[87xjs]

Hi. New member, old truck, 2000 Access Cab 4X4. I went to pull my boat out today, and discovered the hard way that my front wheels weren't pulling. The tranfer case indicator lights are working, the fuse is good, low range works to the rears, but nothing to the front, Hi or Lo.

About 2 weeks ago I had a major front end problem, the drivers side lower ball joint broke when driving, thankfully in a parking lot at about 5 mph. That pushed the drivers front wheel back up into the fender. I had both lower joints replaced, now I'm wondering if I did something to the driveline when the ball joint let go?

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Bill

 

[The Ninjalectual]

Look underneath the truck and follow the power lines from the front driveshaft to the differential then out through the CV axles to the wheels. Is everything attached correctly? Are there any parts hanging halfway loose, or does anything look asymmetrical?

 

[87xjs]

Everthing is where it should be...I just checked to see if the front driveshaft was engaging. It is, so my guess would be that there is something in the diff not working. Hmmm...sounds like much more dollars. So much for the new boat.

Bill

 

[mytundrarocks]

New diff shouldn't be much money, and even cheaper from the bone yard.

 

[MAC-1]

can you hear the solenoids click in

 

[FUNGUS]

Simple... follow these steps.

put truck in 4x4 and park it on a level surface
set parking brake and shut engine off
crawl under and try to spin front drive shaft
if drive shaft spins, transfer case is not locked correctly, look there first
if drive shaft doesnt spin, problem is in actuator (most likely culprit) on back side of front diff..

One thing to remember in these trucks, as any truck that is 4x4 equipped is to routinely shift into and out of 4x4. My manual stated something like 10 miles a month. These threads pop up from time to time especially when the bad weather starts coming in and people are using 4x4 sometimes for the first time... ever....

If you dont use the system, it wont lubricate properly and the engagement fork in the front end doenst get lubricated if it doesnt get used. So once a month, pick a dirt road or a gravel driveway or something and drive around for 10 miles or so and these issues will never come up.

My bet is on the actuator. That is exactly what happened in my 93 runner....

 

[87xjs]

Done the crawl under thing already..front driveshaft is locked, doesnt spin. So, transfer case is doing its thing. I do use 4 wheel drive frequently, year round. I'm always off in the mud for work, or hauling boats in and out. I last had in 4 X 4 mode about a month ago.

OK, what you are calling the acuator, my Haynes manual call an ADD actuator? Must be. I'll check the vacuum and electrical connections to it tomorrow, see what happens. Can it be pulled off for inspection without dropping the diff? If it can be (Haynes really doesn't have much to say about it), is it a simple matter of getting things moving again inside of it?

Who knows, maybe when the guys did the ball joints, they unplugged something, and didn't plug it back in. That would be a good thing.

One more question..I've never really noticed, but does the front diff work like the back..power goes to either wheel, depending on which one is slipping? The manual says 'the ADD sends power flow through the left axleshaft when 4wd mode is selected'. This to me means that only the front left gets power in 4wd.

Thanks agian
Bill

 

[t-rexn8]

Sounds like the front diff actuator. Make sure it's plugged in. Also make sure the vent is not broken off. If the little vent nipple breaks off during service or otherwise water will enter the actuator and shortly after it will NOT work anymore. Some peeps have cleaned them which I plan to do with my old unit but the part was updated and I just replaced it with the newest part number.

 

[87xjs]

Found the problem today. Jacked up the front left, and spun the wheel. I could hear something clicking, so I put my hand on the driveaxle, and could feel the click. Pulled on the driveaxle, and guess what, the inside CV joint is in pieces. Good reason for no 4 X 4.

Then I went and checked out the new ball joints, since I felt a bit of play in the tire when I was spinning it. Turns out that I have over an inch of side to side play in the steering. It looks like the wrong ball joints were installed, and the tapered tie rod ends are loose in the ball joints.

Needless to say, I am more than a little pissed. I just wrote the shop's (well known chain, prides itself on reputation) head office a very long e-mail. Lets see...wrong or incorrectly installed parts, overcharged for parts, they missed the broken CV joint, and left me with a truck that is not fit to be on the road. Oh yeah, they did an alignment too...how the hell can you do an alignment on something with an inch of play????

I was in the same shop on Sat, to get an alignment on my old Jag. The kid put it on the rack, and tried to set it, without checking to see if anything was loose, worn, whatever. He was baffled when it wouldn't hold the toe setting. Turns out the rack mounting bushings are worn, and the whole rack and pinion is moving. One of the older guys spotted that.

I'll let you know how things turn out. I'm sure the shop won't want this sort of sh** to hit the local papers, or for that matter, the web. If I bring in the Ministry of Transport, things will get really ugly for them.

Bill

 

[2003bajatundra4x4ac]

screw 'em like they did you.....

 

[87xjs]

I'm going to try..first off is reimbursment of everything I paid...then cost of truck rental...then anything else I can think of. I am really [email protected]#$% off about this. The stupid SOB's could have killed me. Hmmm...mental anguish. That's gotta be worth something. If they don't wnat to dance, lets see how they take write ups in the papers, along with the Ministry of Transport doing their own investigation. And this isn't a local chain...its Canada wide.

Like you said...screw 'em

Bill

 

[87xjs]

Update. Got to the bottom of the problem. First of all, not the shops fault, sorta. Had it in on the hoist, no play in the wheels...wtf? Dropped the truck onto stands, now got play back. Seems the ball joints were drilled/machined wrong for the taper fit of the tie rod ends. When weight on the wheels, no play, when wheels hanging in air, no play. Had to load the suspension to find it.

To make a long story short...shop replaced both defective ball joints. Replaced complete driveaxle (it may have been hanging by a thread when first checked, and I snapped the CV joint when pulling the boat). I asked them to check back brakes...no parking brake on drivers side. New shoes, drums, parking brake fixed at no cost. Got a portion of the rental truck paid. I'm a happy camper, and after seeing what was going on with the steering, really can't blame the shop.

That said...have to say, really liked the rental. Now don't throw rocks at me. 2011 Dodge 2500 Quad Cab, shortbox 4 X 4, with the 5.7 Hemi. Brand new, had 110 km on it when I got it. Nice truck, bit too big for my liking, but really nice. Never got to take it off road, but handles nice around the city. Horrendous gas mileage, even being lite on the pedal.

Bill

 

[FUNGUS]

Glad youre getting it fixed. I hear what you are saying about the dodge's. Their interior is much nicer than ours (if you ask me. ) I like their uconnect system and the in floor cooler/storage things. If the 2012 Tundra came with the bedside toolboxes I would be all over it.

 

[87xjs]

Yeah, but have you priced these things? I found the window sticker...$48,600. Really nice interior, nice ride, all the bells and whistles. But, I use my Tundra for work. Had it loaded with over 1,000 pounds, in mud past the door sills, just kept going. Truck is totally stock!! Yeah, its rough, paint is scratched and gone in places, dents galore, rear whell arches are rotted out. I wouldn't do that to a near 50 thou truck. Gotta say, I love that new car smell though.

Bill

 

[87xjs]

One more thing...the gas mileage sucks!!! I'm getting about 13 mpg, combined city/highway, more highway than city.