Seized front wheel when selecting 4WD
Thread Starter
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 212
Likes: 0
From: Okanagan Valley, BC
2 Wheel Drive F-250 for sale! Excellent condition, just don't lock the hubs. Open to offers.
Jokes aside, I am selling this truck and looking for a CrewCab, which I suppose is why Murphy decided to bugger it now.
Turns out this gear (photo below) is just tumbling around inside in the diff. Must have sheared off whatever it was connected to at the back of the diff. The pinion?? I think I'm officially over my head because i suspect this is not repairable without removing the diff / axle? Barring a small miracle, I'll be taking this beast to the hospital. If anyone else (thx Crewcab Turbo) can help me hone my description of my problem in layman's terms, I'd appreciate it.
By the way, how big is that pinion nut? Biggest socket I have is 1".
Jokes aside, I am selling this truck and looking for a CrewCab, which I suppose is why Murphy decided to bugger it now.
Turns out this gear (photo below) is just tumbling around inside in the diff. Must have sheared off whatever it was connected to at the back of the diff. The pinion?? I think I'm officially over my head because i suspect this is not repairable without removing the diff / axle? Barring a small miracle, I'll be taking this beast to the hospital. If anyone else (thx Crewcab Turbo) can help me hone my description of my problem in layman's terms, I'd appreciate it.
By the way, how big is that pinion nut? Biggest socket I have is 1".
Thread Starter
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 212
Likes: 0
From: Okanagan Valley, BC
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,441
Likes: 6
From: Marseilles IL
Wow that's crazy prices! If I lived near you I could do it for half and still feel like I am hosing you! Yukon brand Ring and pinion and full install kits(bearings, pinion seal,and shims and ring gear bolts) can be had for about $400 ish. No reason to go with spicer there pricy. Then inner seals about $80. that's all thats in there! The job can be done with the axle in the truck. By me ring and pinion setup(labor is $350-$400). To save money you can drain the diff and pull your axle shafts and drive shaft and stuff rags in the tubes and put the hubs and rotors on and tires and bring it somewhere and have them do the ring and pinion. When you get it back home you can do any outer seals needed yourself and reinstall your axle shafts and drive shaft. Way cheaper! Even if I am a bit off on price. I would get more estimates. Just my opinion.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,441
Likes: 6
From: Marseilles IL
Do a search on google for Yukon ring and pinions and master install kit. You should be able to find more exact prices it's been awhile since I did my Dana 60's. Sometimes the carrier bearings come separate from the master install kit. Depending on the year of your truck you have a Dana50 or Dana 60.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,800
Likes: 52
From: Southern Colorado
Consider a used axle, since front axles don't see the wear that rears do. (well, your axle did see some wear...;-)) If you can take your time and thoroughly check out a used axle, it may be a lot cheaper.
Thread Starter
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 212
Likes: 0
From: Okanagan Valley, BC
I'm looking into all your suggestions gentlemen. THANK YOU! I especially like the idea of stripping it down myself. Not sure if I can get someone to put in used parts though. That would be ideal. Lighting up my phone now...
Can anyone tell from this photo which axle / diff I have. The truck is a '99 which I bought in '08. It looked like it had a new axle when i bought it so I can't assume its a Dana 50 based on the year. Judging by how much oil it held, i think its a 60. It had well over 1.8 liters (3.8 pints). Any sure-fire way of telling by looking it at?
Can anyone tell from this photo which axle / diff I have. The truck is a '99 which I bought in '08. It looked like it had a new axle when i bought it so I can't assume its a Dana 50 based on the year. Judging by how much oil it held, i think its a 60. It had well over 1.8 liters (3.8 pints). Any sure-fire way of telling by looking it at?
Post Fiend
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,470
Likes: 3
From: Pea Ridge, AR
That would be a Dana 50. For sure tell would be the number in the lower right of that tag, 229 for D50, 248 for D60.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 212
Likes: 0
From: Okanagan Valley, BC
There's no 229, but there is a 50 in the lower right corner of the label. So its a 50.
I got another quote for $1700 all in, from another place. Still steep but better than Ford. Remember I'm in Canada too.
I might do exactly that. I'd love to find some used parts (diff or axle) but I just don't have the time to research it properly. CrewCab, does it change anything since its a 50 rather than a 60? Can i still pull the axles? I assume that if I remove the 4 prominent bolts inside the diff, then the axle shafts will slide out, leaving those visible bearings behind??? Is that oversimplified? Any special tools you recall using? I've already drained and flushed the diff, scraped off all the sealant, and slung the drive-shaft up under the truck. I've had the hubs partially apart. From the Guzzle site it looks like removing the hub assembly is pretty straight forward. Hopefully I can shave a bunch more from the $1700. Like every other job, its daunting until I've done it and then i wonder why I ever hesitated. Hopefully this one's the same. Thanks again for the advice here.
I got another quote for $1700 all in, from another place. Still steep but better than Ford. Remember I'm in Canada too.
