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Hey guys, I have a 1963 F-100 Unibody that is 100% stock from the original owner. I was on a road trip yesterday and a terrible noise started happening that sounded like a large chain dragging on the ground. After some investigation I found that the yoke seems to be broken at what I believe is a dust seal. Could one of you guys verify that it is the yoke that broke, or if it is something else that came loose? How could I fix this / what part # do I need to replace it?
The truck is a 1963 shortbed Unibody F-100 with the 223 and 3 speed transmission.
Thanks for the help guys! I believe that this loose part belongs to the yoke
That is an oil deflector it was pressed onto the flange yoke. But looking at the pic it appears the seal has backed out of the bearing retainer. That would indicate bigger problems. The shop manual outlines everything involved with repairing a center section. If you have the special tools and skills you can do it yourself. But the simplest thing is to remove it and take it to someone who has experience with Ford 9 inch rears and get them to do it.
That is an oil deflector it was pressed onto the flange yoke. But looking at the pic it appears the seal has backed out of the bearing retainer. That would indicate bigger problems. The shop manual outlines everything involved with repairing a center section. If you have the special tools and skills you can do it yourself. But the simplest thing is to remove it and take it to someone who has experience with Ford 9 inch rears and get them to do it.
I am not super familiar with rear ends, are you saying that the pinion pushed the yoke out of position? Sorry if that is a dumb question.
I am looking at this diagram in the shop manual, how do you know that the seal has backed out of the bearing? All I can see is the "oil deflecter". Thanks again
Here is an exploded view schematic of the Ford 9” differential.
I cannot speak for crop duster, but if the deflector is loose and the seal is walking out, my inclination is the pinion endplay is excessive. There are several companies that sell rebuilt 3rd members/ hogheads/ center section for the Ford 9”. It can be a DIY project, but you will need to invest in tooling. The rebuild places will provide you with a unit between 450-950 bucks depending on open versus limited slip versus locking versus nodular case, etc, etc, etc. Drop the driveshaft from the pinion and see if you have end play or lateral movement.
Last edited by Becky_is_a_66; Apr 5, 2021 at 01:28 PM.
Reason: Correct terminology
It's just a picture. It looks like the seal is not in the retainer. Take something pointy and push against that part behind the oil deflector. If it is rubber you will know the seal isn't where it is supposed to be. If that is the seal you may have a bearing going bad. In any case you will need to pull the center out. Take it to someone who knows what they are doing and have it repaired or find another center and swap it out.
If your budget is like mine you can usually pick up a good, used pumpkin for $50-100 and swap it out yourself. Just my $0.02
TK65
I'm a college student so time and money are not exactly the most common occurrences for me. Thanks for the advice, really appreciate you guys with experience helping me out, I know very little.
It's just a picture. It looks like the seal is not in the retainer. Take something pointy and push against that part behind the oil deflector. If it is rubber you will know the seal isn't where it is supposed to be. If that is the seal you may have a bearing going bad. In any case you will need to pull the center out. Take it to someone who knows what they are doing and have it repaired or find another center and swap it out.
So I verified that it is metal... not sure what that means, so I added a couple more pictures, is it possible that if I tighten up the pinion preload and re-seat the "oil deflector" that it will be fine? With the drives haft still on there is no play side to side, that makes me think that the bearing is still fine. Thoughts?
It looks to me that what looks like the seal is actually just the pinion housing that has been rubbed by the oil deflector that busted loose. I would clean it good enough for duct tape to stick, then duct tape the deflector to the yoke and take it for a spin, listening closely for noises. If it's quiet then just find a way to secure the deflector until you can replace it.
or just get some tin snips and get it out of there.
Last edited by Thunderkiss1965; Apr 6, 2021 at 04:22 AM.
Reason: Add words
I would be tempted to pull the drive shaft and make sure the locking nut hasn't backed off that holds the yoke in place , its hard to tell in pictures but for peace of mind I would check
I would be tempted to pull the drive shaft and make sure the locking nut hasn't backed off that holds the yoke in place , its hard to tell in pictures but for peace of mind I would check
I just JB welded the oil deflector back onto the yoke, tomorrow after that has set I will pull the drive shaft. Are you talking about the pinion preload? Should the oil deflector be closer to the differential?
Yes ,, I could be wrong but that's a little more space than I like seeing ,,I wouldn't loosen the nut but with drive shaft out you could better determine if the yoke could be loose or slide back which would mean the nut backed off , as I said hard to tell by pictures but you shouldn't see any space that it appears to have in the one picture but its just hard to tell in pictures but that deflector looks like it use to be back farther which may be why it came loose if yoke moved farther away and doesn't hurt to check
Yes ,, I could be wrong but that's a little more space than I like seeing ,,I wouldn't loosen the nut but with drive shaft out you could better determine if the yoke could be loose or slide back which would mean the nut backed off , as I said hard to tell by pictures but you shouldn't see any space that it appears to have in the one picture but its just hard to tell in pictures but that deflector looks like it use to be back farther which may be why it came loose if yoke moved farther away and doesn't hurt to check
Thanks for the help, I'll drop the shaft tomorrow and give an update.
Broken Yoke?
