Okay, so I got my truck back from my mechanic today. He gave me some bad news.

First- I must flush my trans fluid once a month for the next three months. He said when he looked at it, it was black and very metallic looking. Probably explains the hard shifting problems that I blamed on coming from a honda 5-speed.

Second- My rear axle (I think he said axle shaft) has about 1/8"-1/4" ground off from rubbing against a bad bearing. He was in there replacing the seals and bearings when he discovered this.

Third- He stated there was no flex plate or flywheel, which ever it is... I do not understand why it wouldn't have one. The truck starts...

Fourth- He said there is a lot of rust under the bed, no the frame, just the bed.

My questions for you are:

-Should I go ahead and do an Explorer axle swap, if so, should I throw in a LSD?
OR
-Should I keep with the Ranger axle swap and throw in a LSD?

-Is there supposed to be a flex plate on my ranger?

-Should I go ahead and purchase the axle assembly of choice and get it ready for install when I have time?

-Where do I find out what my axle gear ratios are? Is there a tag on the axle or is it somewhere else?

I know there are some other topics in here, I'm trying not to over-post.

Thanks!

 

id get a second opinion.

you have a flex plate (so hes an idiot)

i VERY highly doubt your axle is work down, ive seen trucks with 300'000 that arent.

rust isnt an issue unless theres holes that you can find.

check your trans fluid. if its not black ($20 says its not) then it time for a new mechanic.

so as a recap, since you have a flex plate, and if your trans fluid isnt black and burnt smelling, get a new tech. This guy sound like hes trying to scam the hell outa you.

No flywheel... HAHA now ive heard it all. go in there asking how truck starts without a flex plate. id LOVE to hear his explanation.

 

I agree... get a second opinion!

I've definitely seen worn axle shafts from bearings though... they make repair bearings or aftermarket shafts to fix it though!

 

I'm going to check my trans fluid tomorrow morning. I trust him. He worked on my last two cars. He just took over the business after the previous owner passed away. They run a tight ship over there. I will get a second option though. In this economy, if you can't trust a mechanic, your screwed. Finding another honest mechanic is going to be a chore. He did say the bearing ate away at the axle, the previous owner did a brake job and took the axle off too, so that may explain that scenario. Thanks.

 

Well, 06ranger, You just lost $20.

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5 Speed manual has a flywheel , autos have a flex plate.
Two different things.
Look for the axle code on the sticker on the driver's side door jamb.
Find a mech who knows what he's talking about that isn't looking so close at the $$$.

 

well for a owner to pull a shaft, you gotta crack the diff cover, put the knotched pin and remove the C clips.

for your tech to say you dont have a flex plate, is just stupid. I wouldnt let him 10 feet near my truck.

as for that ATF, id do a complete flush. use your trans cooler and "pump" the system with new fluid.

also, normally a bearing is the thing to wear down, not the shaft. as most shafts should be hardend steel. all this is POSSIBLE, but you for sure have the flex plate.

 

OTR- I couldn't remember which one goes with which. Thanks.

06Ranger- He did crack the diff cover and he used new bolts. I have done a drain/fill this morning as per my techs instructions, and will do another one in 3-4 weeks. After the third month, I will do a complete flush, but I do not have a trans cooler. I am running a 5-speed. He also used an axle saver bearing to get me back on the road until I can find another axle.

Now all I'm waiting on is my tires and EGR tube come in.

Thanks for the help!!

 

What the hell is an "axle saver bearing" ?

 

It could be a "bearing saver" for all I know. He told me this over a phone when I had poor service. Either way, it's just a crutch until I can get a new axle.

 

The axle shafts are made of softer material than the bearing which is why they wear before the bearing... he'll be talking about an axle repair bearing.

The repair bearings are wider so they ride on a previously unused part of the shaft.

 

Hey if you have a 5 speed doesn't it use a 80 or 90 weight oil or grees. It would be black! not sure about newer trans but the older stick shifts use a lot thicker oil then trans fluid. And a axel is always harder then the bearing ,That way you replace the bearing which is cheaper. And when a bearing goes out the only thing i know to do is replace it or your axel may come sliding out. Could be wrong but thats my experiance with them. I would look for another machanic myself.

