That trail of oil can't be good...

[Tenuki]

Hey all,

So today I was trying to get up this snowy hill, had it in 4 low, center diff locked. It was really icy, somebody else had been up there and made a mess of it already. On the second try I got almost to the top, wheels spinning the whole way, and when I realized that I wasn't going to make it I let off and hit the brakes. As I did that, there was a loud pop from the front of the car. The engine was running fine, so I started slowly backing down the hill.

As I was backing, I could see a thin trail of oil in the snow. I hit the brakes and shut it off, fearing I had thrown a rock into my oil pan or something. One look at the oil and it was clear that it was gear oil, and when I looked underneath I could see that it was coming from BOTH sides of my front diff. The boots on the CV axle had been blown off, oil was going all over the place. There are no signs of visible damage. As I tried to get back down to the road, it was also clear that my front wheels weren't engaging while it was in 4wd.

Now for the million dollar question: What happened?

Any help is greatly appreciated. I've got to get this thing going again because it is my work vehicle, and without it, I can't work. Thats a bigger problem.

If it makes a difference, its a 2002.

Thanks guys!

Tenuki

 

[t4r4life]

that is odd.

 

[rideexileex]

perhaps photos will help showing where the oil is coming from

 

[KidVermicious]

If it's gear oil, it's coming from the diff, not the CV shafts. Are you sure you didn't just blow both boots and fling CV grease everywhere? That could get runny and drip like oil I suppose, and the pop sound you heard could have been one of the CV shafts letting go.

I think you need to get it up on jack stands and crawl under there and see what you see. Check your diff fluid level, you don't want to be driving around with a dry front diff.

 

[Tenuki]

Well this morning I took my Runner to a shop that was reccomended by a friend, since I never go to shops myself. He lifted the truck up and was pretty suprised himself to see what was going on. He climbed up inside, started it up and put it in 4wd. It clicked in just fine. When he put it in drive the back wheels were spinning, and the drive line to the front differential was spinning, but the wheels were still free. He told me it would be cheaper to find a used front diff than to rebuild that one. I told him to go ahead and get one and let me know when he had it.

When he put it down and tried to take it out of 4wd, it wouldn't go. He messes around with it for a minute and pretty soon it is grinding gears and screeching something awful. Sometimes it would let the gear transmission into Drive, but it wouldn't actually be in gear, it would just rev up. He managed to get it into gear in 4, and tried to act like it was good to go, but I knew better than that, so I got out of there. I don't want him every doing any work for me. So I then called a friend who refferred me to a different mechanic, who reffered me to a transmission shop. While I was trying to get to this shop, the transmission just stopped working completely. I could drive maybe 100 yds and it would pop out of gear and start the horrible grinding and screeching.

My buddy came and towed me to the transmission shop where they told me I needed an entire new transmission/t-case, on top of the front diff. He said that you couldn't replace just the t-case, which is where he thought the problem was. Is there any truth to this? Seem kind of strange that they would make it completely unservicable like that! If its true, i'm looking at $3500 plus to get this thing running again. I don't have that kind of money!

 

[t4r4life]

that is complete bull crap, make sure you are actually in 2hi on the transfercase shifter, you still didn't tell up where the oil is from, is it from the output side or the clamp seal? is the cv tore up? did it drive home fine in 2wd? any noise in 2wd? you are leaving out a lotta detail in order for us to help you.

 

[IBallEngineer]

that is complete bull crap, make sure you are actually in 2hi on the transfercase shifter, you still didn't tell up where the oil is from, is it from the output side or the clamp seal? is the cv tore up? did it drive home fine in 2wd? any noise in 2wd? you are leaving out a lotta detail in order for us to help you.

I HATE to hear stories like this, but at least you have an awesome resource here that can help you through it. [MENTION=47554]t4r4life[/MENTION] is right! Take and Post some pictures.

:couch2:

 

[Tenuki]

I'm working on getting it home right now and then I'll take some pictures. There's nothing to see on the t-case, everything looks fine from the outside.

I did drive it to the shop this morning in 2wd, nothing wrong at all, no vibrations, grinding or anything of the sort. Last night when I was trying to diagnose it on my own it shifted in and out of 4wd just fine, but while it was up on his lift everything went to crap.

The first mechanic thought that somehow the pressure built up inside the diff and went shoting out the sides. I don't know how that would happen. There is no oil coming from the differential itself, just where the CV's attach and the boots have popped off.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Sorry to hear about that man.

