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Transfer case or Rear End?


OxygenatedWiring
01-04-2005, 12:58 PM
First a little bit of background. I have an 84 bronco 300 - 6 with a 4 speed tranny, np 208 tc and I believe 8.8 rear end. I know my tc has a problem, when trying to engage in in 4h while moving at any speed it will clunk really loud and you can feel the clunk in the shifter. It used to run fine in 2wd. The other day I noticed that my rear end was leaking a little from the seal by the driveshaft. I checked the fluid, it was brown and didnt smell burnt. I replaced the driveshaft and the outer bearings about 8 months ago and the guy told me the inner bearings needed to be replaced to. OK, now to the problem, I was driving it the other day in the snow to see how it was going to act and when I accelerated to 3rd gear at about 35-40 mph the rear end of the truck felt like I hit a patch of ice, except for the slowing down part. Nothing locked up, but it felt like I was driving with my e-brake on. I pulled it over and looked around, smelled what I think was burnt gear oil though it wasnt too strong. Couldnt find the problem so I drove it again, was doing fine in 2nd gear then I put it in 3rd and accelerate to about 40 again and something started screaming at me, was a really loud metal screeching/grinding sound. It did not affect the speed any more than it had before. I stopped, lifted the rear end on a jack and put it in gear. Nothing happened, i went all the way thru 3rd gear to about 50 with the wheels in the air and nothing. I then turned the tires by hand and noticed that it did indeed feel like the ebrake was on, albeit very slightly. It was hard to turn the tires, but not impossible. Also when it was in the air both tires were turning at the same speed. There is no floor mat in my truck so I can hear outside road noise really well and drove it home. It was loud, the road noise at least, sounded like I had snow studded tires on my truck. I drove about 5-10 mph the rest of the way home (2 miles) and did not notice anything else. I have gotten advice that it may be a spun bearing, but how can I tell if it is the rear end or a bearing in the transfer case without too much work. My apartment complex frowns on working on vehicles, so I can't necessarily disconnect the drive shaft (though I know I will probably have to do all of that anyways) The tranny is rebuilt, front diff is new, drive shaft was solid last I checked.... any advice would be appreciated.

OxygenatedWiring
01-07-2005, 09:01 AM
Wow, a couple of days and no response, no one brave enough to give me any advice as to what it could be on this?

goinbig
01-09-2005, 02:22 PM
Take the cover off of the rear differential and check it out. Check the ring and pinion gear, spider gears, locker (if you have one) and everything else. Check for any metal shavings in the fluid.

Drain the fluid and replace it. Also, change the gasket that is leaking and make sure you use some RTV to seal it well.

If it still does it, take off the wheels and everything and check the bearings. Make sure there are no nicks or anything in them, replacing as neccessary.

OxygenatedWiring
01-17-2005, 05:21 PM
just to update all ya'll, as far as I know now it was a front wheel bearing that caused the noise.... fordsix.com is where I ended up getting more troubleshooting help.

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