Front Diff Blow Up

[DamageWagon]

Can you get the service transcript from when they replaced the pinion bearing? Their lack of a good description of process might be in your favor. Or if they reference a spec’d method of swapping the seal but that method is wrong, there you go.

[chrisjameswagner]

Update to story line...
Went by the dealer yesterday to test drive the truck as FCA Care said they were going to call me back with some type of closure and work was said to be completed by the dealer (front pinon gear, new transfer case, rebalanced drive shaft, new slip yoke and joints - $6400). Wanted to drive it in the day light and no traffic before I paid for it. I did drive in a local dirt lot. All worked but couldn't get the lockers to engage - what a surprise So when I originally show up and the service manager says he was in contact with the claims manager at FCA and he answered her questions and there were some local reps from FCA on the lot that were going to take a look at the truck. Service manager goes to find my keys and I see two guys that are from FCA so I approach them, introduce myself, and ask if they are familiar with my case. They say yes, they were just talking to the service manager at lunch about it. So I go into my story about the truck, off roading style, etc. They say they think they can do half the cost. I say that would be fair and leave to get back to work. I get a call from the claims manager at FCA care around 4:30 last night saying probably cant do anything because of the aftermarket parts. I tell her about the guys on the lot and what they said and she says not aware of them but would hold my case open until I heard back from them; she'll call me back tonight. I call the dealership a moment ago and hit up the service manager and ask him how it went with the FCA guys. He states they will cover half via a reimbursement. I tell him that's great but he needs to make sure all of that is documented and I receive all of that communication prior to paying. So I tell him I'll be down later to pick up the truck and settle. He tells me wait I'm checking out your lockers as you mentioned they wouldn't engage. He'll call me when done. I hope I'm not popping a boner (sorry kids) too early on this but I'd be very happy if they covered half and I actually collect... I'll update again as this progresses.

[Reloaderguy]

What was wrong with the transfer case?

[chrisjameswagner]

What was wrong with the transfer case?

Probably nothing. Once the finished the front diff they test drove it (as did I) and when in 4hi or 4lo, made grinding noises and shuddered. They drained the fluid and fluid was all black and watery. So other than that fluid being strange, I am suspecting the overall issue is the ujoints and slip yoke as that was the last thing they did after replacing the transfer case.

For those in the know - would bad ujoints or slip yoke cause the truck to come to a grinding halt and lock up the tires then cause difficulty moving the truck forward or reverse with lots of grinding sounds?

[Reloaderguy]

I assume that before they install new parts, and before you pay them, they can articulate what specifically was wrong and what specifically was changed. Transfer cases are generally pretty simple, did they rebuild yours or replace it? If replaced, why? Why was the driveshaft rebalanced? Did they install an entirely new gear set or just pinion? I'm confused by the list of repairs you posted. Since you're paying them, where are your old parts?

[TwinStick]

Totally off topic but.......

This is part of the BS that gives everyone a bad taste in their mouth. Is the industry really so desperate, they have to hire incompetent people ? Gottlieb Daimler made the first truck in 1896. So, everyone has had 122 years to get their shit together. Yet we consumers are still plagued with stupid, petty, little stuff that gives us such major headaches, people are switching brands every single day, hoping to find something better. Trouble is, they are ALL like that. All of them. It makes me absolutely sick, the way dealers treat their customers, when it is usually the 2nd biggest purchase they will ever make in their lifetime.


Here's a crazy idea---train the people who put these things together properly, &train your gdamn service people to work on the shit you sell, properly, so it gets done right, every time. In this day of "high-tech" automobiles, every single dealer should have at least 1 or 2 electronic specialists, to track down, fix or replace the defective electronic part. Or at the VERY least, have 1 or 2 super highly competent elec-tech specialists that cover a certain region, with a mobile van, with all the best dealer tech equipment.
They should also train the wrench people as well. They should get a week or 2 of training & testing every single year. And if they fail their testing, kick em to the curb. I had to do that, every year that i worked. The Manufacturer would benefit big time. People would become brand loyal again. Not rocket science here. No reason what so ever for a 2012 vehicle to have this happen. Was it bought new ? Was it under warranty ? If there was no leaks & fluid was full, no reason what so ever. I had 325,000 miles on my 1988 Ford Ranger when i donated it to the Veterans Admin. Original front & rear axles & all internals. I changed the fluid out every 100k. No bearings or seals or t-case or it's bearings or seals. All Original. They should cover the entire bill IMHO.

The only things that could cause that to happen have to be drivetrain related. Diff internals coming apart, t-case internals coming apart, transmission internals coming apart. They can self destruct if something becomes misaligned from wear. In my 2000 Dakota, trans failed at 42k because of a $.02 nylon bushing that cracked holding the center shaft & everything became misaligned as a result. Just stupid dumb shit like a $.02 bushing, instead of a $1 bronze bushing or a $3 roller bearing, caused me to miss a day of work & pay $1500 & be majorly inconvenienced.

[chrisjameswagner]

I assume that before they install new parts, and before you pay them, they can articulate what specifically was wrong and what specifically was changed. Transfer cases are generally pretty simple, did they rebuild yours or replace it? If replaced, why? Why was the driveshaft rebalanced? Did they install an entirely new gear set or just pinion? I'm confused by the list of repairs you posted. Since you're paying them, where are your old parts?

