Jason Bleazard wrote:
> So, I took my '95 over to the local Speedy Muffler the other day for an
> oil change. They informed me that the plug from my front differential was
> not in place. In fact, they found it sitting on the skid plate. Of
> course the fluid was low. They said it took about 3L of fluid, which is
> pretty much the capacity of the diff.
eek....
>
> Apparently I put about 2000 miles on the truck in the dead of winter with
> no plug in the front diff, and all of my fluid draining out (or splashing
> out, whatever). I haven't heard any obvious noises which would indicate
> gear self-destruction, and the front wheels do pull when the 4x4 is
> engaged. I'm planning on pulling the cover off some time later this
> spring to see what things look like, and I'm just wondering if there's
> anything specific that I should look for for other than obvious
> destruction.
>
well the fact that your front wheels are under power, when the truck is
shifted into 4x4, says the gears are not a bunch of brillo pads... not
yet anyway...
I wanted to find more info before I posted so I looked up my FSM...it
didn't yeild much in the way of help ... the front axle uses a CAD -
central axle disconnect... I was trying to determine if the shafts are
totally disengaged from the diff when the truck is in 2wd. I need to
learn more about how the CAD works.
I had problems with it when I bought the truck - which is how I ended up
with a duct taped drivers side mirror and a dented door - the CAD wasnt
engaging the front wheels - I was trying to plow a lot - gunned the
throttle to try and get traction and spun the truck left and into a lamp
post. DOH!
I had the CAD cleaned and serviced and its worked fine since.
I would need to do more research - but theres a chance that as long as 4
wheel drive wasnt engaged - that you may have, if not prevented, limited
the damage to the gears. I'm sure there are other DMLers more familar
with the CAD than I am who could explain how it works.
Obvious signs to look for are metal shavings or gritty stuff in the
bottom of the diff - did they pop the diff cover or just fill it up
again? - obviously if they drained it you may not find residue in the
bottom.
> Am I correct in thinking that there is virtually no way that this plug
> could pop out on its own, assuming that the last person to work on it had
> replaced it properly? I've removed and replaced these, and they've always
> seemed to be pretty secure.
To my knowledge I've never heard of a plug just popping out - but I
suppose its not impossible.
> there's been a foot of snow in the driveway up until just a few
> days ago... hence why I pay other people to change the oil
bah! I've done four oil changes since I moved, one time with the Ford,
the undercarriage was coated in ice and I had water dripping on me the
entire time I changed the oil. I do all my oil changes in all weather
heheh.
-- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Terrible Tom"It's a living thing... It breathes, it eats, ...and it hates..."
Silver '89 Dakota Reg Cab, V6, Auto, 8 footer, 4x2 Silver '89 Dakota Reg Cab, V6, Auto, 8 footer, 4x4 w plow - (aka Granpa) Green/Silver '95 Jeep Cherokee, I-6 HO, Auto, 4 door, 4x4
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Feb 06 2004 - 11:46:03 EST