Return of the clunk...

[Mark_88]

Well, to make a long story longer...guess what! It wasn't a meteor in the bed either...

The clunking came back...crawled under the truck and the noise is actually coming from the rear differential...also have a bit of a shake/rumble in the drive line...dang...

Does anyone know if there is a quick fix other than replacing the rear end?

I need to know ASAP if possible...was at the wrecking yard today trying to tear down a 2.3 Mustang...it has a good head that will work for me and the short block too...however...

I checked the fluid level and it was down a bit so I added some 80w90 to top it up...was able to make it home but there is now a rumble at speed...

The clunking is only noticeable while taking off from a stop...but the rumble seems to be working it's way through more and more...

 

[509lifted]

do u have another coffe mug under the other seat haha just messin with ya. idk much about diffs but maybe a peice of ur gears broke off idk tho

 

[Snoranger]

We could guess all day, but we wont know for sure without opening it up and looking.

 

[Mark_88]

No, lol, I checked...crawling under the truck verified that it was the differential and not anything else...

The gear oil added may have helped a bit, but if something has come loose or broken I'd imagine it's time to replace something...and I was just thinking about a 4:10 swap but was too busy looking for a head to check that...

Hoping I can make it to the yard to pick up another one...praying to find what I need...and for the money to cover the costs...

 

[Mark_88]

We could guess all day, but we wont know for sure without opening it up and looking.

True...but I have no idea what I would be looking for or if I could simply replace the broken parts...I'd imagine it would be just as easy to swap in the entire rear end rather than messing with gears and retainers...but I have no idea...

 

[doorgunner]

How's the pinion nut....my 7.5 nut backed off a little & sounded similar...

 

[4.0B2]

replace the entire rear axle.. it's easier.

 

[Mark_88]

How's the pinion nut....my 7.5 nut backed off a little & sounded similar...

Thanks DG...I will have a look at my, uh, that...I remember there being a nut on there but never bothered to check it over the years...I would imagine that if I had loosened it at some point it may be sloppy...but will definitely check it. That seems to be a common problem for this type of issue.

replace the entire rear axle.. it's easier.

Thanks.

The truck seems to otherwise drive fine except the clunk on take off. Something about pre-load on the diff. There is a bit of a vibration that has me concerned about wearing the gears and eventually stripping them.

Everything I've read on other sites seems to say the same thing. Some say it is "normal" to have that much play, but I don't recall it ever having any play in it at all.

Going to call the yard shortly to see how much for a rear end.

 

[Andy D]

Worn out bearings and ring and pinions will last a long while , if you keep the diff lubed , generally speaking. So will a manual trans. Unless you have bad axle bearings, which ought be changed before they break the axle, just drive easy. If the noise bothers you, turn up the radio.

 

[shane96ranger]

Well, to make a long story longer...The clunking came back...

You've gotta be kitten me!

We could guess all day, but we wont know for sure without opening it up and looking.

This.

I have no idea what I would be looking for

Take some pics and slap them on TRS Markus. Plenty of great help here.

 

[Mark_88]

Well I called around a bit and they want $350 for a rear end...but that was the yard that I spent 4 hours yesterday tearing down his Mustang motor only to find it wasn't a roller cam...I should send him a bill for my time...lol

Drove it today and it seemed OK...spoke with a guy in a hardware store who told me it's probably the pinion nut...he had an F-150 that would have the nut back off all by itself...so I'm going to check that first...just between a rock and a hard place because I have things to do and can't make any money to repair the truck unless I do them...lol

Will pop the drive shaft tomorrow and if the nut is not loose I will pop the cover on the diff...but that grease smells like something crawled in there and died...phew!

 

[Andy D]

Yah that is what diff oil smells like. Dont get it on your clothes. It took about 10 washings to get it out of my car crawling sweat shirt. I never heard about a pinion nut backing off, so I learned something.

 

[Mark_88]

I did a search on Google and found quite a bit of reference to that happening...I also found out what a pine nut looks like...lol

I will be sure to wear a hazmat suit if I have to deal with that diff grease...if I can find one that fits without giving me the feeling there is someone in it with me...maybe it's a has mate suit I need...hmmmm...

 

[a31ford]

Mark, You Crack Me up....

Greg

 

[shane96ranger]

but that grease smells like something crawled in there and died...phew!

When we took the front diff out of my Brother's Explorer, it had burnt the oil. That smells MUCH worse. My neighbors came over and asked me if I had a natural gas leak it stunk so bad. And she lives on the opposite side of my house from where it was sitting.

I think my pinion nut on my F150 might be backing off too. It clunks from time to time. I do need a pinion seal.... yet ANOTHER project I need to get to.