03explorereb
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- February 18, 2011
- Messages
- 129
- Reaction score
- 2
- City, State
- cuba, missouri
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 06 explorer xlt
i recently came across the all too familiar whining problem most of you have had with your rear diffy on 3rd gen explorers. most of you also replace everything around it (as i did) thinking it will cure the problem not knowing that it's indeed the rearend making all that noise. so for those of you who have worked YOUR rearend off trying to make this noise go away to no avail and changing your rear diff is your only option, this section is for you.
this process took me about 2 hours from start to finish. don't read a chilton's book, don't read a haynes book; this will only cloud your judgement. no special tools were needed either.
1-jack your vehicle up for sufficient clearance in back. set on jackstands so you don't crush yourself. drain the differential of fluid.
2-remove driver's side and passenger side wheel (passenger side is an option).
3-remove driver's side brake caliper and set it on the upper A-arm
4-remove driver's side parking brake cable which is a pain in the ass.
5-from under the vehicle remove the 4 bolts holding the driveshaft to pinion
6-while you're there, using a 1x1 or ball joint spreader and b. f. hammer, separate the driver's side cv axle from the housing. Be CAREFUL! tap on the metal housing closest to the differential and NEVER pull on the axle!
7-do the same for the pass. side. keep in mind that they will not clear the housing at this point; that'll come later. may be a good time for a beer after this.
8-after beer, it's time to remove the upper A-arm pinch bolt holding the ball joint. spray liberally on the back side with pb penetrator or something like that to make the job easier. don't mess up the ball joint! taps with a hammer on the side of the knuckle there should do the trick.
9-remove the lower A-arm bolt. shouldn't be a problem as this is just a pass-through bolt to hold everything together. you could remove the stabilizer, but not necessary.
10-being careful, slide the hub/knuckle assembly back, crawl underneath and help the axle out of the housing. brutality is not endorsed at this point. use a coat hanger or wire and help support the knuckle as it is fairly heavy.
11-from underneath, unclip the wire on top of the differential. secondly also remove the housing vent tube.
12-remove the three bolts that hold the housing to the vehicle. having a jack under the housing is a must at this point.
13-finally, work the passenger side axle out of housing and manuever the housing down from it's perch.
Installation is the reverse of the removal. it does get a little challenging to install the axles back into the new housing but all in all it beats the hell out of having to dismantle your entire day to address this problem. keep in mind that it would be wise to change things like hub/bearing/ball joints while you're there and that this is the expresslane version of changing out the housing. also it would be wise whether you are setting up new gears in your old housing or putting in a different housing altogether to change out the axle seals with a new set. just a thought. I did. hopefully this thread might help some of you and encourage you to tackle this problem head on.
this process took me about 2 hours from start to finish. don't read a chilton's book, don't read a haynes book; this will only cloud your judgement. no special tools were needed either.
1-jack your vehicle up for sufficient clearance in back. set on jackstands so you don't crush yourself. drain the differential of fluid.
2-remove driver's side and passenger side wheel (passenger side is an option).
3-remove driver's side brake caliper and set it on the upper A-arm
4-remove driver's side parking brake cable which is a pain in the ass.
5-from under the vehicle remove the 4 bolts holding the driveshaft to pinion
6-while you're there, using a 1x1 or ball joint spreader and b. f. hammer, separate the driver's side cv axle from the housing. Be CAREFUL! tap on the metal housing closest to the differential and NEVER pull on the axle!
7-do the same for the pass. side. keep in mind that they will not clear the housing at this point; that'll come later. may be a good time for a beer after this.
8-after beer, it's time to remove the upper A-arm pinch bolt holding the ball joint. spray liberally on the back side with pb penetrator or something like that to make the job easier. don't mess up the ball joint! taps with a hammer on the side of the knuckle there should do the trick.
9-remove the lower A-arm bolt. shouldn't be a problem as this is just a pass-through bolt to hold everything together. you could remove the stabilizer, but not necessary.
10-being careful, slide the hub/knuckle assembly back, crawl underneath and help the axle out of the housing. brutality is not endorsed at this point. use a coat hanger or wire and help support the knuckle as it is fairly heavy.
11-from underneath, unclip the wire on top of the differential. secondly also remove the housing vent tube.
12-remove the three bolts that hold the housing to the vehicle. having a jack under the housing is a must at this point.
13-finally, work the passenger side axle out of housing and manuever the housing down from it's perch.
Installation is the reverse of the removal. it does get a little challenging to install the axles back into the new housing but all in all it beats the hell out of having to dismantle your entire day to address this problem. keep in mind that it would be wise to change things like hub/bearing/ball joints while you're there and that this is the expresslane version of changing out the housing. also it would be wise whether you are setting up new gears in your old housing or putting in a different housing altogether to change out the axle seals with a new set. just a thought. I did. hopefully this thread might help some of you and encourage you to tackle this problem head on.
