hey im new to the forum and just spend almost 2 hours reading the forums to find my problem but to no avail...ok heres whats up: i have a 97 4.2 2wd f150.
just bought it for 2300 with 200,000. on the way home it started makking this squeeling sound (didnt do it in the test drive) and so i took it to a mechanic. he said it was a lsd problem with the rear end.... i though 4wd had an lsd but i dont want to sound stupid. im very new to trucks ive been a tuner for the past 4 yrs of my life and sold mine to get a truck (which i love.....minus the problem). could anyone shed some light on to how the rear end works from the drive shaft back? my chiltons wasnt much help so i was sol. all the help i could get would be awesome.
thanks,
dave

 

...Welcome to Ford Truck Enthusiasts!

See you on the boards. ….

 

It is possible to have an LSD in a 2wd. LSD stands for Limited slip differential. As far as how it works, when the rear end detects slippage of one tire it will engage the other one to help with traction. An open diff. will only spin one tire at a time, while a locker will lock both wheels together and spin them at the same speed all the time. (makes it a little difficult on tight turns) For more info about rear ends try www.howstuffworks.com Just do a search for Limited Slip Rear end or something to that effect

 

Two ways to tell if you have a limited slip differential tranny; from the door code, or directly off the transmission tag (the latter being the more better, since it could have been swapped aftermarket). An 'L' in the code indicates limited slip; a decimal point means open tranny (example: 3L55 -or- 3.55).

Door codes could be several, based on when manufactured.

 

wow imma have to look at my truck to check that out, thanks guys