68whiskey
New member
After a little over a week, I got my runner back from the dealership. $1,537.14 when it was all said and done. They kept all the parts like I asked, and when I picked the truck up they took me into the shop to explain what had happened and what they did. I was a little too irritated to retain everything he was saying, but I appreciated the fact that the service writer and mechanic made sure I was happy with what they did and were there to answer any questions I had. I know this is what they're supposed to do, but I feel as though dealerships rarely take customer service seriously anymore.
So, heres a picture of the breakdown of the parts they used and some picts of the axle and bearing/case. They ended up using an aftermarket drum. They could have ordered an OEM one and kept the truck another day, but I didn't want to wait any longer. Everything else, of course, was OEM. Interestingly enough, this repair actually solved another issue I was having. Prior to having the dealership do the work, the truck used to go into drive from either reverse or park rather rough. It always wanted to lurch forward unless you were holding the brake with as much pressure as you could. Even so, it often went into drive with a clunk. This issue is completely gone. You can actually drop it into drive while coasting backwards if you want (did it once to see) and it engages smoothly with no noise or jerking motion. I don't know what the issue could have been but its been remedied. I was always baffled at how smoothly the transmission shifted while driving and couldn't figure out why the initial shift into drive was so rough. I can only speculate that it had something to do with the brakes not grabbing like they should after being soaked in diff fluid or the axle not seated properly. I have no idea.
I dont know what the cuts in the axle could have contributed to the problem, they were not in the area I had imagined when talking to the service writer on the phone. The retainers, however, were ground down too far and unevenly. I may be wrong, but I believe he said that there was an issue with the way the bearing was installed, as if it were backwards or something. Im just blown away at how badly the original independent mechanic had screwed up. At any rate, its finally done. The truck actually drives/stops better than it did prior to the repair which makes sense. I did not want to spend the amount of money that I did. But the third leak prompted me to let the dealership do their thing and take care of it, and they did.
So, heres a picture of the breakdown of the parts they used and some picts of the axle and bearing/case. They ended up using an aftermarket drum. They could have ordered an OEM one and kept the truck another day, but I didn't want to wait any longer. Everything else, of course, was OEM. Interestingly enough, this repair actually solved another issue I was having. Prior to having the dealership do the work, the truck used to go into drive from either reverse or park rather rough. It always wanted to lurch forward unless you were holding the brake with as much pressure as you could. Even so, it often went into drive with a clunk. This issue is completely gone. You can actually drop it into drive while coasting backwards if you want (did it once to see) and it engages smoothly with no noise or jerking motion. I don't know what the issue could have been but its been remedied. I was always baffled at how smoothly the transmission shifted while driving and couldn't figure out why the initial shift into drive was so rough. I can only speculate that it had something to do with the brakes not grabbing like they should after being soaked in diff fluid or the axle not seated properly. I have no idea.
I dont know what the cuts in the axle could have contributed to the problem, they were not in the area I had imagined when talking to the service writer on the phone. The retainers, however, were ground down too far and unevenly. I may be wrong, but I believe he said that there was an issue with the way the bearing was installed, as if it were backwards or something. Im just blown away at how badly the original independent mechanic had screwed up. At any rate, its finally done. The truck actually drives/stops better than it did prior to the repair which makes sense. I did not want to spend the amount of money that I did. But the third leak prompted me to let the dealership do their thing and take care of it, and they did.
