Hi, I have a 99 F-250 SD with 196,000 . I bought it with 140k 3 years ago and there was a slight whine from the rear when I would accelerate or let off the throttle. I was changing the gear oil today and noticed teeth marks in the carrier about .002" deep.
Would it be a safe assumptions that the forward pinion bearing is giving way. The nut is tight, so I know it did not back out? Two years ago I stupidly tried to correct it but hitting it with an impact gun, is there a crush collar in the pinion assembly?
I will try to upload a pic. I am supposed to two a jeep about 800 miles Thursday and am hoping not to have any problems. Any idea how much a stealership would charge to fix it?
Thanks

 

Whenever you are getting rear end problems.. I am wondering out aloud.. aren't junk yard axles from a wreck a better deal than fixing it?

 

lol, maybe, as long as they don't have the same problem. I could just throw an new bearing and seals in it?

 

I've always been told that if the ring gear has any visible gouging on it, then it is time to replace the ring and pinion gears.

Hitting the pinion nut with an impact gun probably overtightened it, which is why you now have the.002 mark, as you now probably know.

Will it be OK? Tough call. The 10.5 is a pretty stout differential. It may hold up fine with a new pinion bearing and crush sleeve.

If you're not doing any heavy towing, I would put a new pinion bearing and sleeve in, then change the gear oil after 20,000 miles or so. Do a close inspection to see if there is any more damage, or a lot of metal in the oil.

If you're doing a lot of heavy towing, I'd recommend get new gears and just rebuild the differential.

Complete junkyard axles are always a gamble. Unless you do a lot of checking at the junkyard for internal damage and housing straightness, you're gambling that what you're getting is better than what you have.

 

Sounds like some good advice. Thanks

 

So the question is, do you tow on Thursday, or cancel and work on the gears? You said it has been whining for 56,000 miles, and has been misadjusted for 2 years. Has anything changed in those 2 years? Has it gotten worse recently, or was this just routine maintenance. If it has stayed about the same for 2 years then you can probably go ahead with the tow with no worries. Obviously if it has been getting worse lately, the answer would be different.

 

The noise is the same but I am getting a slight vibration. I know the u joints should be replaced, but I have a bad feeling its not the u joints making the vibration.

 

Get the u-joints ASAP...Trust me...I had a worn one that stuck and bent the driveshaft on an 02 F150. Then it got pricey. Wallowed out the seal on the diff, bent the driveshaft, cracked the transmission cone, and all kinds of c-r-a-p. Over 3g to fix it, so it went away. Damn truck was nickel and diming me to death anyway. "For want of a nail, the horse was lost".

 

You are in the best position to make a gut call on it. Sounds to me like a long drive would be a mistake.

You asked about cost at a dealer. I would not take a gear job to a dealer. Most towns of any size have a shop that specializes in gear work. That is where I would take it. Gear swaps usually run $750-$1000 per differential.

 

cool, I think I am going to take the chance..... I'll let you know. Its a FORD, she'll be fine : )