Dana 28 leaking oil, noisy

[escort_gts]

Need help, got an 89 ranger that i swaped front axles with an 84 bronco2 with a dana 28. I am running 31x10.50 bfg a/t and a 2.3L. I recently changed front and rear ring and pinons from a 3.73 to 4.56. Went to 4.56 for highway engine speeds and performance with the larger tires. My question is after the front r&p swap oil sprays out ot the breather tube on top of the diff housing. I had no problems with it leaking with the 3.73's. What would be the reason for it and would it be harmful to plug the breather tube? It is also making a slight whining sound at cruising speeds when the hubs are locked in and tcase in 2wd.
Thanks

 

[martin]

Are you sure the diff is not over-filled. The breather is necessary to allow for expansion as the oil heats and cools.

 

[metalmacguyver]

A whine you say? Pull that pig and take a look at the gears. Re check the contact pattern and post pictures.

What does the oil that you drain out of the pig look like?

Did you go through any break in period for the gears or did you just go and hammer on it?

 

[Totalled]

Why the **** are you locking your hubs in and driving at highway speeds...?

 

[exbass94]

Why the **** are you locking your hubs in and driving at highway speeds...?

While I don't know why he is doing it, it shouldn't cause any problems as long as the t-case isn't in 4wd. My 2006 Ranger has permanently locked hubs and I don't have any problems.

 

[escort_gts]

The front diff can't be overfilled cause the fill hole is on the side. I did about 450 miles on the break-in and never went any farther than my work which only 8miles away. The oil looks great and the wear pattern on the ring and pinion look great. I will try to take pics and post them here in a few days when I get time.

 

[escort_gts]

The backlash and pinion bearing preload were within tolerance and had a perfect contact pattern. Had new pinion bearings installed but used the old carrier bearings.

 

[Totalled]

While I don't know why he is doing it, it shouldn't cause any problems as long as the t-case isn't in 4wd. My 2006 Ranger has permanently locked hubs and I don't have any problems.

What gear ratio do you have?

4.56 gears and small tires = allot of pinion rotations per mile. That is building up heat and throwing more gear oil around. that's why it's puking. Stop locking your hubs unless you are in 4wd. You should never be spinning a non CV front axle at highway speeds...

 

[Jspafford]

What gear ratio do you have?

4.56 gears and small tires = allot of pinion rotations per mile. That is building up heat and throwing more gear oil around. that's why it's puking. Stop locking your hubs unless you are in 4wd. You should never be spinning a non CV front axle at highway speeds...

What?!?

How the hell does a person use 4wd in the winter if they have to run around on the freeway with the hubs unlocked? I lock mine when the first snow flies and unlock them in the spring. There is no reason you can't run your hubs locked in 2wd with a TTB or any other axle.

 

[exbass94]

What gear ratio do you have?

4.56 gears and small tires = allot of pinion rotations per mile. That is building up heat and throwing more gear oil around. that's why it's puking. Stop locking your hubs unless you are in 4wd. You should never be spinning a non CV front axle at highway speeds...

I HAVE to keep my hubs locked, because I basically don't have hubs. The axle shafts are bolted directly to the spindle, and there's no way of disengaging them. All (4wd) Rangers from 2002+ are this way. It's Ford's way of finally solving the problematic auto-hub issue. I have 4.10 gears BTW. I highly doubt all those thousands of Rangers sold since 2002 are having problems with their front gears.

 

[Jspafford]

I HAVE to keep my hubs locked, because I basically don't have hubs. The axle shafts are bolted directly to the spindle, and there's no way of disengaging them. All (4wd) Rangers from 2002+ are this way. It's Ford's way of finally solving the problematic auto-hub issue. I have 4.10 gears BTW. I highly doubt all those thousands of Rangers sold since 2002 are having problems with their front gears.

He did say non CV which is what you have, but I disagree with all the other parts of the post.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Why the **** are you locking your hubs in and driving at highway speeds...?

My 1985 owners manual says it is shift on the fly up to 55 mph (Iowa hwy SL) I would have to assume that would envolve having the hubs locked in... I have had them locked it at that speed without any bad side effects, it is a differential, it is made to spin.

 

[Shran]

My question here is why bother having hubs at all if you just keep them locked in all the time? You could if there were drive flanges made for the D28/35. I'm not sure what the big deal is with getting out and locking/unlocking them. If it's snowy, just keep it in 4 wheel drive. But running on the highway in 2WD with the hubs locked won't hurt anything.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My question here is why bother having hubs at all if you just keep them locked in all the time? You could if there were drive flanges made for the D28/35. I'm not sure what the big deal is with getting out and locking/unlocking them. If it's snowy, just keep it in 4 wheel drive. But running on the highway in 2WD with the hubs locked won't hurt anything.

Yeah, the only time I have them locked in is winter time, it does ding my milage pretty hard.

 

[Jspafford]

My question here is why bother having hubs at all if you just keep them locked in all the time? You could if there were drive flanges made for the D28/35. I'm not sure what the big deal is with getting out and locking/unlocking them. If it's snowy, just keep it in 4 wheel drive. But running on the highway in 2WD with the hubs locked won't hurt anything.

Most of the time they are left unlocked. When it might get nasty out, lock them and forget them. My point is, there is no sense in telling someone they cannot leave them locked at highway speeds and be in 2WD. That is just crazy.