Truck problem, front differential Ford Ranger

[Anonymous-0]

Hi Guys:

Need some sage advice...

About a month ago while changing the oil noticed some clean oil leaking from the front differential on a '03 Ford Ranger 4x4.

Couple weeks later I started hearing a whining noise, a bearing to my best guess. Put in 6 ounces of 80w90 which is all it took before it started dribbling out the plug.

The noise went away -- I had found a semi-steep hill in town it made it before it went away on after I added fluid.

Last couple days just putting around town I started to hear the noise again, so I thought I was getting a baseline how fast it was leaking. Truck was warm when I drove it up on blocks, crawled under and opened the plug...and oil started draining out at a decent clip (as fast as 80w90 will drain anyway ). So I put the plug in...maybe a tablespoon or two of oil came out, more would've if I let it.

In addition to being warmed up this time, I also just drove up on my plastic ramps -- when I filled it I had jacked it up with a floor jack & jack stands, but I don't think it was significantly higher that way or tilted differently.

But I swear the noise went away -- I drove up to Worcester & back (~80 miles) and didn't hear the high pitch whine I occassionally heard over the last couple days, or before I topped off the fluid.

So now I'm kind of perplexed. I'm not very experienced with mechanical stuff, though I can turn a wrench with good directions (I've replaced timing belts and such)

One, have I overfilled the front differential and should I drain the excess when it's warm?

Two, maybe it's another bearing going and this is coincidence or something? According to the not-Chiltons-the-other-one (think it starts with an "H") book I have, the wheel bearings are sealed and can't be greased.

 

[Walt Davies]

You driving that thing around town in 4 wheel drive or is something broken. The hubs should be released either by the dash switch or by the hand knob on the hubs. There shouldn't be anything turning when in two wheel drive.
Walt

 

[Anonymous-0]

Thank you Walt for telling me what I was seeing and not putting 2 + 2 together. I'm kind of kicking myself for realizing it!

Jacked up the truck to verify my memory -- turning either wheel turns the shaft between it and the differential, and the diff and the t/c.

Put it in 4wd, went down the driveway (300' gravel), and backed back up...still the same.

So next up is figuring out if I can handle replacing the automatic locking hubs which are bad, or if I have to put it in the shop!

 

[RodinNS]

I don't follow the front end setup's on those disasters too close anymore.... but I thought that they went to a continous drive from the wheels to the transfer case, and there are no hubs as such? It only disengages at the transfer case. My Ranger is a '98 and has the vacuum lock abortion hubs that don't work.... but I thought they only used that system for 2 years or so and then went to the direct drive, but I could be wrong.
Why they can't simply learn to go back to a manual WARN hub, I don't know. They must have simply worked too good.

Don't know what the noise would be though, unless it's got mismatched tires or something....

Rod

 

[Anonymous-0]

Ford used either automatic hubs or manual lockout hubs through 1997. They changed to the Vacu-tronic with the 1998 model year. They are still using it as far as I know.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Converting from auto hubs to lockouts isn't a bad job.

 

[RodinNS]

I was under the impression that they ceased using the vacuum abortion around 2000 or therabouts.... or so I was told by the shop that worked on this masterpiece.

If the vacuum jobs ARE installed on this truck, then that is the very FIRST place I would start looking for problems. It's possible that one is stuck engaged while the other in disengaged, and he's driving around with the spider gears screaming. BT/DT got a very expensive t-shirt. Now I drive a 2 wheel drive with a transfer case.

Rod

 

[RodinNS]

BTW, there are no locking hubs available to replace these things.... or there aren't for the 98 model that I have. If you're aware of something that does replace them, I'd appreciate knowing. The only Warn's that I've found replace the ratchet hubs that they quit using in 97.

Rod

 

[banjo]

They do have a manual hub available for 2000 model trucks as i installed some a couple of months ago. I think they are from brazil but anything is better than the vaccumn junk they come out with.

will have to find the info but i think i got it off a ford ranger site. coust a little ovet 100 dollars for the lock outs and very easy to install. about 5 minutes each side.