"Clifford" The Big Red Truck

[traveler]

I mentioned this in my thread about the Explorer but then realized thats the wrong thread for that as I plan to take Clifford on these.
I haven't been on a trail in WAY too long! Soo.....
In late June I'm taking Sandi up to Prescott for a regional Church camp. I'd love to stay there too, but we've got 2 dogs that need attending to and they're not welcome at the camp (have I mentioned that we got a yellow lab puppy? she's about 7 months old now. I'll post pics soon). Anyway the campgrounds are right on Senator Highway (Look it up). It looks like a fairly simple dirt trail with beautiful views that runs from Prescott to Crown King AZ with great views and history. Then there is a very rugged trail that runs from Crown King to Lake Pleasant but I am NOT taking Clifford on that! I'll take the gravel road from Crown King to I17 and head home.
I also think that Clifford could handle Bloody Basin which runs from I17 to Sheeps bridge. It also looks like a fairly simple trail that Clifford could handle with great scenery and ruins. The sheeps bridge is just that, a suspension bridge built so ranchers could get sheep across the river. Then if I have time I can head south on Cave Creek trail and head home. I don't know when I'm going. I may do a pre-run in the Explorer just to make sure its safe for Clifford (LoL I'm sure the truck could do it but I don't want scratches!) I'd take Sandi with me on the Bloody Basin run. She just doesn't like long trips in the Explorer.

 

[traveler]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm not supposed to be able to do this am I?
This first is the front driveshaft going into the Diff. The next two are the CV axles.

Files are too large

The driveshaft can be turned about 10 degrees with a loud "clunk" when it finally makes contact with something. The CV axles are the same but not nearly as far.

 

[Turdle]

There should be some play, but not too much..can you tell if the front pinion is moving forward and backward with the rotational play? Is fluid leaking at t case front or at pinion seal?

How do these movements compare to your explorer's shafts?

When my pickup returns I'll see how much play it has.

 

[Josh P]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm not supposed to be able to do this am I?
This first is the front driveshaft going into the Diff. The next two are the CV axles.

Files are too large

The driveshaft can be turned about 10 degrees with a loud "clunk" when it finally makes contact with something. The CV axles are the same but not nearly as far.

That's a lot of play. How do the teeth look on the ring and pinion?

 

[traveler]

I haven't pulled the cover off the diff yet. I took what was supposed to be an easy trail (described as unmaintained dirt road). While I have been on much harder trails, I knew what I was getting into in those cases. This was rutted, rocky, narrow, and even had one minor rock garden to cross. Anyway, I was hearing all kinds of unfriendly noises from under the truck, but couldn't pin down a location. I'd stop and check for loose parts, hubs, etc. but never saw anything. At one point it ground to a very noisy and scary stop. I switched to 2WD and was able to proceed. Later just to check I went back to 4WD and it went into both hi and low without problem. But the noises never went away. I made it to Crown King, let the truck "rest" and had a cheeseburger and a Coke (really good food at the Crown King Saloon). I spoke to the manager at the saloon and he agreed that the Senator Highway has gone downhill the past few years due to rainfall, snowfall, etc.
Anyway, I headed home on much smoother dirt roads (about 20 miles) before hitting the interstate for about 1.5 hours. On the highway it was great, no noise, it drove good. I did hear noises after about an hour, but the were brief and went away on their own. Today I climbed under the truck for a more thorough exam and found the extreme slack in the front driveshaft.

 

[Josh P]

My wild imagination is thinking the pinion preload is not in spec.

 

[traveler]

My wild imagination is telling me broken teeth on the ring gear. But I haven't pulled the cover yet.

 

[Josh P]

My wild imagination is telling me broken teeth on the ring gear. But I haven't pulled the cover yet.

Is it the 8.8 IFS? If your ring gear has less teeth than someone at a Willie Nelson concert I'd like to shake your hand.

 

[traveler]

You have a good point. The first time I noticed a noise was when I was parking the travel trailer, I had just pulled out of a tough spot and had used 4lo to get it up on leveling blocks when we found that the AC power at that spot was nonfunctioning. So we unhooked it and I pulled it out of the spot making a tight turn. I didn't think of it til later, but I was still in 4lo when I made that turn. Perhaps that was too much for it.

 

[traveler]

I just gotta make sure it's safe to drive on the highway before Wednesday. I am supposed to head for the campgrounds again and pick up the wife and camper. If I can't do that might be in trouble!
If it's the preload, or even the ring and pinion, could I get by with dropping the front driveshaft? Or would that even make a difference?

 

[Josh P]

Does that axle have the vacuum disconnect? Put a pry bar behind the flange the driveshaft is connected to. If it wiggles, you lost preload.

 

[traveler]

The hubs have vacuum lines going to them, so they should be freewheeling. The flange has no movement whatsoever fore and aft.

 

[Josh P]

The hubs have vacuum lines going to them, so they should be freewheeling. The flange has no movement whatsoever fore and aft.

Correct about the freewheeling. Next thing is to pull the cover to see how things look.

 

[traveler]

Yea, that's tomorrow. It's 110 here. I'm gonna chill tonight, and pick up some fresh gear oil tomorrow then pull the cover.

But if the hubs are free wheeling it'll be safe to drive in 2WD. I'm not getting any play in them.

 

[Josh P]

The heat is brutal. Nothing ever needs attention when it's 68 degrees and overcast

 

[traveler]

LoL ain't it the truth.

 

[traveler]

Ok, I got the front end off the ground. In 2WD the left side spins easily, but turns the CV axles with it. The right side remains engaged, I can't turn it. When I turn the driveshaft by hand, the left wheel turns, the right does nothing. So it looks like the hubs aren't disengaging. Getting ready to pull the cover next.

 

[Josh P]

Does vacuum engage or disengage the hubs?

 

[traveler]

According to Google
On a 2006 Ford F150 FX4, vacuum disengages the front hubs. When vacuum is applied, the front hubs are pulled out of engagement with the front axles, allowing the wheels to spin freely in 2WD mode. When vacuum is absent, the hubs engage due to spring pressure, connecting the wheels to the axles for 4WD.

 

[traveler]

Ok, more news. The only reason the right side wasn't turning was because the CV axle was extended too far due to me jacking the front tires off the ground. I used a smaller jack to raise the control arm slightly and now the right side acts just like the left side. I looked it up and there are 4WD actuators that fit the hubs. Possibly those are frozen up?