front differential question

[Slyclone]

Trucks up in the air. I'm hearing a clicking inside the front diff. When I move the output shaft underneath. No prop shaft is installed.

Is the clicking noise something inside that has failed?

The truck looks like it took a hard hit to a curb at front end and the bracket that holds the diff on driver side by the front diff output shaft weld is peeled back. Not snapped. But peeled back like it took a hard hit.

I tested the syclone and it does not make the noise.

I don't know if this is a road truck or a parts truck anymore. Things have progressivly snowballed for the worst.

 

[Don W.]

Re: front differential question

Noise is usually a bad thing. Turning the yoke back and forth should result a very small amount of movement before you feel it contact the ring gear. After that it should continue to rotate smoothly. (Assuming the wheels are off the ground.) If there is ANY side to side movement of the yoke, except for MAYBE a couple thou - it should be -0-, you've probably lost a pinion bearing. Continue rotating. Is it smooth through 5-6 rotations? Hold one wheel while rotating the other. Everything should be smooth. Holding one while turning the other makes the dif spider gears turn. All should be smooth with very little "play" anywhere.

 

[Slyclone]

Re: front differential question

Are both wheels suppose to spin? I had a extra hand hold one wheel and I spun mine and the other didn't spin. I do not know a whole lot about the front diff. Open/closed. Good/bad. Dealing with a severely bad shape vehicle as far as running gear.

Its just a ever so slight noise... When attempting to rotate back and fourth real quick. Left to right. Its not wobbly.. There is a click. My problem is I don't want to do all this work and get it all together and than be at square 1 again ( or level 0)..

As far as draining the front diff? Maybe it's dry or leaked all out.

 

[Don W.]

Re: front differential question

Are both wheels suppose to spin? I had a extra hand hold one wheel and I spun mine and the other didn't spin.

As far as draining the front diff? Maybe it's dry or leaked all out.

"spun mine" What is "mine?"

Both wheels should spin. Holding one, turning the yoke and the other doesn't turn says to me the dif has to come out.

I misspoke in my first post. "Hold one wheel while rotating the other." although true it would have been better to say: Hold one wheel and turn the yoke. The other wheel should turn. Hold the other wheel, turn the yoke the first wheel should turn.

Conversely, hold one wheel and turn the other the yoke should turn.

Sorry.

There is no drain BTW.

 

[Slyclone]

Re: front differential question

So your saying that the area that I think was waffled pretty hard by some type of slide out is nothing serious..just some ones previous footprints of work?

The photos might be hard to identify. First one is typhoon, which appears the weld has broke half way at the top. Second picture is photo of syclone. That's a different angle but its all flush and the weld is still attached.

DaveP is this the same bracket you describe. ?

Maybe I'm just freaking out under there. ??

BTW thanks DaveP and Don W for today's insight.

 

[Don W.]

Re: front differential question

That's the one. I actually ground the weld away on mine. Little nicer that a sledge. R&R'ing the front dif is, for me, one of the more difficult tasks on my truck. Although I've done it by myself it's easier with 2, for me anyway.

 

[Slyclone]

Re: front differential question

I thought I was going insane.. I knew the previous owner did some damage curbing the truck or something. So my radar was up when I seen this for sure.

Good to know its just a little trick to the trade and not some type of other worst case scenario.