Rear wheels VERY hard to turn, driveshaft won't turn by hand.

[MAS Tequila]

I'm in south Florida.

It was working perfectly when I removed it earlier this year.

All it needs is fresh fluid and the alignment dowel out of the current one.

MT

 

[cyrax99]

As I recall I had to use my large pry bar between the lug studs to turn the rear axles when I was adjusting the parking brake shoes.

Ok well it sounds like your situation is quite similar to mine. I don't see how it can be normal though, as it doesn't make any sense that rear wheels should be so damn hard to turn. With the driveshaft removed, they spin completely free as they should, while the driveshaft itself cannot be spun by hand hardly at all. I've worked on a ton of vehicles, and cannot ever recall a driveshaft I couldn't turn in neutral. It failed inspection for the rear wheels not turning as well, so it seems that shop found it to be incorrect too. The fact your explorer is the same way as mine is odd though.

I'm in south Florida.

It was working perfectly when I removed it earlier this year.

All it needs is fresh fluid and the alignment dowel out of the current one.

MT

So if I get yours, what's the best way to go about this? Is the shipping super expensive for that distance?

 

[MAS Tequila]

I think I paid $75 for the 4406 to be shipped from Arizona.

I'm on my way out to work on my trailer, big bike weekend coming up.

See if you can find out what it weighs online then check shipping costs.

You can have this one for shipping plus $25, to cover getting it packaged up and shipped.

And I KNOW it's good.

My # is 5612103399

I'll be in Charlotte NC the 18th and the 22nd. I'm trailering my bike up and riding up tp Maggie Valley with some friends.

How far is that from you?

I could leave it with a friend so it could be picked up if that would save enough $ to make it worth doing.

MT

 

[cyrax99]

I think I paid $75 for the 4406 to be shipped from Arizona.

I'm on my way out to work on my trailer, big bike weekend coming up.

See if you can find out what it weighs online then check shipping costs.

You can have this one for shipping plus $25, to cover getting it packaged up and shipped.

And I KNOW it's good.

My # is 5612103399

I'll be in Charlotte NC the 18th and the 22nd. I'm trailering my bike up and riding up tp Maggie Valley with some friends.

How far is that from you?

I could leave it with a friend so it could be picked up if that would save enough $ to make it worth doing.

MT

Haha, AZ is where I just moved from (Scottsdale.) You know what? I just put the wheels on, and the wheels are actually spinning MUCH better than before I started. I can turn them with both hands now, although there is a good amount of resistance still. The owners are taking it back down for inspection again tomorrow to see if it passes now. All I have left to do today is adjust the emergency brake and install a new hood latch cable. I'll report back to you when it gets inspected tomorrow (I'm going with them.) If it still fails, and I need to replace the transfer case, maybe we could work out some arrangements. We're near Norfolk, VA, I'm not sure how far Charlotte is (I just moved here recently) but I don't think it's too far of a drive.

Edit: I didn't see what price you said before. Wow, that's an excellent price, I'll make sure to relay the message to them. For that price, it's probably worth just throwing it in there, even if it passes inspection. This one is definitely on its way out.

 

[MAS Tequila]

It's just taking up space here.

I was even considering chopping up the case (magnesium alloy) and adding to the fire pit.

If someone can get some use out of it, I would rather them use it.

I have a spare 4406, it was too good of a deal to pass up, so I'll never use it.

MT

 

[cyrax99]

It's just taking up space here.

I was even considering chopping up the case (magnesium alloy) and adding to the fire pit.

If someone can get some use out of it, I would rather them use it.

I have a spare 4406, it was too good of a deal to pass up, so I'll never use it.

MT

Understood my dude. I'll let you know how inspection goes tomorrow. For that price, I think they are interested regardless. I'm going to look up the shipping rates, and the weight of the transfer case to get an idea.

Just as a side question, how hard was it for you to replace your transfer case? Haven't done one on this vehicle, but the ones I have done were pretty straight forward. Was the process pretty damn simple on this car?

 

[MAS Tequila]

Understood my dude. I'll let you know how inspection goes tomorrow. For that price, I think they are interested regardless. I'm going to look up the shipping rates, and the weight of the transfer case to get an idea.

Just as a side question, how hard was it for you to replace your transfer case? Haven't done one on this vehicle, but the ones I have done were pretty straight forward. Was the process pretty damn simple on this car?

Just go to the 4406 swap threads and follow up through the removal of the AWD t-case then reverse the process.

Seriously though, the most difficult part on mine was getting the console out.

If doing it again I wouldn't remove the seats.

I would remove the console and slice the carpet over the access panel, the console completely covers it.

The AWD t-case weighs a lot less and is easier to handle than the 4406.

So it's pretty simple in my opinion.

MT

 

[cyrax99]

Just go to the 4406 swap threads and follow up through the removal of the AWD t-case then reverse the process.

Seriously though, the most difficult part on mine was getting the console out.

If doing it again I wouldn't remove the seats.

I would remove the console and slice the carpet over the access panel, the console completely covers it.

The AWD t-case weighs a lot less and is easier to handle than the 4406.

So it's pretty simple in my opinion.

MT

I'm not familiar with these forums at all, sorry. I'll try looking around to see if I can find those threads.

So the car passed inspection today, but they sounded interested in picking up your transfer case regardless, as the one on the car now is on the way out. I'm gonna look up the weight of the transfer case tomorrow and how much it would be to ship it.

How long did the swap take you to do? Did you complete it in one day?

 

[MAS Tequila]

It can be done in a few hours.

MT

 

[koda2000]

I'm still not convinced that there is something wrong with the AWD "center differential" (technically that's what it''s called). A thought..

With the AWD system the front and rear axles are always linked together to some degree (typically 35% to the front wheels and 65% to the rear wheels). Right?

If that's the case why wouldn't it be hard to turn the rear axle in neutral? Your turning a lot of stuff and the viscous coupling might interpret the rear wheels being turned as slippage. My AWD has been driven for many 10's of thousands of miles since I adjusted the parking brake shoes and found my rear axle hard to turn. Maybe yours is much harder to turn than mine was... ? IDK.

Was the inspector aware that that your truck is an AWD?

 

[drdoom]

Koda I agree.