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[QUOTE=jprevat;5826415]White, I got under mine the other day and realized my crossmember had cracked and the shop that did the trans welded plate to it so I have to replace the cross member too if I want good alignment.
JP
Refer to post Thinking #4804 for my experience with cracked 4r70W 4wd cross member replacement.
DrillRig
I have experienced the same failure of the XL34-5059-DA cross members on two of our trucks the last 2 years. A 02 Scab 4WD 5.4L and 03 Scab 4WD 5.4L. The 02 was at 214k miles and the 03 at 195K miles. Both with 4r70W.
I have found F65A-5059-CG cross members in excellent shape at different local salvage yards that are a direct replacement. They have additional steel gussets that look like a mini skid plate at the horizontal to vertical transition juncture. The first F65A c member was found in the bone yard orphaned on the ground and the second was pulled off a 99 F150 with rear drum brakes. New transmission mounts were installed with the F65A c members.
I did learn the 4R100 cross members with not work as the frame mounting pattern is differnt
My observation is the 97/98 F150 4WDs with 4r70W have these F65A c members and maybe early 99s. Maybe AK, and White can confirm what's on their vehicles.
Took the Expy out tonight and did a little minor off-roading. I love the A4WD on it.... it just goes. The Coopers, while they are noisy, they are really decent off road and in acclimate weather. Took some pics while I was out.... although I didn't realize I had my phone/camera until I was back down from the off road excursion. I went up the road in the middle of the top picture, and followed it up for a bit.... it was starting to get dark, so I turned around and came back out.
Took the Expy out tonight and did a little minor off-roading. I love the A4WD on it.... it just goes. The Coopers, while they are noisy, they are really decent off road and in acclimate weather. Took some pics while I was out.... although I didn't realize I had my phone/camera until I was back down from the off road excursion. I went up the road in the middle of the top picture, and followed it up for a bit.... it was starting to get dark, so I turned around and came back out.
Cool pics, no mountains here, jealous...most you guys are just a stones throw away.
Damn, nothings more annoying than noisy coopers when your attempting to enjoy a ride in country.
This is about 5 miles from my house.... One day I really need to clock it, because a lot of people around here ask me when I tell them where I live. We saw so many deer tonight... only got a couple in a pic though. They took off as soon I got the camera out though.....
This isn't the canyon I hiked 2 weeks ago.... but I wouldn't mind getting up in there and exploring there too. Went on an 8 miler a couple weekends ago.
"Here's my step-by-step of how to do it with the diff still in the car. Sorry no pics.
It helps if you have a good manual but the instructions that come with the kit are pretty good. The part number is F5AZ-4947-BA. It lists for a little over $60 at Ford but Mean Mustang Supply has it cheaper if you can wait. Get about 3 quarts of 80w-90 gear oil. If you use synthetic you probably shouldn't use friction modifier. If you want absolute max trak-lok action and are willing to put up with some unsettling noises from the rear end, don't use any modifier at all. It just makes the clutches more slippery so they don't chatter. I chose to use it and I'm glad I did since this is my daily driver, autocrossed and dragraced for fun. Anyway, here goes.
1) Jack up the rear end and support with stands.
2) Loosen the diff cover bolts, removing all but the top two so you don't take a gear-oil bath
3) Pry the cover loose and drain the rear into a pan.
4) When threat of bathing is gone remove the top bolts and pull the cover off
5) Scrape/wipe out the bottom of the diff.
6) Now is a good time to soak the new clutch discs in friction modifier, the need to soak for 20 minutes at least. If not friction modifier, at least gear oil -- you don't want to put them in dry
7) The shaft going through the center of the diff is called the pinion shaft. It's got a lockbolt on one end. Undo the lockbolt and push the shaft out. You’ll only want to push it in a little bit so you can still rotate the assembly and pull it out toward you. There isn’t enough clearance to push it all the way through or to turn the assembly if you’ve tried.
8) Remove the wheels and brake drums, leave the other brake hardware alone. Push the axles inward, and you'll see the c-clips that hold them in place. Remove the clips and pull the axles out gently -- don't torque the bearings on the way out and don't let the axles hang, just remove them.
9) Get a grip on the s-spring and pull it out. You may need to punch it with a hammer to get it started, and keep a damn good grip on it when you remove it you don't want it zinging around.
10) The gears you see are the pinion gears and the side gears, called spider gears. Rotate things until the spider gears pop out, then pull the pinion gears out too. Inspect for damage.
11) Now you can simply slide the clutch packs out, use the tabs on the plates if necessary. Make sure you get them all out including the shims.
12) Reinstall the clutches and steels in the proper order, using a shim at least as thick as the ones you removed. You want to use the thickest shim you can while still being able to get the spider gears back in. Forget about using the set-up tool and all the special measurements, if you can get the spider gears back in you're all set. Note: Each clutch pack is made up of a series of Frictions and Steels and in the factory order they go F-S-S-F-S-S-F. However, if you re-use the best two of your old Frictions in place of one of the new Steels you can re-stack them in an order that makes the diff lock better, which is F-S-F-S-F-S-F, which is the same number of total elements. You may have to trial assemble it a couple times to get the right shim so it's just loose enough to get back together, barely.
13) To get the gears in, it helps to have a helper turn the now-temporarily-installed driver's side axle while you lock the passenger-side pinion gear in place. The spider gears will squeze into place. They are perfectly aligned when you can get the pinion shaft back in.
14) Re-install the s-spring. This can be a *****. Try holding it against its slot with a pair of channel-locks to get it squeezed down a bit while prying it in with a piece of 2X4 using the swaybar as a fulcrum. Alternately, do the same but whack it with a mallet. It should pop in. If it doesn't, try using a 1-1/2 inch hose clamp to squeeze the spring so you can insert it. Then cut the clamp and slide it out.
15) Re-install the axles by pushing them all the way in, installing the c-clips, and pulling the axles back out against the clips which are now recessed in the housing and locked in place.
16) Reinstall the pinion shaft and make damn sure you put it in the right way so the new lockbolt can be installed. And do not use the old lockbolt.
17) Use gasket maker on the diff housing and reinstall the cover.
18) efi85gt posted a terrific tip for filling the diff. Forget the fill plug. Let the rear end drop as low as you can and remove the little vent cap on the top of the right side axle tube. Clean the area around it carefully and you’ll be able to fill it through this hole with a fraction of the stinky mess you get when you use the “fill hole”. But you should still remove the fill hole bolt so you know when to stop filling, which is as soon as it starts to come out that hole. Wipe the tip of the bolt off, it's magnetic and the silvery paste is metal shavings.
19) Fill the housing until it comes out the fill hole and replace the plug."
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Last edited by OhioLariat; Jun 28, 2018 at 11:23 PM.
Again nice weather pictures. I'm getting jealous. We've had so much overcast so far this year. They are calling for warm and sunny starting Sunday. I hope.
The light winds can stop too. lol
After seeing what you guys are showing, I crawled under Red today (had to fix the damn shift linkage again. May need a different cable) and looked at the crossmember. It looked great. I popped under Blue and his looked like new. I'm guessing that the road conditioners used here, versus the upper Midwest, is the main difference. Some surface rust on Red and like new on Blue.