To save money you can drain the diff and pull your axle shafts and drive shaft and stuff rags in the tubes and put the hubs and rotors on and tires and bring it somewhere and have them do the ring and pinion. When you get it back home you can do any outer seals needed yourself and reinstall your axle shafts and drive shaft. Way cheaper! Even if I am a bit off on price. I would get more estimates. Just my opinion.
New User
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Everett, WA
You can check out our Distributors in Canada at www.yukongear.com, and some may have the Dana 50 parts in stock!
Tuned
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 419
Likes: 1
From: Jamestown, TN
Why not get a junk yard front end
At the 2011 RRE in Kingsport, TN, MegaWatt bought a 4x4 front axle complete to get the knuckle hubs.
I don't remember who ended up with the axle, but it should still be somewhere in East Tennessee. Neal may know..
Send MegaWatt a message (he is a moderator for this forum).
May be the least expensive option for you.
I don't remember who ended up with the axle, but it should still be somewhere in East Tennessee. Neal may know..
Send MegaWatt a message (he is a moderator for this forum).
May be the least expensive option for you.
Thread Starter
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 212
Likes: 0
From: Okanagan Valley, BC
Thanks for the suggestion Bobby. I've actually found a place that will ship me a used ring and pinion for the Dana 50 for $175, which by Canadian standards seems like a pretty good deal. They are an axle shop with a good reputation so I doubt that they will sell me junk. My challenge though is to find a shop NEAR me that will install the used parts. I want to do what CrewcabTurbo suggests and do everything except the actual ring and pinion installation. It wouldn't hurt me to tear apart the knuckles and axles in any case, provided it doesn't take me a week. The first shop in town I've tried (other than ford- $3000!!! As if) tell me that the INNER AXLE SEALS and the VACUUM SEALS require specialized tools to install. Is this true? He tells me that the inner axle seals will only be another 15-20 minutes for him. That's fine with me. What about the vacuum seals?
More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 502
Likes: 3
From: The Pas, MB, Canada
Thanks for the suggestion Bobby. I've actually found a place that will ship me a used ring and pinion for the Dana 50 for $175, which by Canadian standards seems like a pretty good deal. They are an axle shop with a good reputation so I doubt that they will sell me junk. My challenge though is to find a shop NEAR me that will install the used parts. I want to do what CrewcabTurbo suggests and do everything except the actual ring and pinion installation. It wouldn't hurt me to tear apart the knuckles and axles in any case, provided it doesn't take me a week. The first shop in town I've tried (other than ford- $3000!!! As if) tell me that the INNER AXLE SEALS and the VACUUM SEALS require specialized tools to install. Is this true? He tells me that the inner axle seals will only be another 15-20 minutes for him. That's fine with me. What about the vacuum seals?
less than a minute to install the seal .... very easy to do
my truck is manual so no vacuum seal info to share
EDIT: did a search and found some info for you
Ford Super Duty Knuckle Seal Tool - AKA OTC 6695 | Superdutypsd.com
Thread Starter
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 212
Likes: 0
From: Okanagan Valley, BC
Thanks for the info and link there cjcocn. Very good write up on ball joint replacement on the same site, that shows me the axle removal. Ford Super Duty Ball Joint Replacement Procedure | Superdutypsd.com
I don't mind paying for 15-20 shop time though, to save me making/buying that tool to install the axle seals. I think my only holdups now are fear, and vacuum seals.
Dan
I don't mind paying for 15-20 shop time though, to save me making/buying that tool to install the axle seals. I think my only holdups now are fear, and vacuum seals.
Dan
Thread Starter
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 212
Likes: 0
From: Okanagan Valley, BC
UPDATE - I tore apart and polished everything in the front end that I could (knuckles, hubs, axles, diff etc) and took the truck to a transmission shop that agreed to install the used ring and pinion. They ended up replacing the yoke too. All good. Apparently now, on their test drive, the left front wheel has seized again when selecting 4WD!!!! WTF. 
So I've been on the phone and found a grizzled mechanic about 4 hours away that seems like an encyclopedia on this drive train. He tells me the problem is in the transfer case. He'll sell me a used one for $500. Says he has about 20. I only need one - hopefully. Estimated about 4.5 hours to install.
Can anyone tell me quick, whether the transfer case is changeable by a DIY'er?? I never looked that close at it, and it's in the shop now. Specialized tools?? Maybe there's a good thread that I'm not finding...
I doubt I'll tackle it, but I want to keep these guys honest. Thank you, and Happy Holidays everyone!
PS. Truck is an automatic. Front axle is a Dana 50, 3.73 ratio.
So I've been on the phone and found a grizzled mechanic about 4 hours away that seems like an encyclopedia on this drive train. He tells me the problem is in the transfer case. He'll sell me a used one for $500. Says he has about 20. I only need one - hopefully. Estimated about 4.5 hours to install.Can anyone tell me quick, whether the transfer case is changeable by a DIY'er?? I never looked that close at it, and it's in the shop now. Specialized tools?? Maybe there's a good thread that I'm not finding...
I doubt I'll tackle it, but I want to keep these guys honest. Thank you, and Happy Holidays everyone!
PS. Truck is an automatic. Front axle is a Dana 50, 3.73 ratio.
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