Hi all! I have reaped a lot of info on this forum, and thought I'd register to ask questions.
My Rainier is leaking bad from the LH side of the front diff because the bearings are toast causing the CV shaft to wobble as one moves it (RH side is fine).
I bought this vehicle 2 years ago, but noticed a problem one year ago when my wife and I travelled for over 6 hours. We had got off the interstate and pulled into a plaza and made a slow, sharp turn, along with a wobble/lunging (best description I can come up with). Immediately, I thought it might be the front diff. Now, a year later, we are at a local parking lot, and the same story, only this time there is dry metal grinding/scraping. The next day I checked the level only to find rusty "grease". I topped up with 75w90, and it is quiet and behaving (for now). I figure that the gears are shot, and the bearings are toast(perhaps the case is too). I have an 04 Rainier and was hoping to use the front diff from it but the problem is that it has 4.10 gears and the 06 has 3.73.
Reading on this forum, I thought that there should be a cause to the bearing wearing out, so I jacked up the front end and spun a wheel....which caused the opposite wheel to turn backwards. The front driveshaft wouldn't rotate, so I chocks on front and rear of the rears wheels, put my foot on the brake, put the tranny in neutral and slowly released the brakes. I tried to turn the front driveshaft again, but it won't. I jacked up the RF wheel of the 04 Rainier and it turned a full rotation freely.
Question 1: am I correct in concluding that the transfer case is locked in?
Question 2: do I have to pull the (dis)connect on the RH side of the oil pan, and the intermediate shaft, before pulling the diff?
My Rainier is leaking bad from the LH side of the front diff because the bearings are toast causing the CV shaft to wobble as one moves it (RH side is fine).
I bought this vehicle 2 years ago, but noticed a problem one year ago when my wife and I travelled for over 6 hours. We had got off the interstate and pulled into a plaza and made a slow, sharp turn, along with a wobble/lunging (best description I can come up with). Immediately, I thought it might be the front diff. Now, a year later, we are at a local parking lot, and the same story, only this time there is dry metal grinding/scraping. The next day I checked the level only to find rusty "grease". I topped up with 75w90, and it is quiet and behaving (for now). I figure that the gears are shot, and the bearings are toast(perhaps the case is too). I have an 04 Rainier and was hoping to use the front diff from it but the problem is that it has 4.10 gears and the 06 has 3.73.
Reading on this forum, I thought that there should be a cause to the bearing wearing out, so I jacked up the front end and spun a wheel....which caused the opposite wheel to turn backwards. The front driveshaft wouldn't rotate, so I chocks on front and rear of the rears wheels, put my foot on the brake, put the tranny in neutral and slowly released the brakes. I tried to turn the front driveshaft again, but it won't. I jacked up the RF wheel of the 04 Rainier and it turned a full rotation freely.
Question 1: am I correct in concluding that the transfer case is locked in?
Question 2: do I have to pull the (dis)connect on the RH side of the oil pan, and the intermediate shaft, before pulling the diff?