i was hoping someone can tell me how to fix or raplace the rear end in my 2000 f150. been hearing a grinding noise from the rear. noticed fluid around the back driver side tire so i took it off. when i pulled the tire off the axle came out a little. took the break off and i was able to pull the axle out. i havent takin the cover off the back to check the gears yet. should i bother with checking it or just replace the whole thing?

 

Does hurt to check obviously the clip that holds the shaft in is missing so Proly have some damage to the diff. Could come down to a new gear set and clips but if its damaged at all I would just replace everything to be on the safe side

 

any ideas where i might be able to buy new gears from?

 

Jegs.com has a pretty good deal right now, got my 4.10 ford racing gears for $150 and the master install kit w/timken bearings for $100. Summit.com, ebay, autoanything also has some good deals

 

What rear is this, 8.8?

I've seen the spider gears let go in these a lot and they're easy to replace in either the 9.75 or the 8.8 without goin through all the motions of a gear housing setup... But yeah the horseshoe retainer is gone and it maybe just that and the brake is grinding, or the spider gear let go and in turn the hosehoe as well cuz the spider holds it... Who knows till you open it up...

As long as you haven't driven the crap out of it the gear set may be fine because the metal can settle down low in the housing, it can also wreak havoc, I've seen both, Hell I've seen a ring gear bolt literally blow through a housing!

Open er up and check out it thoroughly... You may be in the clear and we can walk ya through if the gear set is fine

 

well i opened it up the gears dont look to bad no major chunks are takin out of the gears. they look a little shiny. the fluid was really really shiny. looks like the end of the shaft is broke off cause theres no way to put a clip in and it doesnt really look like the other side if it will help i can take some pics and post them on here so you all can see just what it looks like. im hoping i can just replace the axle new clip and get her back on the road. the spider gears flop around a little when you spin the axle then stop moving. not sure if thats just because the axle is messed up or if the gears are just shot. when you spin the drive shaft the two large gears move good all the spider gears dont really move. not really sure if its the 9.75 or the 8.8. really cant read the tags the best they're a little rusty.


sorry if its a little confusing thats the best i can describe what im seeing.

 

Ok, either way, 9.75 or 8.8 it has to be fixed the same...

If the gear set is in satisfactory condition...

Replace the outer axle seal cuz I think you said that was leaking

Remove the 10mm bolt from the carrier, this will allow you to slide the center pin out of the carrier... At this point don't spin anything or your spider gears will work themselves out (no biggie if they do, we can get em back in)

What removing the center pin does is allow you to push the new axle shaft all the way in till it bottoms out, then put your horseshoe on, pull the axle outward and reinstall center pin...

Be sure to clean everything up nice with brake cleaner and remove any loose broken metal...

Clean, reseal and fill...

 

well how does one know for sure if the gears are bad. never had a rear end apart not 100% sure what im looking at. how hard is it to replace the axle seal. and should i go ahead and do both sides or just the one that is leaking?

 

Well, all the surfaces should be smooth and consistent there will be obvious "shine" where the gears contact eachother... Other than that if there is no obvious damage run it...

If there is a big chunk or dings missing it would be questionable...

The axle seal you just pop it out and throw a little sealant on the new one and pop the new one in... Really easy

 

k thanks for your help ill get the parts as soon as i can and let you know how the replacement went