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  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-

Fox Rear End Troubles

  • Thread starter Thread starter RangerJoe
  • Start date Start date May 29, 2014

RangerJoe

I leave the horn on while driving
15 Year Member
Apr 26, 2010
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May 29, 2014
#1
  • May 29, 2014
  • #1
8.8 that is. Started to work yesterday and had a sudden noise appear. Kinda a clunkin or hitting noise, pulled over and couldn't see anything visible. Started back to the house and noticed it was speed dependent regarding the repetiveness of the noise. It appears to be coming from the rearend. I assume it's going to be the ring gear with broken teeth or a broken spider gear. Seeing as it's still driving, I'm leaning towards ring gear. Any guesses as to which goes first?

Rebuilt 31 spline limited slip with carbon fiber clutches BTW.

Joe
 

Bullitt347

I have been doing it wrong this whole time
15 Year Member
Mar 23, 2007
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May 29, 2014
#2
  • May 29, 2014
  • #2
I have seen the clutches cause a hell of a racket without the proper additive in the rear diff. I thought I had the same issue as you but when I pulled the rear cover and inspected the rear diff I could not find anything wrong. Filled with new gear oil and some 'fish oil" additive from Ford and the problem instantly went away.
 

RangerJoe

I leave the horn on while driving
15 Year Member
Apr 26, 2010
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May 29, 2014
#3
  • May 29, 2014
  • #3
This started all at once. Rears been together 1.5 years, and has additive. I would be grateful if that's all it ends up being.

Joe
 
Last edited: May 29, 2014

A5literMan

At least it is lumpy...
5 Year Member
Jul 30, 2011
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May 29, 2014
#4
  • May 29, 2014
  • #4
Have to admit the title "rearend trouble" brought a smile to the 12 year old still hiding in my head Hopefully it's just the fluid but when mine started making that noise it was the ring gear.
 

RangerJoe

I leave the horn on while driving
15 Year Member
Apr 26, 2010
2,560
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Georgia
May 29, 2014
#5
  • May 29, 2014
  • #5
Well, for all of you who cared, that makes two of you, it was a ring gear bolt. It backed out and was hitting the inside of the pumpkin, it finally fell out and got jammed between the ring gear and the carrier. I'm pretty lucky really. I am currently reapplying red locktite to all the bolts and re-torquing them. I need to source one bolt at them moment.

Joe
 

A5literMan

At least it is lumpy...
5 Year Member
Jul 30, 2011
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May 30, 2014
#6
  • May 30, 2014
  • #6
RangerJoe said:
Well, for all of you who cared, that makes two of you, it was a ring gear bolt. It backed out and was hitting the inside of the pumpkin, it finally fell out and got jammed between the ring gear and the carrier. I'm pretty lucky really. I am currently reapplying red locktite to all the bolts and re-torquing them. I need to source one bolt at them moment.

Joe
Click to expand...
Didn't break a tooth or anything? Wow you did get lucky! That could have been nasty. Glad you caught it in time
 

Bullitt347

I have been doing it wrong this whole time
15 Year Member
Mar 23, 2007
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Middle of Maine
May 30, 2014
#7
  • May 30, 2014
  • #7
Was it just the one bolt that was loose, or did you find others that were loose as well? If it was just the one bolt, then maybe it was inadvertently skipped during the torque sequence when installing the gears. I always run through the final torque sequence at least 2 times when doing ring/pinion jobs. I have never had ring gear bolts come loose. Count yourself lucky that this did not cost you a ring and pinion job or even a diff housing.
 

RangerJoe

I leave the horn on while driving
15 Year Member
Apr 26, 2010
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Georgia
May 30, 2014
#8
  • May 30, 2014
  • #8
Oh no, this was completely my fault. I've done two gear swaps in this car. The last time, 1.5 years ago, I put them back on with an impact, not a torque wrench. I was having trouble keeping the carrier locked down while torquing the bolts and didn't have a friend to help that go around. So I resorted to the impact.

Stupid me cutting corners. I am very lucky indeed. The teeth are clean. It made a mark on the front of the pinion and another on the limited slip housing where it jammed up between the ring gear and the housing.

Only me to blame on this one.

Joe
 

revhead347

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.
20+ Year Stangneter
Jun 14, 2004
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Acworth, GA
May 30, 2014
#9
  • May 30, 2014
  • #9
You got 61 views. Don't assume that because no one answered, no one cared. Not too many people had any advice to give, that's all.

Kurt
 

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to
15 Year Member
Jun 28, 2013
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May 30, 2014
#10
  • May 30, 2014
  • #10
I once had a ring gear bolt back out on a Chevy 12 bolt truck rear. That rear had a cast aluminum cover. The bolt got jammed against the cover just as I pulled out of my driveway. I heard a clunk but didn't realize the bolt had blown a hole in the cast al cover. I noticed that traffic behind me backed off but I didn't know why. Luckily my work place is only about 3 miles from my house. Later in the day a fellow worker said he saw oil dripping under my truck. That's when I discovered what actually happened. I too got lucky. I put a new bolt in, new cover, filled with oil and back on the road no problems. When I went home I noticed the oil streak on the road. Ahhhhh, that's what that loud clunk was, and that's why traffic backed off so much.
 

RangerJoe

I leave the horn on while driving
15 Year Member
Apr 26, 2010
2,560
1,146
184
Georgia
May 31, 2014
#11
  • May 31, 2014
  • #11
revhead347 said:
You got 61 views. Don't assume that because no one answered, no one cared. Not too many people had any advice to give, that's all.

Kurt
Click to expand...

My comment was just a result of my dry humor. I've posted a little over 1000 posts in 4 years, but I am on this site 2 or 3 times a day reading, everyday. I understand that most just read, as do I.

Joe
 
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