Front Rear Problem...

[Explorerdude]

Hey everyone,
I'm hoping someone will have an answer to my question... Amongst changing my front rear gear oil, the hose I was using to fill the rear up with, fell inside of it!! The hose was about the diameter of a Bic pen and about 3-4" long... I saw it fall in and when I went to grab it I knocked it in further!!

My question is how in the hell do I get inside my axle without tearing my hole front end appart?? The chilton lacks info on how to do that...

My next question is, does anyone think I could be able to drive on it without doing any catostrophic damage to my gears?? I mean I'm in need of new gears but I'm lacking funds to do them at this time... I could however ride around in 2WD for a while until I get this fixed... If I drive around in 2WD won't the gears inside of the diff still spin??? Any help is appreaciated. Thanks ahead of time...


Joe Dead Link Removed
94 Explorer XLT
4" Superlift Suspension
33X10.50 BFG AT KO's

 

[Ira]

I would not drive it with the intention of chewing the plastic up. Once it is chewed up, the plastic is going to be very fine and this fine material can gather around the bearings. Over a period of time (don't know how much), I would think this would insulate the bearings and possibly restrict the amount of lube that can go thru the bearings. This could cause a big problem.

I know you don't want to hear it, but the safest thing is to do the right thing and go ahead and get it out. Do you really want to be 100+ miles away from home and suddenly realize that it is now too late? Considering it is now winter, a breakdown that could have been prevented, will really cause you to kick yourself in the long run. Go for the feeling of security and do the job right.

 

[Explorerdude]

Is there any possible way to drop the rear by disconnecting the front drive shaft and lowering the hole housing down kinda like what you'd do with a Ford 9" rear??

One other question...
When I removed the rear cover for my 8.8 this afternoon, I noticed that the seal that was on there wasn't a gasket but a gooy silicone seal. Do you think Ford would use silicone instead of a gasket? The seal job was real sloppy too...

Do you think I could wait until the tubing gets chopped up then just change the oil again?? How much do you think a shop would charge to change the oil and remove the tube??

Thanks for your advice.

Joe Dead Link Removed

 

[HIX]

I have an idea...first see if the hose is boyant in gear oil. Buy a hand pump from the auto store and pump gear oil into the housing and see if the hose will come up to where you can grab it w/ a needle nose pliers. Or get a nut grabbing snake from the auto store and see if you can get a hold of the rascal.

If all fails just drive a little ways in 4x and change the oil drive a little more and change the oil. You should be able to get the majority of the pieces out before any damage is done. It should do minimal if any damage to the bearings anyway. And when you put gears in make sure they replace the bearings. The good install kits have them included. And remember mine are still for sale! Dead Link Removed

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HIX
91 Sport w/ 33s
"Put the hammer down, she likes it rough!"

 

[Explorerdude]

Thanks HIX, I needed some re-assurence!!

Hix,
I filled her the rest of the way up with fliud and the hose doesn't float... SO I said heck with it and drove on it... I think I'm going to drive around with the hubs locked for a few days and see if I can't grind up that hose any and then change the oil. I'll definately have them replace the bearings when I get the gears done. I'm trying to decide on what locker to get right now. Hopefully I'll have funds for it by the end of the summer. If not I'll have to at least get new bearing put in. But hopefully I'll have everything done by then.

Happy Wheelin,

Joe Dead Link Removed

 

[BubbaF-150]

I am not terribly familiar with the front axle setup on Explorers, but isn't the front cover removable? It involves having to drain all your lube, but it is about the only way I know of. To answer your other question, the front diff doesn't spin at all as long as the transfer case is in 2wd and the hubs are unlocked, so you should be safe to drive it in the mean time.

 

[CHH777]

You'll need to drop the entire left TTB to remove the diff. It is bolted inside the housing.

I would try to "fish" out the tube with a coat hangar first as this is a lot of work.

As Bubba recommended, don't engage your t-case until you get it out...

 

[Explorerdude]

Thanks guys!

I forgot to mention that the hose is plastic. I just got off of the phone with my mechanic.... He informed me that the gears will just chew up the tube... Since I'm going to get gears soon anyway, I think I'll try fishing it out once more than just drive on it. It's too much work to have to take the whole front suspension appart to spare gears that are going to get replaced anyways...

What do you all think the worst thing that could happen would be if I drove on it??

Joe Dead Link Removed