Had my fluid changed today and the mechanic found metal pieces in the ole pumpkin! Upon inspection, one of the retaining clips is gone but the other is still intact. This truck has over 165k miles on it. What should I do about this? Is it safe to keep driving it? Thanks for all help!

 

I'd get all the pieces out of there, yank the other clip and call it a day...

 

Agreed. Just flush out the carrier and axle tubes really good. Just curious though, do you regularly pull the cover and check? When was the last time you did check and do oil change in the rear and what made you check it now at 165k?

 

It is really only the second time it has been changed. The first time was at one of those quick lube places that just pump out the old oil and then put new in. I knew it was past time for it to be changed so I just let the guys at the transmission shop do it while they were changing the tranny fluid. It is all put back together now with one clip in and one out. Can I run it like this or should I go ahead and pull the other clip out before going anywhere? What are the chances of the lsd clutches coming apart without the clips in there? Thanks, Jerry

 

I don't think that you will have to worry about the lsd clutch packs falling apart. there have been numerous guys on here that have ran them with no clips with little to no ill effects. Most of the time if guys see that one has failed they just take them all out to prevent any future issues. Not that the remaining clip is destined to break, it's just that they have shown their tendency to break (as is obvious in the fact that one is all ready shot) and they rather not worry about it.

As far as i know and have read, original purpose of the lsd (retainer) clips was to aid in the assembly of the diff, but not crucial to the operation.

nateroach