8.8 goes kaboom

[c_note]

so i have an 8.8 with a torsen ls on my 2002 fx4 ranger. well n e way, i was out today playin in the mud a bit and i got back on the freeway and i felt a jerk and i thought it was the front end. well i kept going well i felt another jerk about a mile later. i was like wtf so i kept going because my front end locked up on the freeway last weekend and i didnt wanna deal with a tow truck(i had alot of trouble with the tow truck and it would have been close to $350 for a tow). plus i knew that if i felt something jerking it was already too late. well it went on till i got home. i inspected my truck and noticed gear oil all over my tail gate. checked my diff and to find out there was a hole about the size of a pinkie finger on the cover. so i popped it open and found 3 bolts sheared off of the ls. at first i thought it was from the ring gear but it was actually the carrier. my question is, if i did the gears on my truck my self though i didnt touch the l/s carrier, would ford still cover the l/s since it was a recall? and is it to late for the recall since its a 2002? this sucks cuz i was gathering everything for my sas and now i have to deal with my rearend!

 

[Southern3.0]

If it was recall should take care of it but who know?

Oh and pics would be great!

 

[c_note]

ya, ill take pics tomorrow. i was just under my truck tryin to get the cover off and cover it up with a trash bag since were under flash flood warning. as soon as i put the bag over the diff it stoped raining. hopefully it dont rust.

 

[CJREX]

As far as Dealer covering it...

Check with others in your area to see which dealer has a good service dept reputation.

Some dealers will flat out deny it since you so much as removed the cover, while others will work with you on it.

Worst case, since you already have the 31 spline 8.8, junkyards are full of Explorers waiting to donate their organs to get yours up and going again.

Will you be able to salvage the Torsen? Or did it get a little machine work done to it by the parts?

 

[metalmacguyver]

lets see some carnage!

 

[Danger FX4 Ranger]

ya, ill take pics tomorrow. i was just under my truck tryin to get the cover off and cover it up with a trash bag since were under flash flood warning. as soon as i put the bag over the diff it stoped raining. hopefully it dont rust.

Do you live in the Phoenix area? Nice looking truck, mine looks identical, minus the rims.

 

[c_note]

lets see some carnage!

sorry i couldnt get any pics at midnight in the middle of a monsoon!

from the looks of it, the Torsen is toast. the bolts look like they where sheared off and yes, i did get some unwanted machine work. it almost took off the carrier retaining clips(not sure of the proper nomenclature) and bolts.

im 5 hours away from phoenix. good ways away. ill get some pics after i call the dealer.

 

[kenneth074]

Torsen LSD Recall

Everyone,

The same exact thing happened to me about a month ago!!! Even though I have an automatic tranny, I contacted Torsen about the LSD and the unit I have was recalled according to the serial #. There was a serial # scribed into the casing of the LSD. According to Torsen, the recalled units have "9700" at the beginning of the serial #. Also according to Torsen, Ford knew about this but Ford ONLY decided to recall manual transmission due to initial torque and did not think the automatic tranny would be a problem. I have an official email from Torsen regarding this. Well guess what, this is becoming a problem and a safety issue. This is not right!

I am glad I found your post because I thought I was the only one. We need to do something about this. What have you done about this with Ford? When you call the dealer, talk to the service manager and tell him/her you would like to speak with the Ford Regional Service Manager. He/she is represenative from Ford and should help. The dealer can do nothing about this. I am currently awaiting to hear from my Regional Service Manager.

I have also called the National Highway Transportation Safety Admin. and made a complaint. It would be great if more people who have had this problem contact NHTSA and make a complaint because the more this happens, NHTSA will force Ford to recall all Torsen LSDs that were recalled by the manufacturer. We can get reimbursed for this if they do a recall. This is definitely a safety issue because I almost caused an accident. Did you keep your old parts to ID the serial #? Hope all goes well with the repair!

Regards,

FX4Ken

 

[c_note]

first of all, thanks FX4Ken for your input.

this morning i went to a junk yard and found a replacement 8.8. 99 explorer with rear disc and l/s. well as soon as i got back from the junk yard, i called a local ford dealer ship and they said they knew nothing about the recall and told me to call ford corp.

so i call ford and they said that they no longer replaced recalled diff and if they werent done in 2002 that there was nothing they could do about it.

so then i called torsen's Quality Control manager to see what they had to say. well the guy new exactly what i was talking about and told me that ford decided to do the recall themselves and wanted torsen to have nothing to do with it. so now ford is backing out just like they did with international with the new super duties.

well it funny cuz at first i wasnt too pissed off until i read fx4ken"s post and realized this should have been prevented. and now im even more pissed off because it happened on the interstate in socal traffic with my one year old in the truck with me. luckily we got home.

i am excited about my new 8.8 with disc brakes. im gonna have my 4.56 ring and pinion NDIed(Non-Destructive Inspection AKA X-rayed) to check for any stress cracks. if its good, shes goin back on the new axle.

btw, im gonna take pics in 10 minutes.

 

[c_note]

heres two bolts that got sheared off sitting at the bottom of the diff.

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one of two bolt that hasent backed out completly. none of the bolts on the l/s were tightened.

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hole in the diff cover from a sheared bolt!

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my replacement i picked up today!!!!!!

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... and well ofcourse, when i went home on leave i had to kill a hog. it weighed about 250#. one shot with a .308 ruger frontier with a scout scope. hopefully im allowed to post these pics.

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[Hahnsb2]

Good time to throw a detroit back there!

 

[c_note]

well its my dd and im not sure if i need one. im on the freeway to work every day. what do you think???? go for it or will it be shitty on the freeway?

 

[Hahnsb2]

Freeway is better than city, no sharp turns. It was more of a sarcastic comment than anything, but I really have no complaints DDing with my lock-right, just takes a couple days to learn how to drive it.

 

[PaleBlue90]

id go for a lockright

 

[Maverick]

well its my dd and im not sure if i need one. im on the freeway to work every day. what do you think???? go for it or will it be shitty on the freeway?

For a little more than a Detroit you could get a selectable, then you get the best of both worlds. Since its a DD I def. think its worth the extra cash. I found a brand new Eaton E-locker on ebay for $500, keep an eye out.