4x4 problems- I am sick of it!!!!

[Will]

We've all got the same t-case and they aren't prone to failure. People running V8s with the C4 are using them without a problem. I doubt there is any way Aamco would refuse to take your money for a rebuild. I also doubt the problem is anywhere but in those shitty hubs. I mean Ford, who is notorious for keeping stupid designs going long after the intelligent world has condemned them, got rid of those hubs after 2 years.

I would say Aamco screwed you and you should swap for the newer parts. That's what I would do.

 

[reginald fairfield]

We've all got the same t-case and they aren't prone to failure. People running V8s with the C4 are using them without a problem. I doubt there is any way Aamco would refuse to take your money for a rebuild. I also doubt the problem is anywhere but in those shitty hubs. I mean Ford, who is notorious for keeping stupid designs going long after the intelligent world has condemned them, got rid of those hubs after 2 years.

I would say Aamco screwed you and you should swap for the newer parts. That's what I would do.

You mean switch to the "live axle?" What is the difference between them and a permanently locked vacuum one? How hard is it to switch out axles anyway?

 

[reginald fairfield]

Yo- can someone tell me- are the 1354's put in rangers and mazda pickups the same? they are swappable? 99 mazda to 99 ranger

 

[gotmudd]

Hey ya'll, I need some help and I need it, well semi-quickly.

I have a 1999 ford ranger 3.0 L 4x4. I have been having problems with the four-low, and it is not only getting annoying but expensive.

All of it started one day when my idiot friend got stuck in his heavy ass chevy pickup (fullsize.) I tried to pull him out, and it was too much strain to my system, and it started doing the clunking crap.

Here is what it is doing: 4-high is fine, no problems.
4-low is fine until I get into the higher rpm's or start climbing hills. Either way, the system has to be under a fair strain before it starts clunking and slipping out of four wheel drive intermittenly. The more this happens, the worse it gets.

I took the transfer case off (1354 Electric shift) myself and took it to ammco to get it rebuilt. They did so, and I put it back on the pickup. It was much better, but it was still clunking/slipping a bit.

I took the whole pickup back to ammco to get it fixed right, and they tried to fix it for one week, they said they disassembled it 2 or 3 times and they could not figure out the problem.

So they said to drive it and see if the problem gets better. I know it won't.

Ammco seems to know what they are doing, and I have a warranty on the work, so this is starting to tick me off.

Anyone have any ideas? Could it in fact be the hubs or front diff, and it's slipping messed up the trasfer case? Or the vacuum hubs? But the fact that the transfer case rebuild improved the symtom points to the transfer case still. I don't know. Help, please? Suggestions?

The vaccum hubs are notoriously failure prone.

The hubs are a bad design and very prone to failure. It very well could be that. The fact that it got better after the work may be coincidental. You stated that it got worse as you used it. You may not have fully put it through it's paces after the work. Sorry I can't be more help. Keep us informed and stop wheeling with Chevy's. They'll wreck your stuff every time.

Well, I finally got around to doing that trick in the tech library to permanently lock the hubs, it was ridiculously easy once I understood the instructions. I tested my truck again, it seemed to be a bit better, but it still does it a little... Maybe one of my hubs is stripped? The passenger side hub seems to have some slack in it, I can grab the axle and the the brake rotor and turn them in opposite directions about 1/4 to a 1/2 inch, it has nothing to do with the bearings, is this normal?

Otherwise, damn It is so nice to have reliable hubs!! Can I still shift on the fly in 4-high?

Yeah, that was one problem, but not the real problem apparently...

hmmm... I am still stumped a bit... It ticks me off... you would think that ammco of all places would know what the problem is. I know I already asked this, but does anyone think that it is possible that a messed up hub caused the transfer case to self destruct? If the hub(s) slip in and out of engagement at a high rpm, it could have damaged the case from slipping in and out so fast. In other words, what do ya'll think I should do?

We've all got the same t-case and they aren't prone to failure. People running V8s with the C4 are using them without a problem. I doubt there is any way Aamco would refuse to take your money for a rebuild. I also doubt the problem is anywhere but in those shitty hubs. I mean Ford, who is notorious for keeping stupid designs going long after the intelligent world has condemned them, got rid of those hubs after 2 years.

I would say Aamco screwed you and you should swap for the newer parts. That's what I would do.

Yo- can someone tell me- are the 1354's put in rangers and mazda pickups the same? they are swappable? 99 mazda to 99 ranger

well i feel for ya, but i don't think i'd of attempted to pull a fullsize pickup with a ranger[know what they say about hindsite] i'm not familiar with the electric t-case, but i am familiar with the vacu-hubs, they suck. replace them with the manual conversion.as for the slop, no that ain't normal, i'm not sure what the specs for that axle are but it sounds to me if i'm reading your post right, that you have an issue with worn axle splines, and if i'm correct that you have the CV axle you might have to replace that as wellyou might be wise to do as someone else suggested and do a SAS, and have manual hubs and a much more reliable axle. sorry for your sh^tty luck.

 

[reginald fairfield]

well i feel for ya, but i don't think i'd of attempted to pull a fullsize pickup with a ranger[know what they say about hindsite] i'm not familiar with the electric t-case, but i am familiar with the vacu-hubs, they suck. replace them with the manual conversion.as for the slop, no that ain't normal, i'm not sure what the specs for that axle are but it sounds to me if i'm reading your post right, that you have an issue with worn axle splines, and if i'm correct that you have the CV axle you might have to replace that as wellyou might be wise to do as someone else suggested and do a SAS, and have manual hubs and a much more reliable axle. sorry for your sh^tty luck.

Yeah, well I was an idiot when I first bought my ranger... The main cause was was my dumbass friend, he kept insisting his chevy was in four wheel drive but if the fucking front tires ain't spinning like the backs it ain't in four wheel obviously...

That is what I have thought, the axle splines are worn, but right now I just am switching transfercases and need to know if they are interchangeable, that is the main prob right now, thanks though, yeah I will start working on that stuff when I get some dough

 

[gotmudd]

have ya tried a wrecking yard to see if they wil, sometimes if you get get in good with the local yards they will run interchanges with no hassle, i'l try to check with people i know

 

[reginald fairfield]

The junk yards around my area suck, they want +500 dollars for a damn 1354... You can them rebuilt for that much