simple question

[toddious]

this should be a simple question to most..... on my explorer ( a 96 limited with "4x4" ) should the driver side front tire spin when in 4x4 low? i assumed that all 4 tires would spin, is this not true? i know that when i was spinning out (in the snow) tonight, that the tire in the the front, on the driver side, was not helping me move at all. is this a problem, or is this normal? and also, does only one of the back tires drive the car? or both? thanks, todd.

 

[wired_af]

Thats what an open diff. will do to ya. Torque takes the path of least resistance, in other words, to the wheel with no traction.

 

[toddious]

so that means that sometimes it will be the drivers side tire spinning, and not the passenger side? do they ever both spin? and is that the same with the rear end? or do both back wheels always spin? thanks, todd.

 

[unclemeat]

Now you understand what all the discussion of lockers, limited slip an open differentials. A locker will send tourque to both wheels regardless of the traction concitions. A limited slip will split the tourque based on its mechanical set up. and open well you already know. There are pros and cons of each differential set up.

 

[DeRocha]

Your front and rear axles have open differentials like the others have posted. This means the wheel with the least amount of traction will be getting all the power. So sometimes the left wheel will be getting power and othertimes the right side.. Open diffs are great on the street and allow each wheel to rotate at different speeds (needed for cornering). Unfortunately this also means the wheel with the lowest resistance (traction) will get all the power (bad for offroading). This means an axle will spin both wheels if the resistance is exactly 50% at each wheel (which is pratically impossible to do as resistance changes all the time)... Anyway if your passenger side tire was spining it means the driver's side has more traction... If superman came by and held the passenger wheel the driver's side wheel would spin. A locker is the superman for traction. A mechanical locker will sense when one wheel is slipping and lock both axles together to give you 100% trackion from both wheels.

 

[toddious]

so adding a "locker".... is that a pretty complicated/expensive process? and i would need to do that to both the front and rear axles? thanks, todd.

 

[toddious]

and what about "posi traction". i had been told that the truck has posi in the rear, which should make both wheels spin in the rear right? is there posi for the front? or is that the same as limited slip? or a locker? thanks, todd.

 

[Ray Lobato]

Posi traction is the same as limited slip. I would venture to guess that your limited slip is probably not good any more, as they do have to be rebuilt after awhile.
Because you have a 96, they don't have lockers or limited slips built specificly for the front differential. You can get lots of stuff for the rear Ford 8.8. From limited slip to full lockers.
Please use the search function. There is alot of information about this.

 

[MONMIX]

what part of Florida has snow ?

 

[toddious]

haha, no parts that i know of. i'm up in ohio right now, enjoying the weather....

so what if i wanted to put limited slip on the front end? is it possible? and to have the rear end rebuilt, is it a pain in the ass? thanks, todd.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Limited slips aren't recomended for the front, as they aren't safe on slippery sufaces. The clutches to rebuild the LS aren't very expensive (under 50) but may be an involed repair.

 

[unclemeat]

I have a limited slip in my front axle. A project truck F-150 in 4-wheel and off road, limited slip in the front differential. Many advertised Ford axle upgrades include limited slip for the front differential. I don't have problems on slippery surfaces. Spools are not recommended for the front differential if driving on slipery pavement. Spools or welding the spider gears perminently lock the front axle, this set up is not recommended for anything except mud bogging. The optimum setup for a front differential is a selectable locker. Lockers break axles. Limited slip differentials are much less likely to break axle shafts.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I was under the impression that in icy conditions the LS would make the front end squirely under power like it does the rear.

 

[CDW6212R]

unclemeat, ditto that question. Will the front push more in snow or ice with the LS in the front?

To all, look on your door jamb, usually Ford uses a letter for a traction lock diff.

I have rebuilt a few of them, before I decided that they don't last long enough. If you do the traction lock, buy two rebuild kits, and install one extra friction on each side. Four will last longer than three.
Don W

 

[toddious]

so if i put LS on the front end though, it would only be bad for "slippery surfaces" when i'm in 4wd though right, because that is the only time that the front wheels are driving right?

and about the LS in the rear? is this stock? or what code should i look for on the door to find out if i have LS in the rear?

last question, if my LS is not working in the rear, what would be a fair price to pay a mechanic to have the clutches rebuilt to get it working again. i don 't have nearly that much mechanical skill.... thanks, todd.

 

[CDW6212R]

The rear rebuild kit is about $50 from Ford(just the tractionlock parts). $100 is a good price for labor for changing gears, so I'd hope for that. The traction lock can be rebuilt in about ten minutes(on the bench).

All vehicles have an "axle" code on the VIN plate. Hope for a letter, not a number. The rearend cover has a stock tag on it that shows the ratio, and diff. An open 3.73 will show "3 73..." while a traction lock 3.73 will show "3L73..."

 

[toddious]

i looked on the driver door, and it said "axle: d4" ... but i don't know what that means, and to find the other code (3 73, or 3L73) , i need to get under the truck and actually look on the rear axle? thanks, todd.

 

[00XLS]

i looked on the driver door, and it said "axle: d4" ... but i don't know what that means, and to find the other code (3 73, or 3L73) , i need to get under the truck and actually look on the rear axle? thanks, todd.

Theres a link to a web site in the useful pages section of this site. tells you all about the different codes on these trucks, very helpful.

 

[Mbrooks420]

D4 is the 3.73 limited slip code

 

[unclemeat]

It is defenatly a differrence in driving a limited slip veres an open front differential in icy conditions. However it is the go pedal that makes all the difference. Easy on the gas and you dont have problems. You can almost steer with the gas pedal, and by which wheel is getting traction. The open differential is easer to drive in icy conditions. But once the snow is over 2-3 inches the limited slip is superior. If I had ulimited money to spend I would have put in a ARB selectable locker, but that would have added more than $1000 to my regear project. The limited slip is good for me and my driving habits for now.