2002 Fx4 Rear End Problems

[dwsykes]

Hi y'all,

I recently, about 2 weeks ago, found a puddle of gear oil under my rear end. It appeared that the pinion seal had gone bad. Well I am at work and cannot really work on the truck that much and it's my DD! I took it to my dealer and they found that the rear universal had beat the rear end, though I did not feel the universal driving, only at takeoff. They started to tear it apart and found that the carrier bearings were worn the backlash was way out of spec and the axles had grooves in them. They replaced all the parts except the axles, which they cannot find.

I have located several 8.8" 31 spline rear ends at a salvage yard not too long from me, but I want to know:

What should I be looking for? I know Ford had recalls on this model (Torsen T-2 exploding?), but how would I know if I happen to have the bad one?

Thanks in advance.

 

[4x4junkie]

What should I be looking for? I know Ford had recalls on this model (Torsen T-2 exploding?), but how would I know if I happen to have the bad one?

Thanks in advance.

The dealer should be able to tell you this just by looking up your VIN number (and whether the recall work was done, which I seem to remember was replacement of the entire rear axle).

31-spline FX4 axle shafts are unique to the FX4 (and FX4-Level II for '03-'08 (?) models).
If worse gets to worse and you can't get any through Ford or otherwise, you can always swap your axle out for an Explorer axle as a replacement. The axle leaf perches will need to be relocated to the top of the axle tubes and shock brackets welded on, but is otherwise very similar to the FX4 Torsen axle (minus the Torsen, which your Torsen can be swapped over to it, provided it's still good). Explorer axle shafts unfortunately do not fit the FX4 housing though, they are about half-inch too long.

 

[dwsykes]

The dealer should be able to tell you this just by looking up your VIN number (and whether the recall work was done, which I seem to remember was replacement of the entire rear axle).

31-spline FX4 axle shafts are unique to the FX4 (and FX4-Level II for '03-'08 (?) models).
If worse gets to worse and you can't get any through Ford or otherwise, you can always swap your axle out for an Explorer axle as a replacement. The axle leaf perches will need to be relocated to the top of the axle tubes and shock brackets welded on, but is otherwise very similar to the FX4 Torsen axle (minus the Torsen, which your Torsen can be swapped over to it, provided it's still good). Explorer axle shafts unfortunately do not fit the FX4 housing though, they are about half-inch too long.

Thanks for the info. I will definitely ask them to check. Monday I have plans to purchase a '03 Level II rear end for $384.00 if he has it.

The number that was run on my axle was V313A and they told me it was the incorrect rear end for the truck???? Do you have any knowledge of the numbers? I want to go to the dealer tomorrow to pull the numbers off the front end to see what it is and try to make sure they are both correct for that year.