Well hello all.

My name is Mark, and I just bought my first pickup truck ever. Baptism by Fire, I suppose: This thing is a BEAST.

Anyway Ive got some driveline questions. First, when I lug the engine, I get this kind of metalic sound, maybe from the transmission or somewhere: kind of like whirling metal gears, similar when going downhill in a low gear. Is this anything to worry about? Should I change / check the fluid in the tranny or transfer case, which one to check first? Dont know crap about checking fluid in a manual trans or transfer case, but he did give me the THICK shop manual with the truck.

My front driver's side hub leaks a little, especially in 4wd. I checked the front differential, and fluid was trickling out, so there is still fluid in there. How big of a deal is this, how soon should I repair it, and how big of a job is it, if I am going to $$ pay someone. My mechanic says it could cost like 1500 to 2000 and i should have a transmission shop do it.

I checked the rear differential. The plug had about a 1/8 inch coating of goop on it which I realized is really metalic powder from the gears, and that the plug is a magnet. I am lead to believe that the rear differential is neglected, and or having a problem. I am thinking I should change the fluid tomorrow. All I need it 3 quarts of fluid, friction additive, and liquid gasket, right? What do you all recommend for cleaning off the inside of the diff and gears with while I have the cover off? Is it really bad to have metal goop on the plug?

Anyway, that is the big stuff, that I know of, except for the front fenders having some rot and needing to be replaced, getting an estimate on that. Rockers and doors are looking good at this point.

It came with 33x12.5 mud terrain tires on 16.5 wheels, that I want to change out, because they are loud, stick out about 2" beyond the fenders, are bald, and am told they will wear out the front end because they stick out and do not load the bearings properly. Anyone want to sell me some stock rims or similar?

Aside from the issues, it is a hoot to drive, and getting about 19mpg.

It has 170,000 miles and cost me 8,500

Mark

 

Without question the first thing I would do is change ALL the fluids, transmission, x-fer case, front and rear diffs. Make sure you get the correct oil for your transmission. Your front hub leak could be that your front diff is overfilled, the oil level should be 3/4" below the fill plug. Your mechanic is ripping you off big time, you could rebuild the whole front end for that money. Do you have a limited slip in the rear? If not then no additive is necessary. For more info, read the shop manual, it will tell you lots about your questions, including how to replace the front seal. For "cleaning" the gears and such, I just run the truck for a few thousand miles and change the fluid again. I had to do that for my transmission, it made a difference. If stock wheels are what you are looking for, check wheel shops, they could have a pile of them from upgrades.