98 lob limited front diff whine of death

[shoebee2]

So the child unit said there was a weird sound coming from her car and it was pulling badly to the left. Pulling all the time. I asked her how long its been going on and she says, "I duno, maybe a month". A month she says.

This is the lob limited that I recently (9 months ago)  rebuilt the engine in and should have done the trans/diff while I was at it. Turns out I am glad I didnt.

 

Long story short, I found the left front brake mostly seized up putting a constant drag on the left front rotor.   There's yr pull.

 

I yanked the caliper rotor pads etc. installed a rebuilt caliper and drove it.  Good news, she no longer pulls to the left and stops straight as an arrow.

 

Bad news the front diff/or perhaps its the trans, is whining like a 15 year old at a Bieber concert. Ahhh jeeeeze.

 

Fluids are at appropriate levels. Trans fluid is almost black, varnished. not good.

front diff fluid was mostly "ok looking". Some sparkles floating around but no chunks or pieces of bearings .

 

Both front axles rotate freely with no noticeable grinding noises or resistance in either direction of rotation. 

 

I refilled the trans with old fluid to test. Jacked all 4 wheels off the ground and supported it in a mostly safe manner.

 

Start er up, drop into drive and the right front, and both rears spin slightly. Left front just sits there, no movement or hesitation/jerking. If I give it some gas left front still motionless while other three spin with increasing speed as you would expect.

 

once the trans shifts into 3rd the front left finally engages and the whine/growl is very pronounced. increases as wheel speed increases.

Now I admit I know zero about transmissions and front diffs but it seems to me that the trans and the diff are toast.

 

Opinions? Is there something I have missed or understand incorrectly? Is there an easy(er) fix I have not thought of?

 

As luck has it I do happen to have a spare  series tz102z2cba trans sitting in the shed. (doesn't everybody?)

 

Thanks for any advice.

Edited August 24, 2016 by shoebee2

[Fairtax4me]

Not uncommon for one wheel to sit still. My guess would be the wheel bearing on that side. Locked up brake caliper probably cooked it. Even if there's no play these can make all kinds of racket. Pull the brakes and such off, pull the axle out of the hub and spin the hub by hand. 

 

That one had some very slight play, but it went from no noise to toast in about 5 miles. 

[shoebee2]

Good advice, Will do that in the morning.

So having a front caliper partially hung for a month is unlikely to destroy the front diff?

I'm just trying to wrap my head around It.

Edited August 25, 2016 by shoebee2

[shoebee2]

I first viewed your reply on my phone and the video did not show up.  I am looking at it now on the pc and holy crap.  That is exactly what the low whine/growl sounds like. Pulling the hub to replace bearing. I almost r & r'd the freaking trans for a wheel bearing. keeerist.

 

I owe you a beer

Not uncommon for one wheel to sit still. My guess would be the wheel bearing on that side. Locked up brake caliper probably cooked it. Even if there's no play these can make all kinds of racket. Pull the brakes and such off, pull the axle out of the hub and spin the hub by hand. 

 

That one had some very slight play, but it went from no noise to toast in about 5 miles. 

[Fairtax4me]

Yeah videos don't show up on my phone either.

Not impossible for there to be damage to the diff, but its unlikely. Might be some extra wear in there depending on how much gas pedal she was using, but probably not enough to cause a problem right now.

If the noise was coming from the diff you would hear it even with only one wheel turning. There's only one side gear in the diff that would not be moving when that wheel is stopped, and that wouldn't prevent the wheel from spinning.

Axle, wheel bearing, or brakes will prevent the wheel from spinning. Noise starts when that wheel starts moving, so the source will be limited to one of those three, and you already ruled one out. Could still be an axle problem, but you'll find out when you get the axle out.