Truck in sig...

is the front diff supposed to be solid?

When I put it in 4wd and turn, the truck basically drags the outside tire... rather it flexes and then slips, flexes then slips... it makes for very bumpy sharp turns in 4wd

however, my rear end is open diff...

Is this normal and is there any way to put some sort of good limited slip in the rear to allow me to have true 4 wheel drive rather than 3 wheel drive in the winter?

 

Perfectly normal.

You can get factory limited slip (huge $$$ though) or Detroit Locker, or selectable locker such as ARB.


Take your truck to a Dodge Dealer and have them run a buildsheet off your VIN,
you might already have factory LS, but it might be worn out.

Mine doesn't have LS even though I "assumed" all 4x4's came with it stock.
It was an option that wasn't included on my off the lot truck.


phox

 

I still don't know why they didn't put the LSD on all 4x4's stock. That's just plain stupid.

 

its a 3x4... =(

I may just have to do that, I did it with my impala, really came in handy

 

Actually, the front differential is a normal differential. It's not "solid" as you described. However, the slipping you describe in turns comes from the fact that the front and rear differntials are locked together.

 

so in theory... I could get stuck in the snow because only 2 of my four wheels are driving me, even though they are one on the front one on the rear?

 

No theory about it.

I got stuck in mud just like that.

Left it idleing in drive, hopped out, walked around and saw one tire on each axle just spinning away, the other just sitting there not moving a bit.


phox

 

well isnt that a bunch of garbage

Wow my truck is now half as awesome as it was before... I thought three wheel drive was stupid... 2 wheel drive is worse.

 

I know my first truck, a 1974 Ford F250 didn't have that disease.

My 2nd truck, a 1988 Toyota didn't either.

My 1996 Toyota did have that disease however, but it was light enough that it didn't get stuck much.

I'm thinking back in the old days, 4x4 meant more than it does now, and the trucks must have had limited slip, or "positraction" standard.


phox

 

I had a 61 CJ5 that had a power loc in the rear and the front was welded up. It worked great off road which was all the rig was for but I wouldn't sugest it for one of our trucks.
CJ

 

its still better than a 2 wheel drive truck,witch in theory is a 1 wheel drive and you have a cummins........ .....

 

This is true... I just think the cummins deserves a better platform... even the engine itself has problems... I mean lets face it, with all the front end issues, kdp, lift pump and so on

it just seems that someone dropped the ball on this one... dont get me wrong, its a great truck... it just seems that all the major flaws hit me all at once...

I've been looking into a new F350 since my truck started messing up on me... I dont hear any problems with their track bars, lift pumps... their front brakes dont get 15,000 miles vs the rears getting 150,000 their trannys arent as weak as ours I mean the list just goes on and on

If it werent for the kdp and lp issues the cummins would be bulletproof... the rest of the truck just isnt

 

I get about 30K out of my front brakes running 35's and lots of stop and go driving and "panic" stops. My rears are about halfway gone at 70K. I fixed my LP issue hopefully permanently (I say that while knocking on wood). As for the trannies, well, we won't go there.

 

Hopefully I'll be going there in the spring.

Perfect world, I'll also have enough $$$ left to take care of the 2 wheel drive thing as well.
(Detroit in back, ARB in front)


phox

 

Now a little positive talk...I think everyone is giving the Limited Slip on these trucks a bad rap. They work, if you have the right oil, clean oil, and the right amount of friction modifier. Mine works great and I get a lot of wood in snow pulling a heavy trailer. With only AT tires, I havent got stuck. Everyone thinks 4x4 mean "I can drive anywhere and over everything". You do have 4x4 not 2x4 or 3x4, ect. Your tires ARE getting power to all of them at the same time. Your open differential is just doing its job. If you have LS and it wont work then get it fixed or if under warranty have the dealer fix it. LS differentials arent direct posi units. They LIMIT slip. (funny how the name is the same, hu?)
They work on applied torque. The more torque to the ground the better they grip. Light power and very loose slippery ground will get you less or no traction and a spinning tire. And to add to that the quickest way to burn up a LS rearend is to let one tire spin or run two different size tires on the same axle. Run a smaller or bigger spare on a LS and you will have converted your LS into an open differential in about 10 miles. The reason OEM supplies us with LS diffs is because Lockers are dangerous and spools are illegal. How many have found the back of their trucks moving around on icey roads? The chances of that happening with an open diff is slim. Try to run a LS in the rear and front on icey roads and plan on going nowhere, except the ditch. Some types of traction aiding differentials are better suited for other applications than others. If your want the best of both worlds then get an Air Locker so you can turn it on or off when you need it. Limited Slip differentials dont suck, people who dont know how to treat or drive with one do.

As for the reason your truck hops around in 4x4 (called crabbing) is because the front and rear tires are trying to spin at the same rpm. Thats fine for going straight but when you turn the front and rear tires are spinnng at different speeds. The slower you go the move aggresive it gets. Hope this helps.