For the transfer case situation, they said it would probably be cheaper to put a new one in (was $2300) versus pay them to take it out, crack it open, and try to determine what was wrong. That sounded somewhat reasonable (as I'm held hostage) to me as the labor run up could have been whatever they wanted trying to "figure out" what internal part was bad. After seeing the fluid, something seemed obviously wrong. From what I've read, it should have been like tranny fluid in color; not fresh but not black.

Drive shaft was rebalanced. The drive shaft actually had a score in it from hitting the cross member that protects the transfer case. The crossmember was actually bent up slightly from previous offroad experience and the lip of the upper-side of the crossmember bent down from where the drive shaft had hit it. Not sure why the drive shaft would have ever hit the crossmember but it did. I drive to Parker AZ on the regular and usually hit the dips at about 80-85 mph. I'm thinking the compression is what caused that but I truly have no idea. I have a set of Daystar extensions on the leaf springs. I've noticed when offroading at full articulation/compressed that the rear tires will move forward and grind against the forward wheel wells. I'm thinking those may have something to do with the extra "deep" suspension compression which may have caused the drive shaft to hit the cross member. Under normal stance, there is about 5 inches between the top of the crossmember and the bottom of the drive shaft.

All parts are to be returned as I asked for them all at the beginning of this trip to the bank.

[Reloaderguy]

Rebuilding a 231/241/271 takes an hour or less. All of the parts come out and new parts just drop in. Taking out the old case is the hardest part of the job. They are also very cheap used. What actually seized in the front end?

[TankerZak]

Rebuilding a 231/241/271 takes an hour or less. All of the parts come out and new parts just drop in. Taking out the old case is the hardest part of the job. They are also very cheap used. What actually seized in the front end?

You think a dealership still knows how to do that? They are parts swappers at best. Plug in... read code... replace what the computer tells you. If that doesn't work make excuses and incompetent statements until the problem goes away. Wash, rinse, repeat...

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[olyelr]

Maybe the entire issue originated from the cv joint in the front driveshaft locking up?

[olyelr]

And there is no damn way I would have basically given the dealership a blank check to fix my truck before they even told me what they were gonna do and why they were doing it... even if they were gonna pay half.

[chrisjameswagner]

Drive shaft rub.

[Low_Sky]

DL Rub II.jpgDrive shaft rub.

First time I saw "drive shaft", I was assuming it was the front. That's a common problem.

[TankerZak]

DL Rub II.jpgDrive shaft rub.

First time I saw "drive shaft", I was assuming it was the front. That's a common problem.

Looks self clearing to me...

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[DamageWagon]

What shocks do you have on? You usually need long shocks to get the shaft close to the crossmember

[olyelr]

What shocks do you have on? You usually need long shocks to get the shaft close to the crossmember

Bilstein 7100s and daystar shackles.

[DamageWagon]

What shocks do you have on? You usually need long shocks to get the shaft close to the crossmember

Bilstein 7100s and daystar shackles.

Uh you or him baby?

[olyelr]

Ha, well i just read his signature and thats what it said. I was on my computer, which actually shows the sig unlike my phone (not really sure why that is).

[chrisjameswagner]

Latest in the saga. Dealer still has truck. Cannot get the front locker to engage. Can do it with their computer but cannot with the switch. saying the actuator is not getting power. They've checked fuses, etc. nothing. Supposedly having someone from Chrysler engineering getting involved.

[FordyceCreekTrail]

Isn't that normal though?

[chrisjameswagner]

Isn't that normal though?

Seems to be...
Pretty sad they don't know enough about their product to properly repair as mentioned by a few in this post. Guess cars and trucks are becoming far too complicated for the techs to know what to do outside of replace parts. I'm probably going to sell this rig and do my off-roading/exploring in my razor, far less complicated and far less expensive. Probably by a Ford and tow to the trail head and go from there as opposed to taking the PW all the way in.

[cb1987]

why is the driveshaft rubbing the skid plate ?

[cb1987]

Isn't that normal though?

Seems to be...
Pretty sad they don't know enough about their product to properly repair as mentioned by a few in this post. Guess cars and trucks are becoming far too complicated for the techs to know what to do outside of replace parts. I'm probably going to sell this rig and do my off-roading/exploring in my razor, far less complicated and far less expensive. Probably by a Ford and tow to the trail head and go from there as opposed to taking the PW all the way in.

best of luck. those new ford are a pile imo. 70grand and they have death wobble practically right out of the gate and nobody seems to know how to cure it

[Reloaderguy]

Isn't that normal though?

Seems to be...
Pretty sad they don't know enough about their product to properly repair as mentioned by a few in this post. Guess cars and trucks are becoming far too complicated for the techs to know what to do outside of replace parts. I'm probably going to sell this rig and do my off-roading/exploring in my razor, far less complicated and far less expensive. Probably by a Ford and tow to the trail head and go from there as opposed to taking the PW all the way in.

I don't blame you. I doubt I'll ever buy another Ram as much as I like my truck. I don't think Ford will treat you better but Ford didn't fuck you over on your PW warranty.

[chrisjameswagner]

Reloader,

Ya, love my truck and what it can do but damn it breaks down with big things and if they cant fix and the costs become prohibitive its just gotta go.
If the Ford wont break down as much then all's good but that's a crap shoot too! The Ford certainly wouldn't see the duty the PW has.