Wow Mike, you did a good job. That diff is made out of some pretty stout stuff so to put a crack in it like that took some doing.
On the "bright" side, at least it's the front diff ($) and not the transfer case ($$$). Good luck getting your girl back together and let us know if we can help in any way.
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong, it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair."
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Wow, wouldnt have thought it was the diff. Guess we will all know for next time if it happens again. I thought for sure it was the t-case. Glad to know even with the chain drive they are apparently stronger then the diff. Would have thought cv's would be snapping before the diff did though.
If I knew it was the front diff instead of t-case we could have easily gotten you home in rear wheel drive. Just leave the front shaft disconnected and pull the front flanges for the cv's. Swap on some manual hubs if we had to.
--Dave
Mike, how was your fluid in your front diff? Enough lube? Maybe old lube?
Bart
Mike, while you have the front end out for repairs it would be a good time to have your front diff brackets modified to drop your diff a bit to relieve the angles on your cv's. Also from the damage to the case I would be willing to bet that there may have been a pre-existing problem in there...as Bart was referencing to earlier, maybe that crack was there and you had been running with it dry or near dry.
Billy Oliver
15xIronman
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Either that or his diff was seeping at the axle seal (like mine has been doing for the last 3 years) and he ran the front fluid low....that's what I would think. I just can't see how this would happen without breaking the CVs first. The gears must have been binding due to low/old lube in the diff.
Bart
That's still a major bummer Mike, but I'm glad to hear it was less money in repair bills than was previously thought...better the front diff than the transfer case! I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible from here on out!
SLC is my next stop! I'll probably leave CO Springs very early Saturday morning, since independence pass is supposed to reopen Friday, and I wanted to see it this time, instead of going through Denver again...so I guess I kind of have a plan, lol. ...I'll be in touch.