Busted rear diff dodge 2500

[Fixastuff]

When I buy a used vehicle the first thing I do is pull it in the shop and pull the pans and covers and inspect and change all fluids and filters.
The only exception being in-tank fuel pumps and filters.

Yeah I know. I should have, I don't think fresh fluid would have kept it from breaking but it might have let me know it was about to go out. So I might have been able to just replace the internals and not need a complete axle.

 

[repete]

Yeah I know. I should have, I don't think fresh fluid would have kept it from breaking but it might have let me know it was about to go out. So I might have been able to just replace the internals and not need a complete axle.

it is just sort of a health check. Cannot undo what has been done but at least you know. Kind of like a physical, cannot fix the issue but at least you know a little go/no go on running a marathon.

 

[arto98607]

Reman axle $3600
Truck rental for month $2200
Labor ??

I'm also going to have to have them do transmission fluid/filter, transfer case fluid, fuel filters and new shocks.

Thankfully we got good footage in the first day so all that's paid for and a good chunk of the 43 day air bnb house.

The ground is wetter and stickier than home so can't get as long of a pull as back home without the conduit breaking but it's still going well.

Ouch, that's getting close to what I paid for my current truck few years ago, but I keep it only for occasional use when hauling is needed.

Fully understand many members here use them for work etc. every day.

 

[Hay Dude]

I’d have zero issues with a junkyard pull off AAM rear axle. They are stout. Failures are seldom. Might be 1/2 the price, too.

 

[dieselscout80]

I’d have zero issues with a junkyard pull off AAM rear axle. They are stout. Failures are seldom. Might be 1/2 the price, too.

On my 97 GMC K3500 SRW I did just that and ran that axle around 7 years with no issues at all. The engine finally gave up.

 

[Hay Dude]

On my 97 GMC K3500 SRW I did just that and ran that axle around 7 years with no issues at all. The engine finally gave up.

I did a junkyard axle for only $500 on my beautiful 2008 Chevy Tahoe and it lasted until I sold it and beyond.

 

[Fixastuff]

I’d have zero issues with a junkyard pull off AAM rear axle. They are stout. Failures are seldom. Might be 1/2 the price, too.

If it was just for personal use I'd have no problem with a used one but since this is for my business it's just not worth the risk. This one cost me an entire day and a $2200 rental. When plowing on great days I make 12k+ good day 8-12 and bad days 4-8. So a reman axle is well worth it to reduce the risk(not eliminate, lol) of it happening again.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I was towing the excavator 3 hours away to a job I'll be working on for a month and a half. About half way there rolling along 60mph with cruise on, see a red light ahead and tap the brake to start coasting to a stop the hear a pop from the rear.

Press go pedal and it just revs,(with some clunking from rear) no drive. Stop at light and no go, put it in 4wd and drove into parking lot. Look under truck and diff fluid is pouring out, gear busted a hole in the casing.

Replacing it with reman rear axle with a five year warranty. Luckily I was able to rent a suitable truck(for a month) went back to pick up excavator, take to job site, then picked up broke truck and towed back to shop in my hometown, the picked up plow and hauled to job site. Was a long day was driving and towing stuff/loading unloading from 9am to 11:30pm. Having your own business can be tough but even days like this it's better than working for someone else!View attachment 801418View attachment 801419View attachment 801420

I've found the problem on those. I put a new ring and pinion, didn't bust the case. You didn't do anything to cause this. What I have found is some extra pieces in there from the factory. There is a little pocket in the diff that stays full of oil, thrown off the top of ring gear. Pinion has a slinger washer on it that runs in the pocket of oil to lube the pinion bearings. I have found good sized rivet looking things in that pocket a few times. They are black, very hard, and laying there loose. If one falls out, breaks your gears. If a piece of gear gets between your gears, breaks the housing. Don't worry about all them special hitches. Used to, if I crossed the scales and weighed less than 50,000# I was in trouble. Still have the truck, still going fine. 2002 model truck. I knew I had a piece of broke Dodge ring gear on my tool box.

 

[aircommuter]

In a differential you have carrier (side) bearings, front and rear pinion bearings. If the carrier bearings are bad the noise is always there, if the noise is on acceleration the rear pinion bearing is under load and noisy if it’s bad and when decelerating the front pinion bearing gets the load and a noise would be traced to that one. Of course the exhaust brake could mask that noise. When decelerating the front bearing is keeping the pinion from being forced into the ring gear, that’s where your problem came in. Clearances are measured in thousands of an inch.
Differentials are one of the most ignored parts of a vehicle.
I also change all fluids (including coolant)when I buy a used vehicle so I know where I stand and I can see what comes out that could cause me to look further.
Another prevention check is to start your vehicle when it has been sitting overnight and let it run for 20 minutes, shut it off and using an instant read temperature gun shoot each bearing on the serpentine belt. A high temperature can be an early sign of bearing failure.
The American gear differential is an excellent unit used on Dodge and Chevrolet trucks and a host of military trucks. If you want a drain plug just buy a Banks differential cover as it’s the best one. You can see the testing on Bank’s website.
Business has costs and are factored in somewhere. Still usually more profitable than working for others since you have to make money for your employer or you aren’t needed.

 

[Fixastuff]

Shop is putting a Jasper unit in it for me. 3 year warranty. If I was in between work permits I'd do it myself but right now paying someone else makes $ sense.