Better to just buy a wreck and swap the parts over. I wouldn't put new stuff in such an old truck.

Heck couldn't you just sell it as a 2WD?

 

[t4r4life]

I'm working on getting it home right now and then I'll take some pictures. There's nothing to see on the t-case, everything looks fine from the outside.

I did drive it to the shop this morning in 2wd, nothing wrong at all, no vibrations, grinding or anything of the sort. Last night when I was trying to diagnose it on my own it shifted in and out of 4wd just fine, but while it was up on his lift everything went to crap.

The first mechanic thought that somehow the pressure built up inside the diff and went shoting out the sides. I don't know how that would happen. There is no oil coming from the differential itself, just where the CV's attach and the boots have popped off.

if you front diff breather is plugged up oil will be coming out the sides, but not shooting out. i would pull your cv and check them.

 

[Tenuki]

Had to go out of town for work, just got back last night. Here are some pictures of one side. The other side looks identical.

I am hoping today to figure out what needs to be done to get this thing driving again, aside from the front diff. It is my belief that the transfer case is having some issues. When I put the truck in drive itstarts a grinding noise. If I put it back into neutral, then take the t-case selector and put it into neutral and then slam it hard back into 4hi, SOMETIMES it will go into drive, and then pop out and make some horrible grinding noises. Most of the time it just makes the horrible grinding noises. Getting this thing up onto the dolly to get it home was an adventure.

Now can I just go get a new t-case? For obvious reasons aside from the fact that I don't believe there is anything wrong with the transmission itself, I don't want to buy a new transmission like the previous shop was telling me I had to do. Is the t-case rebuildable? Is it something I could do myself, or need to be done by a shop who know what they are doing?

Thanks guys!

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[TheeMikeB]

Well clearly you have a boot clamp that went south and the CV boot popped off. That 'fluid' looks like old grease that got thrown all over when the wheels were spinning.

From the looks of this picture I wouldn't say it's a bad diff, I'd say you knocked your boots off lol. Strange they both popped off at the same time but I'm guessing you were spinning the $hit out of your wheels/tires on the icy roads and something went BANG. You could have possibly broken them with the excessive spinning, especially if you had the steering cranked in either direction. Are you sure you are not leaving out any details?

 

[541joseph]

When you lift the truck do the cv axels still spin at all points. I'd say you broke your cv joint and that dumb a mechanic didn't know what he was doing and messed up you tcase good luck.

 

[Tenuki]

No, It is far more than the boot simply popping off. When we lifted it on the lift the driveline to the front diff would turn, but neither of the tires would spin. We could spin both of the tires by hand. But thats just the diff. I'm in a whole other world of hurt with the transfer case as well.

 

[t4r4life]

im certainly sure the mechanic messed up your transfer case, because when you drive the truck, the front drive shafts are not actually turning in 2wd, the CVs are, but the front drive shaft only turns when you press 4wd and the booster kicks in the vacuum and activate the front diff actuator. make sure you get under there and get or any loose linkage, do you have a J shifter for the transfer or a 4wd push button?

 

[Tenuki]

No, It is far more than the boot simply popping off. When we lifted it on the lift the driveline to the front diff would turn, but neither of the tires would spin. We could spin both of the tires by hand. But thats just the diff. I'm in a whole other world of hurt with the transfer case as well.

 

[Tenuki]

Its a push button selector.

 

[BlackCat914]

If you broke a half shaft up front, your 4WD would be inop.

 

[rideexileex]

I think there is a lot of confusion here as to what is what... (captain obvious!)

If the boots popped from the CV's on both sides, obviously the grease from the CV's is going to spin and fly everywhere, which is that slimy goop crap, made worse by water and such from snow. Gear oil is only going to come from the flange on the left side of your last two photos, which is the inner dust shield for the CV / Front Diff. The front diff would be my least worry, because if truly broke, you would hear grinding from the diff, etc regardless of the transfer case.

Please take a video or something of the transfer case. Also, please tell us what mode the transfer case is in with these noises

 

[Tenuki]

Been a while since I had to have the whole front end of my $Runner rebuilt, haven't been around this site till recently when looking for another. Thought I'd post a picture of some of the aftermath. I ended up needing an entire new front differential and Center Differential, which put me out about $2500.

I believe this piece came from the out of the center diff. My mechanic thought that one of them probably seized/broke, causing a chain reaction to the other.