Help! Post-tranny install driveline problems

[BigTrannyProblem]

OK. I got the tranny in a while back and just finished hooking up the exhaust yesterday afternoon.

When I had the tranny/transfer case done, I did do a startup and check to make sure the T-case was spinning (at idle). Of course it did. So I assumed no problem.

Anyway, now that I had the X down off the jack stands with everything hooked up and torqued to specs, I decided to take it for a ride.

There is terrible binding in the front wheels. Almost as if it were in 4wd low and taking a bad corner. And the vibration is terrible but intermittant. Vibrates bad for a couple of hundred feet and then rides normal for the next hundred. No check engine light on. All gauges read normal.

Any ideas on why this might be? I followed the Ford repair CD on every step. The front driveshaft was a bit of a pain and I had to take a breaker bar to get the some of the bolts to the T-case on and it seemed quite a stretch.

Also, I filled the T-case with Merc V since that is what I had on hand. To the top when it just starts to drip, just like the instructions say.

Please help as I think bad weather is approaching and I need to get this on the road ASAP.

(so far my only thoughts were to disconnect the front driveshaft and make sure the rear wheels aren't doing a similar thing.)

Thanks,

-Bill in PA

 

[ExploringNC]

First step I would do is disconnect the front drive shaft like you said. I don't know much about trannies but maybe something happened to the T-Case and the 4x4 is out of sink. Check that all connections are hooked up and are seated all the way in.

 

[BigTrannyProblem]

Just a thought, but I had the vehicle fully supported on the frame and jacking points (front) while doing the teardown/install. Is there any chance that the front driveshaft might not be as tight as it otherwise would if it were sitting on all four wheels at the time of install?

 

[BigTrannyProblem]

Turns out that the driveshaft was never supposed to be seperated at the end where the CV joint is. Didn't know any different since the manual didn't say and this is my first time doing something like this. So when I went to tap it out of the transfer case and the one part stayed fixed to the case, I didn't think twice.

See the pics here:

 

[JDraper]

Yup..looks like you found the source of the vibration!!

 

[Glacier991]

Instructive for us all. Thanks for the illustrated posts. Great payback!