rear diff cover removal

[memphis48]

hi can anyone help i have a 97 ford ranger xlt ,the rear diff cover is all rusted and leaking [the part with the plug ] but the cover is all sealed,there are no bolts or anything like that to loosten im told i need to replace entire diff and axle but i cant afford this.would it b possible to just grind cover off ?

 

[Maniak]

We are going to need a picture of this...

Your ranger should have a Ford 8.8 axle back there which does have a cover that is bolted on. Heck, all axles have bolts on them.. Either on a back cover like you should have, on the front like the Ford 9" or even on the top on a Rockwell (you don't have that one for sure).

You may just have that much crud around the cover so you can't see the bolts.

Also, the factory fill plug (7.5" and 8.8" axle used in rangers) is on the front of the axle on the drivers side a little more than 1/2 way up. If someone put on an after market diff cover some did come with a fill plug..

Either way, grab a picture of it AND look for a metal tag somewhere on the axle (near the center diff). If you find one write down all the #'s on it and post it here.. Hopefully its still there even if someone did change the axle to something else, like a 9" which would have a fill on the back and bolts on the front with no removable "cover".

~Mark

edit: This might help too.. Here is a pic I stole from a heep site.. Do you see your diff on here? Start with the Ford 7.5, 8.8 and 9".

 

[memphis48]

i think im on the wrong site im in scotland all your covers dont match mine. over here it was mazda that made these cars i dont know how that compares and i cand seem to upload a pic sorry

 

[Maniak]

We have the mazda versions here too.. They just aren't called rangers. IIRC they were b2200 and b4000 etc...

Either way, there has to be some way for that Diff to come apart.. There are bolts somewhere...

There are 2 ways to get pictures into a post.

First, if your an elite member here you can attach pictures into your thread. More info about that here. http://www.explorerforum.com/elite.html

The 2nd way is to upload your picture to a free hosting site like imgur and flickr.

Once you have it there you can post the link to the picture in the thread.

If you have the direct link to it (link ends in .jpg or .jpeg) you can put the url for the picture between [ img] and [/ img] tags (without the extra space I put in) and it will show up right in the message... Worst case, just post the link to the picture in here and if possible a Mod can fix it for you this time.

Once we can see the diff we should be able to figure out what it is.. If we can't, some of the UK guys may recognize it even if its some odd axle.

~Mark

 

[memphis48]

 

[Maniak]

You have the right idea there BUT you need the entire url for the picture..

For example.. I have a picture here.. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8107/8640510317_26e182ff01.jpg

If I put the [ img] and [ /img] around it I get...

If you don't have the direct file link to it, thats ok.. just put the url you put in your browser to make it show up on the page.. its not the end of the world if we have to click on it. You'll get the hang of it later..

~Mark

 

[memphis48]

 

[Maniak]

You only put the filename between the img tags on that post.. You need the full URL as it is on the internet (where you uploaded it).. You can't just put the filename as it is on your local computer as we can't get to your local computer.

Here is a full "how to" on adding pics to your post.. It might help explain what your trying to do.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147920

~Mark

 

[memphis48]

 

[Maniak]

The only axle I know of that has a removable 3rd member (meaning you drop the part with the gears as one big assembly out the front) and a fill plug on the back like that is a toyota axle.

I did some google image searches for toyota rear axle and they look just like the picture you posted. I am assuming that is a picture of your axle and not some picture you found on the 'net that is similar to what you have. I've never known Ford to use Toyota Axles before..

Anyway.. With that style (no cover) you usually have to pull the axle shafts out first. Once those are out you disconnect the rear drive shaft from the axle and then you can pull the bolts on the front of the axle body out and then you can pull/drop the entire 3rd member out of there. Its a messy job but its the only way to remove the fluid out of there unless there is a drain plug under the axle which I doubt.

But, to your original question. Your rear cover isn't leaking as there isn't one. Either the fill plus is leaking or the fluid is leaking out of the front and running undernearth to the back.

The absolute worst (short of a crack in the housing) would be the pinion shaft seal leaking and even with that its only a couple out job for a shop to fix so it shouldn't cost much in terms of labor.

~Mark

 

[memphis48]

thank you so much for your help ive been told the part will cost £2000 plus labour costs,not good.the wet part you see is rusted holes.and its only 5 year old.it is a pic of mine unfortunately:thumbdwn:

 

[RangerX]

2000 to replace the entire axle, right? Not 2000 to repair this one...
How long have you owned this truck? Is it possible a previous owner swapped in this axle that was taken off some other vehicle?
You say it's 5 years old, did you put this axle under there?
You say it's rusted holes, where exactly are they? Around the edge at the weld line, or more in the center of the circle? maybe clean it off real well, and take another pic for us. And a close up pic of that sticker tag, too. While you're at it, take a pic of the whole truck, i'd like to see what a Scottish Mazda Ranger looks like!

 

[McCormack]

If it were me I would use a suction gun to suck out the old fluid, and then while the differential is empty I would use a wire wheel on a drill to clean the leaking area, and then I would smear some adhesive caulk on it to seal it up (if there are holes use some sheet stock to cover them), and when it was dry I would fill the diff with fresh differential fluid.

Even if it doesn't work it's worth trying it to save the costs of replacing everything.