Front Diff Grenaded

[tripmcl]

My front diff on my 21 badlands delivered Jan 22 with 65K on it grenaded going down the highway. Service group said it was probably related to using 4A so much. I drive on snowy roads everyday for 7-8 months a year. Anyone else heard of similar experiences?

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[BigMeatsBronco]

unlikely, bigger tires are usually the culprit

 

[BigMeatsBronco]

I ve had this happen

 

[SHANUT]

That is idiotic. My wife’s Explorer is an automatic four-wheel-drive all the time and they run for hundreds of thousands of trouble free miles. It’s probably because some dumbass drove it in 4H on surfaces that weren’t slick.

 

[Ducati1098]

Unlikely it had anything to do with 4A

 

[Min_Ahn]

4A? Not 4H?

 

[tripmcl]

4A? Not 4H?

4A and still on stock tire size. 2H when it happened.

 

[RIDE]

4A and still on stock tire size. 2H when it happened.

Seen lots of posts about front diff issues here lately. I wasn’t aware it was even a thing till now. Some have used 4A lots, others not. This might be unpopular opinion but my take is there COULD be a link there based on the logic that 4A keeps your front axle engaged the entire time, even at 80MPH at highway posted speeds. Most HD trucks I’ve owned recommend not leaving front hubs/axle engaged on-road or at highway speeds.
I’d think there’s instances of peeps driving around town in Sport Mode to have the throttle response and shifting without being aware the 4A has engaged that front axle. Just a hunch.

 

[Snacktime]

The issue is the the cv axle stubs shafts are poorly supported. This causes the seals to wear out and put stress on the internal spider gears. Couple this with no front hub disconnects you get substantial wear as seen in the metal found during oil changes.

 

[flip]

My front diff on my 21 badlands delivered Jan 22 with 65K on it grenaded going down the highway. Service group said it was probably related to using 4A so much. I drive on snowy roads everyday for 7-8 months a year. Anyone else heard of similar experiences?

Who does your maintenance? Not that it matters at this point but what I'm getting at is these units hold just under a quart of fluid. A leak or seep at the axle or pinion seals left unaddressed along with fluid level not checked or topped off at every interval, will accelerate the failure rates.

All of the fluid levels, no matter if you DIY it, quick lube or dealer, EVERY single oil change. A lot of people/shops will see a seep, blast it with some brake clean and wipe off without noting it on an invoice or even bother checking the fluid level. Not saying this is what happened but it is something to pay more attention to due to the lack of reserve fluid capacity.

 

[Hemisfear]

That is idiotic. My wife’s Explorer is an automatic four-wheel-drive all the time and they run for hundreds of thousands of trouble free miles. It’s probably because some dumbass drove it in 4H on surfaces that weren’t slick.

Completely different drive system...cannot be compared!

 

[userdude]

Who does your maintenance? Not that it matters at this point but what I'm getting at is these units hold just under a quart of fluid. A leak or seep at the axle or pinion seals left unaddressed along with fluid level not checked or topped off at every interval, will accelerate the failure rates.

All of the fluid levels, no matter if you DIY it, quick lube or dealer, EVERY single oil change. A lot of people/shops will see a seep, blast it with some brake clean and wipe off without noting it on an invoice or even bother checking the fluid level. Not saying this is what happened but it is something to pay more attention to due to the lack of reserve fluid capacity.

So you're saying that lube "tech" who changed the oil without taking the plate off did a great job at more than getting oil on everything??

 

[tripmcl]

Seeing the issues with the pinion at 30k have paid attention to look for leaks. Ford ended up covering the repairs but still think its not right to go out like that.

 

[flip]

So you're saying that lube "tech" who changed the oil without taking the plate off did a great job at more than getting oil on everything??

Affirmative. The general rule at one time was that if you don't see a leak or seep from (name your assembly) there wasn't a need to check the fluid level. I know how inconvenient it is to get your 3/8" ratchet and extension out to pull the plug and check the level but it's part of the job. Most of the ferrous axle assemblies, some transfer cases, have a magnetic plug which will tell you a lot about what's going on inside and a good indicator of a pending failure. Catching it early can mean the difference between a $2K bearing job and non-repairable assembly. Even those without the magnet need to be checked to verify fluid level, condition, smell, etc.

 

[userdude]

Affirmative. The general rule at one time was that if you don't see a leak or seep from (name your assembly) there wasn't a need to check the fluid level. I know how inconvenient it is to get your 3/8" ratchet and extension out to pull the plug and check the level but it's part of the job. Most of the ferrous axle assemblies, some transfer cases, have a magnetic plug which will tell you a lot about what's going on inside and a good indicator of a pending failure. Catching it early can mean the difference between a $2K bearing job and non-repairable assembly. Even those without the magnet need to be checked to verify fluid level, condition, smell, etc.

I think the reality is, for those with full plates ( ), you really either need to learn to do it yourself (and pull all the plates), or find a place you trust will do the checks (and pull all the plates for them).

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