Last march I noticed a very slow leak in gear oil from my rear differential and I took it in to the dealer, who replaced the rear pinion seal. Thought that was the end of it.
About a week ago, I noticed a whining sound from below the vehicle at speed (30-40 mph) and hastened my plans to take it in to another dealer for the 90K mi svc today. They say they think the whine is the diff. pinion bearing and its going to cost about $1500 to fix. If they're right, the other guys didn't tighten the bearing retainer nut down properly when they had it apart, working from the driveshaft side. I don't really want to spend this kind of $ on the machine. What are my options?

 

Start by going back to the dealer who did the original work and ask what they are going to do for you. Be nice, but stern and hold your ground. Escalation path is go to the service manager, and then the dealer area rep.

 

thanks m-ragtop.

I'm stuck though. Dealer No. 2 says it is the diff. brg. and pinion gear but also goes on to say that had they replaced the seal themselves, the bearing still could have gone bad at any time. Now, whether Dealer 1 could have readily determined whether more was wrong than just the seal without taking more things apart, I may never know.

 

You are not stuck unless you allow yourself to be. These vehicles have a well documented history of little problems - door ajar liight, radio display crapping out, etc. Pinion bearing burning up is not one of them. In fact, Ford rear differentials are widely recognized as the gold standard. The 8.8" rear end in your Explorer is a top 5 pick of hot rodders everywhere because of it's durability.

#1 - Ford 9"
#2 - Jaguar
#3 - GM 10 bolt
#4 - probably the Ford 8.8"

Pinion bearings going bad is not a common problem and usually occurs when the pinion nut is removed and not re-installed with the proper torque. In fact, I seem to recall that you are supposed to be careful to mark the nut and the differential, then count the # of turns required to remove the nut so as to get the exact same torque on the nut when it is reinstalled. Sounds like dealer #1 did not do this and this is what dealer #2 was referrencing when they said it wasn't re-installed properly. My guess is that dealer #2 does not want to get into a peeing contest with dealer #1 and consequently you are being thrown under the bus.

I would address the issue calmly with the dealer that did the work (dealer #1) and see what they will do for you. I would not under any circumstances pay $1,500.00 to hve this fixed. You should be able to purchase a rear end exactly like yours from a junkyard for $200.00 or perhaps less. It is not a difficult job to replace it. If you have even rudimentry mechanical skills, you should be able to replace the whoel shootin match by yourself in 3-4 hours )OK - perhaps with a little help) and certainly no more than an entire Saturday. I agree it is an annoyance and you shouldn't have to do it but it might be money well spent to avoid the headache of dealing with the dealer any further and you will have the confidence of knowing that it was done correctly since you will have done it yourself. Good luck with it.

 

If they (dealers) aren't willing to negotiate a lower price based on the circumstances, you might want to consider calling a couple of indepdent shops and get some estimates.

 

Again, the cost to do this yourself is so cheap that you will never get them to approcah it and the ease of doing it make that my prefered option.

 

beautiful posts tex and m-top. I suppose I feel like i've let you all down at this point. I sucked it up and at let D#2 do the repair. $990 for labor plus parts. Grabben zie ankles, bitte.

Believe me, I really agonized over my options on this one. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a good independent here in sin city that I could take my expl to and I just don't have the time like I did in my earlier days to find parts and attempt repairs in 100+ degree heat and do the repair myself.

I realized that, at best, dealer #1 would deny any wrong doing (I can't prove a thing) and the best I could do with them would be to get my money back ($200) for the seal job last march. I'm better off trying to do better in my business to get $200 than to go down there and fight them for it. I didn't tell you about the fight I had with them a couple months ago when they tried to charge me $500 for a thermostat replacement when I was in a bind and needed my ride. I've actually done that repair myself in the past in an hour or two, including that many beers. They even wanted to charge me for the diagnosis when I told them what the problem was in the first place.

Anyway, I think this thread and your feedback has been a great help to everyone. I 've sure learned a lot. Now to really find that honest independent. . . . . .