Trac-Lok/Tire Wear Issues?

[Sonic04GT]

I had gears installed back in december and today when I went to get my oil changed at Ford, they did the multipoint inspection.

All tires were green on treadwear except my right rear, which was in the yellow. Is this normal at all or do you guys think my Trac-Lok was not put back together correctly and most of the power is going to the right rear wheel? Any way to test this theory without burning out to see if both tires are spinning normally?

Excuse me if these are retarded questions. I'm no mechanic.

 

[Dustys'99]

There are no retarded questions just retarded answers. Did you ask to have the trac'lok rebuilt when you were having the gears done? If not then there is no reason why it should have been apart if they were just doing gears. It is possible that the trac'lok is worn out and breaking loose when you get on the loud pedal. For the price it would have been a good idea to have the trac'lok rebuilt when the diff was out. One way you can test to see if you trac'lok is TOAST is to jack the rear of the car up so both tires are off the ground and spin one tire the other tire should spin the same way. If it spins the other way you either have an open diff or in your case a trac'lok that is worn out. It just may be weak and not happen all the time.

 

[40oz]

A dealer tech can test the LSD pretty easily to see if it is within spec. Mine was making noise when it got hot and acting like it was locked up after an hour or two of highway driving. Rather than rebuild it I had them change the fluid to see if that helped, and it pretty much cured the issue. I'm not saying it shouldn't have been rebuilt, just the fluid is important to how it functions, and when it gets hot and breaks down, it won't work properly. I'll get it rebuilt in a year or so, but fluid changes are part of regular maintenance.

 

[Tanus]

Im sure the posi was rebuilt when they did the R & P swap, but they might have forgot to shim the clutch packs or used to small of a shim.

to test, just hammer it, if it gets sidways the posi is working, if it spins but stays in a straight line posi is bad/improperly installed

 

[Sonic04GT]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't request to have it rebuilt. I think all he used from the kit was the new pinion bearing...

 

[Sonic04GT]

A dealer tech can test the LSD pretty easily to see if it is within spec. Mine was making noise when it got hot and acting like it was locked up after an hour or two of highway driving. Rather than rebuild it I had them change the fluid to see if that helped, and it pretty much cured the issue. I'm not saying it shouldn't have been rebuilt, just the fluid is important to how it functions, and when it gets hot and breaks down, it won't work properly. I'll get it rebuilt in a year or so, but fluid changes are part of regular maintenance.

What did that cost? We put Royal Purple in when he did the swap.

 

[Sonic04GT]

There are no retarded questions just retarded answers. Did you ask to have the trac'lok rebuilt when you were having the gears done? If not then there is no reason why it should have been apart if they were just doing gears. It is possible that the trac'lok is worn out and breaking loose when you get on the loud pedal. For the price it would have been a good idea to have the trac'lok rebuilt when the diff was out. One way you can test to see if you trac'lok is TOAST is to jack the rear of the car up so both tires are off the ground and spin one tire the other tire should spin the same way. If it spins the other way you either have an open diff or in your case a trac'lok that is worn out. It just may be weak and not happen all the time.

What is a good jacking point to lift the rear end with one floorjack?
Or would it be easier to just use the rearmost points on my subframes, jack it up, place a jackstand, and move the floorjack to the other side?

Went out today and did a couple burnouts. From in the car I felt the rear end slide out a little bit, but it was also wet outside.

I had my friend watch from the rear and he said some smoke came off the left tire but not really the right. If the left tire smoked a little then it should be good right?

 

[40oz]

What did that cost? We put Royal Purple in when he did the swap.

Sorry, I don't recall. I was having the brakes done at the same time, so I don't know what it costs by itself.

Since your issue is potentially the LSD not holding, and since you already had the fluid changed, it's likely the clutch packs are worn out. On the other hand, it's possible the fluid you put in doesn't work as well as the factory stuff. I'd change the fluid back to the factory mix before rebuilding the diff. At worst you waste $50 on fluid. At best, it fixes your problem and saves you from paying to rebuild it for a few years. I was quoted $700 for that at my dealer, mostly in labor. Hence why I just changed the fluid

 

[Dustys'99]

I always jack from under the rear pumpkin, some say that's a big no-no, but whatever. If you can do the rebuild yourself it will only cost around $100 to $150 bucks depending on parts costs. Good luck.

 

[Sonic04GT]

See post #7. Sound like an issue?

Anything else that would caust the right rear to have slightly less tread than the left rear?

 

[Tanus]

I always jack from under the rear pumpkin, some say that's a big no-no, but whatever.

never heard that before, jacked mine from there like a thousand times