Front diff upgrade help

[BMWBILO]

Originally Posted by Gnarvan

Thanks for the info and the very informative link. The article cleared up a bunch of things I didn't really understand.

Since my rig is a 92 I'm wondering which style kingpin I have. It would be nice if it was the earlier 88-91.5 knuckle version. Since the front end was done by Advanced 4-wheel Drive I guess it all depends on when they bought the parts.

Thanks also for clearing up the reverse rotation vs the reverse cut thing.

I'm feeling better about my chances of getting the Truetrac.

Gnarvan.
Are you sure you have a Dana 60? I had my van converted at Advanced
and requested a Dana 60. They installed a Dana 44. As far as where they
bought the parts I had a guy that used to work for them tell me that
Advanced bought used axles and supposedly rebuilt them to their specs.
Who knows what you got, it may not even be an axle that was designed
for a Ford. I'm sure one member here will jump to Advanceds' defense but
I'm just sharing how they dealt with me. Good luck. Steve.

[Gnarvan]

It's a Dana 60. No doubt about it. The shop guy crawled under it the other day to get numbers so he could order parts. I also contacted Advanced 4-Wheel systems a while back and they checked to build sheet. They also confirmed it was a Dana 60.

After I get the diffs done I'm going to take it to the spring shop to have the front spring packs rebuilt. The left spring with the clamp on it has some issues I need to address.

[Gnarvan]

Another update on the upgrade.

I got the van back from the shop a week ago Wednesday. During the breakin process I kept feeling a vibration I didn't like. I was getting a drone and coming off the gas at 65mph I was getting a noticable vibtation with a slight tinkeling sound. I drove it for 3 days then parked it and made an appointment to have the shop check out the vibration.

I got the van out of the shop this afternoon and things are much better. It seems someone in the past had replaced the rear U-joint and used an incorrect one. It was close but just a little bit off. The shop replaced the U-joint and balanced the drive shaft. I kind of kick myself for not requesting a driveline balance when I had it in the shop the first time. Oh well, it actually worked out cheaper since they gave me a good price on the balance because I had to bring it back with a problem.

The shop normally charges $95 for a driveline balance and I would recommend that anyone chasing a vibration problem have a balance done. It sure smoothed out the ride in Gnarvan.

I still have a slight tinkeling sound and a bit of a vibration when I back off the gas at higher rpms. I think it's the Borg Warner 1365 transfer case talking to me. My guess is the chain drive in the transfer case is a little sloppy and the noise is coming from there. Part of the noise issue is coming from the transfer case shift lever. If I put a firm grip on the transfer case shift lever when I let off the gas I can quiet the noise and feel the vibration. Im not real sure what that means for the reliability of my transfer case but it is a 20 year old one ton 4 wheel drive truck so I guess I can't expect it to sound like a brand new truck.

I hope to get a little 4 wheel drive action in this weekend and test out the Truetracs. I'll post another update after I get it sideways in the snow tomorrow.

[BIGVANS]

Hey there Gnarvan,
John at NWQV is right, you probably will not notice the things you are concerned about with the TrueTrac's. I had them in my last van and they worked great. I take the van out from time to time with some hard core Jeep guys so installing real “lockers” was a great upgrade. I have used E-lockers for years without any problems at all. I engage them all the time while I’m still moving (under 10 MPH - let up on the gas) but NEVER engage them with “wheel spin”. Wheel spin will damage the engagement pins inside. If you really need your axles locked up, you can see it ahead of time and flip the switch (Just my opinion). As for driveshafts, check these guys out. They are close to Advanced 4WD Systems in Utah.


http://www.4xshaft.com/