my 2000 explorer has picked up a clutch chatter when taking off with the wheels turned.

It is AWD, and has an 8.8" LS rear end with and 173k on the clock.

is there any good way to tell where the chatter is coming from?

I know how to check the TC clutch, but it requires dropping one of the driveshafts.

I may try changing the rear diff lube and see if that helps, as im sure it's never been done. They say "lube for life" but no fluid can last forever, i would think.

also, on that note... a couple years ago i had a pinion seal leaking and the shop said it was 2 quarts low when they fixed it and said "rear diff damage has probably already occurred" on the ticket. While that is possible i suppose, would think i would have major problems right away as the diff only holds 2.5 qts (IIRC). least wise, that was probably 50k miles ago when i had it fixed. More than likely, the mechanic was an idiot and it was only .5 qts low, as i'm 99% sure that they left the pinion nut loose when he did the job. (had a terrible vibration that mysteriously went away when i brought it back for them to find out what is going on .. they said they didn't do anything, but it was fixed when i got it back ... they don't get my business anymore)

anyway ...

would i be able to feel that clutch chatter with one rear wheel in the air and the trans in neutral?

assuming the worst case scenario, and the TC clutch is going out, how big of a deal is it? Can i get another 20K-30K out of it before it gives up the ghost?

any thoughts or experience with AWD?

 

No advice if you go around mean mouthing people without 100% proof.

 

excuse me?

 

You mean mouth an automotive centre with unproven facts yet ask for advice?

You condemn a mechanic as an idiot yet ask for advice?


Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

are you assuming that because i had someone else work on my vehicle that I don't know what I'm doing?

for me to gather the type of proof that would give you the warm and fuzzies you desire, i would have had to crawl under the truck, drop the driveshaft, and check the pinion nut.

if i had the time to do all that, i would have just changed the darn pinion seal myself. Furthermore, i would have checked the fluid level to know how low it was before deciding to have it fixed. It appeared to be a rather slow leak with a minimal amount of fluid being left on the ground and slung around on the chassis, so it was not a matter of huge concern, but i had vehicle in for a tire balance and i could spare the vehicle all day while i was at work, so i had them do it as a preventative measure.

When i asked what brand of seal they were going to use, i got "Uhh - I don't know. XX i suppose" (the cheapest, and most problematic brand available, by the way). I told them "Don't use that brand, go to Ford if you have to, but use a better brand and let me know what type before you install it, i will gladly pay the difference."

So ... i drop my vehicle off for a tire balance, to hopefully cure the very slight vibration i had picked up after hitting a pot hole. When i get it back, i have a death wobble that nearly sent me into the ditch.

I took it back the next morning with 100% repeatability of the death wobble and told them what it did and how to make it do it. They called me 3 times during the day and said they couldn't get it to repeat the problem. I told them to try harder and to find the problem and fix it.

I pick it back up that afternoon and was informed that they "didn't do anything to it"

I immediately drove it to the shop i normally have do my work, apologized for not giving him the work the first time, and explained the situation. The first words out of his mouth were "sounds like they left the pinion nut loose" When i asked him about the fluid level, he said "it's possible, but there's usually a significant amount of damage if it is run that low, and it doesn't take very long to start howling. Drop it off tomorrow morning and i'll check it out" he asked who did the work, and i told him, and he just shook his head and said "i wonder about those guys sometimes, this wouldn't be the first vehicle i've fixed for them"

On my way home it was immediately obvious that the problem was gone. the death wobble was nonexistent and it drove like it did before the shop the first time.

So ... as i said, i'm 99% sure they screwed up and covered it up. the difference before "they didn't do anything to fix it" and after "they didn't do anything to fix it" was immediately obvious.

now ... if you want more proof than that, i can't help you. But rest assured, i choose my words carefully.

perhaps i should just go back to the shop in question? since i have no proof that they did anything wrong the first time. Perhaps their professional reputation among peers means nothing ... i'm sure they do just fine, right?

if i had felt that all of the above was pertinent to the topic, i would have shared it. I didn't think i had to justify my choice to have some work done while doing others myself. there is no need to look down your nose at anyone else.

I'm just trying to find out the easiest way to differentiate between a transfer case clutch chatter and a differential clutch chatter, as i have never had a vehicle with both AWD and LSD before.

do not feel obliged to contribute to my threads in the future. I have no time in my life for people who only chose to sit on chairs higher than the rest of society.

Have a wonderful day.

 

The clutch chatter won't be felt with one wheel in the air - if it's the stock Traction-Lok, it requires SOME resistance at both wheels to try to lock up at all, and if you have one wheel in the air it won't even do anything. The one thing you might be able to tell is if the spider gears are going. Which is something to look at anyway. Does the pumpkin have a plug with a magnet? Check it for metal

If you don't find chunks of metal, but just the powdery grey stuff, change the diff fluid and put 2oz of anti-chatter stuff in it. Keep adding 2oz until you get around 8. If the chatter still isn't gone, you might want to investigate further.

Matter of fact, when you change the diff fluid on an 8.8, you pull the cover. While you have the cover off, check over everything visually.

 

You condemn and mean mouth people that can't defend themselves or even answer.


rossa ruck

Perhaps you should repair it yourself.

 

Well, it appears that out of your 4 post in this thread, you have not offered one bit of technical help about the chatter. I suppose that since 1957, you have never made a mistake when repairing anything?
If you have technical advice that will help other members with their problems, fell free to post away and guide them down the right path. Keep in mind that not everyone here at FTE is mechanically inclined. If they were, their would be no need for auto repair shops or mechanics.
If you are just going bash someone who had a bad experience at a repair shop and not give any technical advice, feel free to do so in the general discussion forum, not the tech areas.

 

being that the clutch in the transfer case is non-serviceable, it looks like my only option is to service the rear and see if it helps.

It doesn't bother me too much if the rear chatters a bit, my 79 does that as well.

My concern is that the clutch in the transfer case is starting to go, and if it locks up tight, or quits working altogether, the repair would exceed the value of the vehicle.

 

Ah. But it's ok if you mean mouth.

Gotcha.

 

Stuart,

Your silly little opinion has been duly noted.

please refer back to the last 2 sentences in post #5

if you had anything substantial to offer, i might feel differently.