jack in the trunk is not to be trusted. Come to think of it, neither is any other jack. Use jack stands before going under the car.

Strigoi

Sounds like a broken driveshaft that took out the wire to the O2 sensor when it failed. Hopefully it's just a u-joint and didn't do too much damage. A broken half-shaft wouldn't be making noise under the middle of the car. I snapped a few on a VW GTI and the noise was always from the front of the car.

Have you even looked under the car to see if anything is hanging down?

Benzinnn

Thank you Strigoi, I saw the schematic and the nearest driveshaft is the one from the gearbox to the front differential, it makes sense, I understand that the O2 sensor is very close of this shaft. The car is not at home, I'm asking some help to gain some time (get an idea of the parts causing the problem, global cost). If it's not the differentiel itself or the gearbox that should be just this axle and the O2 sensor if broken.
Need to find the reference for this part.