I thought as much. I can't actually remember ever having to actually need 4lo lol

I will pull cover and inspect tomorrow afternoon.

Besides chipping and metal flakes and the like, what else do I look for? Wear pattern and play?

 

Yup. Anything that doesn't look 'normal'.

I always put it in 4lo if I even THINK I might need it..... better than trying to put it in 4lo after it is already too late.

 

Did you ever check the snap ring in the T-Case Ham Bone? Hopefully everything in your new front diff is OK.

 

No I didnt get around to it because when I checked the fluid it was pretty low and I thought that was my problem.

I guess after doing the front I will check the snap ring.

When I removed my front drive shaft the noise remained so hopefully that doesn't point towards the diff. It is a Dana 60. Bit it is new to me. So it's used. Idk how many Milee were on it.

On a positive note. The rear limited slip is working great now

 

throw it on jack stands on the rear axle and put truck in drive in 2wd see if the noise is there. if it is not there that means you have a front diff is the issue.

 

Alright pulled front diff. It looks better then the rear did honestly.

When I topped it off the other day I dont think the gear oil mixed. Clear came out, then black, then semi clear again.

I actually see arust spot? That's weird.

Doesnt seem to be any abnormal wear patterns.

I can move the ring gear just a tiny little bit back and forth. Normal?

There was also some air bubbles on the gears and stuff. Dont recall seeing that in the rear.

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Well Ham, I read through the thread.

Can't say I've ever seen the air bubble thing before, Maybe some trapped moisture?

The back gear oil being dark is an indication that you got hot back there, maybe go to a thicker grade of oil. Have you been towing heavy loads? Sometime heavy loads puts extra strain on the gears and heats them up. If there is nothing seriously wrong the heavier weight gear oil will help that.

Did you take a hard look at the wheel bearing in the front that wasn't replaced? I would rule out a problem with the new bearing either, I'd look at that one also. Jack up the front and see if there is play by pushing and pulling on the top and bottom of the tire. Excessive play is a problem. If you put a couple fingers on the axle as you turn the tire you might be able to feel a bad bearing if it is bad enough. I had both wheel bearing replaced on my gen 3 diesel and three months down the road I had a total failure on the left side and had to get a tow. The only indication I had was a couple time my ABS idiot light went on and then cleared again. Back when you were talking about changing lanes leads we to agree with Hey You.

Another thought is wheel balance. You might have a tire that decides to chime in over 70-75MPH.

 

I have thought wheel bearings also. I have checked both sides. And they are nice and tight. Everything is. They were also checked by a dealership during state inspection and during my alignment. I checked them again just an hour ago. They seem fine.

Yes i have towed two cars on a two axle car trailer recently. And hauled several heavy loads. The back was in a desperate need for a change. It was the first time i have done it to that axle.

before change i could put my hand on it after driving and it was pretty warm/hot. After change it has cooled down considerably.

I have thought of tires also. I think i will go get them re balanced. Would rotating them help? I was thinking of rotating them criss cross though. Front right to back left. They are less then two months old but they are cheap tires.


also forgot to add a new symptom. I coasted down a big hill in neutral through the speed range where the noise grinding occurs. Supposedly this rules out the front diff according to the fsm. And turning to the right makes it a lot worse. But turning to the left causes no change at all.

 

I would think that turning to the right would put stress on the inner bearing on the left side and the outer bearing on the right side. It could be a very small problem that takes that speed to surface. It could be hard to detect with the normal methods.

It would hurt to rotate tires and see if there is a change. I just threw the tires balance thing out there in case. Its best to narrow it down when possible.

Did you look at the disc's and make sure you don't see any issues there? It's a long shot

I'm out of ideas right now, it just seems everything points to a wheel bearing. I'll let you know if I get any other thoughts on the matter

 

i agree corbo. It does seem to point to a wheel bearing. Its just that i have checked them again and again and they seem ok. I know that doesnt rule them out without a shadow of a doubt.

When i had wheel bearings go bad before it was all at low speeds. Like sharp turns in parking lotss and the like.

One thing that make me think is that I topped the fluid in the diff off a couple days ago. And when i drained it today the oils had not mixed. This my be normal, but i have done a good amount of driving. Makes me think that old oil was so far gone it was useless or someone put the wrong oil in it.

Anyway, it seems that the diff is not the issue, which is good.

When i get an afternoon off of work i will pull all the tires and inspect the brakes. I do get a slight wobble/vibration from what seems like a bad rotor once in a while when braking hard.

I will go over everything really well again and if dont find anything i guess i will have to replace the wheel bearing i did not replace during the swap. Wheel bearings are just kind of an expensive item to replace just to see if it was the problem.

i will continue the hunt for the problem. Thanks for the ideas