I have a 98 3/4 Ton 4x4. It only has 67 original. As far as I can tell, it has never been used for hauling.The original owner was an elderly man who passed away so I don't know any ofthe history ofthe truck. It was immaculate as the miles would suggest but the reality is that this beast has been a money pit for me, first the torque convertor, then the tranny and now the rear end.When the truck is under load and I turn the corner, I can feel some grinding in the rear end. Any ideas? Also is this something an average skilled mechanic can do? I have done plenty of engine work but never drive line work. Thank you.

 

Is it a ford or a dodge?

 

either way, ford or dodge putting in a new gear set into any axel requiers quite a few special tools and knowledge to get the spacings and gear mesh properly aligned.

 

Sorry, I used to be a Ford man and forgot about the F-designation. It is a Dodge.

 

not a problem

on thinking about it, one thing you could probably do would be to pop open the pumpkin and take a look at the oil and the gear to see what kind of condition it is in. you may have dropped a pin or the clutches in the axel have gone out if it is a LSD. if it is over your head I dont see any problem with a good shop getting your truck on a wrecker and getting it to the shop.

 

Does it have a limited slip rear.

If it's doing it around turns, then I would venture to say that the LS is shot and either needs to be rebuilt or replaced. That's not too bad. If you get a stock unit, you can usually "get away" with just doing direct swap without too much setup.

Now, if it's making the noise under acceleration, in a straight line, then most likely your gears are toast. This is little more involved, as teh pinion also has to come out and that means you have to go through the whole process of setting up the gears.

Like Drew said, that takes a couple of specialized tools, mostly just the dial calipers and inch/lb torque wrench, but if it's not done right you will know very quickly. The gears will howl and within a 1000 miles or so will probably grenade themselves.

Best bet, don't try this for the first time on your daily driver unless you have someone that has done it numerous times before.

If you are going to have it done, make sure they have done them hundreds of times. Don't jsut bring it to any Billy Bob, Jimbo, or Harry or you'll be paying for parts twice.

 

Thanks for the advice. I can tell that it is beyond my comfort zone.