2004 front diff destroyed

[bigoldchevytoo]

Well, not a happy day. Driving to work this morning, road is slippery so hit the 4x4 button. Doing about 80k and the front end locked up throwing me into a spin and arse first into the ditch.
I've only had the truck a couple of months, bought from a shop in Chelmsford who bought it at an auction. "Oil's changed, gas is full, she's ready to go"
Being a dumbarse trusting naive person, I thanked them and drove off. Front diff didn't have a drop of oil in it and now I'm screwed.
Roughly, anyone know what I'm looking at to have the diff replaced with used of a wreck?
Thanks,
G

[weo38]

I'm confused did you have the truck in 4WD while driving 80k or did you push the button while doing 80k? Because if I am correct the 4wd won't engage doing more than 30mph. I also think the front diff rotates all the time even when it's not 4wd. Not sure on the price of a new diff.

[bigoldchevytoo]

I'm assuming it was in 4x4 at the time. I put the thing in 4x five or ten minutes earlier but since this lemon of a truck blew the fuse for the dash lights (which includes the lights for 2hi,4hi,4lo) I can't say for sure if it was fully in. Based on the feel and handling, I'm pretty sure it was fully in 4x4 when it happened.
According to the manual, shifting the push button 4x4 between 2hi and 4hi can be done at any speed. Are you saying this is wrong?

[J-Ri]

It should go in at any speed. What seems weird is that something without oil usually won't sieze while moving. The metal melts, and the molten metal lubricates it. Once you stop, it welds together and then it won't go again.

Also, I wouldn't put it in 4x4 going that fast. Although it will/should go in, it will handle different, and if you need 4x4, the sudden difference could cause you to lose control.

If you do the job yourself, probably a couple hundred. Different salvage yards charge different prices. A few go by material/weight, but most go by the part

If you have it done at a shop, probably ~$500 more. It takes awhile to do it, so you can save a lot by doing it yourself.

Call to get actual prices.

[judgeman6970]

(IMO)i would use "autotrac" at highway speeds...but i wouldnt start pushing buttons from 2wd to 4wd at 80mph!!...personally, if conditions were that bad, i would SLOW DOWN first....maybe up to 40-50mph would be reasonable

[Sonny01]

80k is 50mph

[bigoldchevytoo]

When I put it in 4x4, I was doing about 55k (35mph - sorry, don't always remember that most of the people helping are in the US! thanks neighbors
When the front end stopped me, I was doing around 50mph.
I trust the diagnosis that the diff is done, mechanic is a pretty good friend of mine. I need this truck for my work so I don't have time to try to fix it myself, especially this close to the silly season.
I heard back from the owner of the garage my buddy works at, he says that a new diff from the salvage yard is running around $850 and has to come from some other part of the province. (we get screwed on lots of stuff for prices up here in Canada) Looks like I'm running about $250 in labor but it should be done quickly and I can get back to work.

Something else I got to thinking about over the weekend but haven't had time to ask the mechs about yet; if this thing stopped this hard (although luckily I was on icy road so it slid), would it be likely that there would be other damage? That must have been a helluva shock to the transfer case, no?

I'll keep you posted as to what happens.
G

[j cAT]

since you ended up in the ditch make sure the front end steering componets are not damaged those tie rods are weak.

[bigoldchevytoo]

Originally Posted by j cAT

since you ended up in the ditch make sure the front end steering componets are not damaged those tie rods are weak.

I doubt any damage was done due to going in the ditch. The truck spun backwards and went into deep snow fairly gently.

Just heard back from the mech this morning; he got the differential changed but now is having trouble getting the 4x4 to go in. He's going to try swapping the actuator from the diff he just took out and we'll see from there.
G