Hello All,

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question. I am a little new to some of this stuff and have to ask....

1985 Ford F-150 4x4 Maual Transmission

I have a sqeak, mainly in 2nd gear that is quite loud. I am fairly certain it is coming from the rear diff. When I shift into second gear I get a squeak that varies with speed. Slow squeak that gets faster with acceleration. Doesn't seem to do it at highway speeds. Doesn't do it when I am coasting in neutral (say down a hill). It is present in both 2wd and 4wd. It doesn't appear to be affecting the driving performance of the truck. It drives just as good as normal and seems fine, with the exception of the squeak.

Now, I was thinking that it may just be that it is poorly lubricated and that I can just remove the cover and lube the gears up really well. Is there anything else I may need to look out for (other than obvious damage inside the rear diff?) Perhaps the linkage is off or something like that?

I guess I might be biting off quite a bit here, but I just had a major engine issue that cost $$$ and I am a bit poor at the moment and don't want to pay someone to do something I can easily do myself with a little hard work and my trusty Haynes Manual. Unfortunatly, the manual doesn't cover too much in this category. I am bummed because I need to haul my pop-up camper and I am afraid to do so till I diagnose this issue. No sense adding weight to the problem and making it much worse (and costlier to repair)

Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all the help!!

 

Ring and pinions don't usually squeek, infact they usually howl at speed. The faster you go the higher the pitch should get and the slower the lower the pitch. I'd suspect something in the transmission if it's only noticable in 2nd gear. My t-18s would make a terrable noise in certain gears if I was low on gear oil, if you have an automatic I can't help a whole lot.

Anyhow, it wouldn't hurt to pull the diff cover and replace the gear oil. I think the spec is 50k on it.

 

Does you truck have a two piece driveshaft? If so, it sounds like a bad Drive Shaft Center Support (aka carrier) Bearing. If this is the problem, replace the entire unit, the bearing fits into a rubber cushion and that is prolly oil soaked, cracked or a combination of both. There's only one type for your application and it's avaliable from Ford and NAPA = D9TZ-4800-A



It could also be bad u-joints.

 

Thanks much! As soon as I can I will have a look at both.

 

I vote something with the driveshaft too. I would look at the u-joints.

 

It sounds like a U-joint getting ready to give up. Or maybe if there are grease jerks on the u-joints a little grease may give it new life.

 

U Joint went yesterday. I was driving two blocks and snap - there it went. Good to know for the future. Thanks for all the help.....