To make a long story short……

I purchased a 16 SCREW lariat new in Feb 2016. Soon after, I noticed a humming/buzzing/grinding type of noise from the front. Performed lots of troubleshooting, and determined it was in the differential.

In January 2020 with 29k miles I had a dealership replace the pinion bearings as the failed items. Then, soon after, I AGAIN started hearing the same noises.

Today the truck has 33k and i am trying to figure this all out before the 5/60 warranty expires. So, tonight i removed the front driveshaft to inspect and found that the pinion flange has some play in it. I need to use a dial indicator, but i can move the shaft in/out of the diff case probably .001-.002”. Im fairly certain that is not acceptable. I assume it was assembled with incorrect preload on the bearings? I have not yet checked the oil for any metal but i imagine it will have some again.

I took the truck for a test drive with the front driveshaft removed and also applied 21” vacuum to the IWEs with a hand pump so the front differential was completely isolated…. wouldn’t you know it, there was NO NOISE!!! Half way through, i hooked the IWEs to the normal vacuum supply and drove a little in 4A, still had no noise.

So, my question here is how safe is it to drive the truck for a few days without the front driveshaft as long as i stay in 2wd so the IWEs don’t try to engage the static axles? I assume it will be just fine, but has anyone else done this?

I now live in a remote island town in Alaska, so i need to figure out how to get it repaired under warranty. Ill probably have to use a local independent shop and submit for reimbursement through Ford but i definitely want this on Fords record.

 

Good troubleshooting, sounds like you found the problem. No, it won't hurt a thing driving around with the front driveshaft off.

 

Thanks, that is kind of what I figured, but thought I would ask anyhow. This issue has been driving me crazy and i would like to get it fixed once and for all. Now i need to figure out the logistics of getting it to the dealer in Seattle for repairs....... i would do it myself but I would like the work warrantied, just in case it is due to an issue with the casing itself (which other posts have suggested)...... OR.... if i can convince the dealer to warranty the whole assembly, since it was already "fixed" once.

 

Living on an island has advantages, and, drawbacks. I'm familiar with living in BFE.
How far away is Seattle?

 

It will be fine. We drove our Taco without a rear driveshaft for several days while getting new U-Joints installed on the shaft. Toyota stiffed me on the cost of the repair because it wasn’t done at the dealer, even tho the recall was after I did the repair.

 

Its about 700 miles by a birds flight. Unfortunately, the only way in our our of here is by boat or plane, which essentially equates to $$$$.

I was able to measure the "thrust" of the pinion tonight, about .22-.24 mm, so about .008"-.009"
Also took an oil sample using a vampire pump, but it is hard to see if there its anything in it. I will let it settle overnight and see in the am.

I talked to the Ford dealer who did the repairs in January and I need to go through Ford customer service to see what they will cover. Of course, the system is down so I am waiting on a call back.

If I ship the part to Seattle, it will be about $175 in freight each way to use the barge service (just to send the diff and axle tube assembly).... would be nice if Ford covers it at least one way! Total "down" time this way is roughly 3-4 weeks. The dealer's concern is if I remove and install the diff..... he wasn't sure if Ford would cover it, so I need to go through them first I guess.

Crappy thing is that I have a few options:
1: Pay local independent shop (prior Ford techs before the dealership closed). Submit to ford for reimbursement (4-6 weeks). Ford will NOT update this on oasis, as it would not be a certified Ford shop.... yes, its BS i know. BUT..... down time would only be 2-3 days.

2: Send diff assembly to Seattle and potentially pay nothing, or pay only freight (~$400 round trip). This puts the truck down for 3-4 weeks, but documents in oasis so future incidents are covered. (i am concerned that the casing may be the issue, since this is not the first failure. Others on the forum have had this issue). OR.... I send it to Seattle, and they come up with some BS reason as to why it isn't covered.... this is the scary part!

3: Fix it myself. This would cost ~400 in parts (Not OEM) and have the least down time..... however ZERO warranty, and not documented in oasis. I am capable and have done this before, but is not my #1 option for this case mainly for warranty purposes.


I will know more once customer service calls me back. In the meantime, I don't like the fact that I am basically driving a 2wd truck, but I am enjoying the quiet ride!!

 

That's quite a trek to Seattle. Don't know which island you're on, but couldn't you use a closer dealer, if there is one?

 

The next closest is actually further, up in Anchorage. I guess that the price we pay to live here, I am on Ketchikan. Our dealership closed about 3 years ago. they were awesome to work with in the parts and service depts.