 

Nope, it uses ATF.

 

These ones use ATF, not gear oil.

Not so much... read this:

http://www.timken.com/en-us/products...rBearings.aspx

A worn bearing won't cause the axle to come out either.

I wouldn't be concerned with keeping the repair bearing in there... that's what they're for and I've sold probably 40 of them with no problems.

 

oh your stick. why dont you just empty it and refill it with something like royal purple?

talk to yukon. you can get a great set of axle shafts there.

 

I drained and filled yesterday with Valvoline DEX/MERC ATF max life. It seems to be shifting better for now.

Is yukon a user on here or a website???

 

Sound funny to me.
I stopped going to one mechanic because every time I went in and got one thing fixed sure enough another would go wrong, like he was f’g things up just to get more work.
(Lucky I had a friend that worked there and filled me in on his habit of replacing parts that didn’t need replacing).
If this mechanic thinks you do not know what is going on he MAY be stretching things to make money.

Did the rear axle make noise before you went in the shop ?
If not, sounds funny, if a bearing has gone bad and wore the axle off by an ⅛” that’s a lot and there would have been noise that you would have heard.

Saying the Flex plate or the Flywheel isn’t there, WTF he is no mechanic if he is saying something like that, again more money for him or was he talking about the clutch disc is worn out making it hard to shift ?
Also, if you are getting a clutch job, ask to see the replaced parts and make sure he replaces the throwout bearing/slave cylinder and that he checked the pilot bearing (IF we are talking a 5-sp which I think you said yes to).

I am going to ask this and in no way am I judging, so please do not take offense, do you do work on your truck or are you mechanically inclined to understand what he is throwing out at you ?
Again and I hope I am wrong, he may think he is going to make money on this job and not have to do any of the work.

Second opinion PLEASE !

Just thinking out loud here !

 

Scrambler: When I bought the truck 3 weeks ago, there was a lot of noise coming from the rear end of the truck. After taking it and putting it on a lift, I found one part of the problem; a piece of metal wrapped around the exhaust pipe post-cat was rattling. After that, there was a bit of noise coming from the rear.

Second: I am not getting a clutch job right now.

He mis-stated his "no flywheel" sentence, he was correcting me when I said "flex plate". It was like one of those things without proper punctuation. Annoying, but he corrected himself.

To your last remark. I have been working on my uncles cars, my grandfathers trucks, and other things since I was about 6 or 7. Hell, I learned to "drive" on a tractor before that. I have worked in 3 different shops in my area, so yes, I am very mechanically inclined, and I enjoy learning new things. I have utmost respect for anybody with ASE cert. Believe me, him and I sat down and started putting together a list of things to work on. I am hopefully getting a job at his shop soon. He has also done work on my other two cars and my grandmothers SUV. The only reason I let him do the work is that I don't have a truck lift. If I had that and about $5k worth of tools, I would totally do everything on my truck. I also support local businesses, so I will let him do some work on my truck.

 

GreaseMonkey0,
OK then you appear to be happy with him and that is the most important part of a good mechanic is having people trust them.

Also, please no offense on my last comment I was just trying to get an idea about you and I was out of line, shouldn’t have asked.
You have a lot of experience, that is good and you intend to get a job in the same shop so you must think a lot of this shop.
I was taken by an owner that I trusted or thought I trusted, then I found out he was having money trouble and money problems in a business can come up short on the customer's end.

Again, my apology if you were offended.
Grev


AND… do the Explorer Swap rather than replacing the worn out axe shaft.
The Expo Gear Ratio may be a lower than your Ranger, that will need to be changed and I think all Expos come with a L/S, at least all I have seem.
When looking for axle type and gear ratio look on the tag attached to the Housing Cover Bolt.


Good Luck with all of the work, a little at a time and get it done right.

 

Not offended, it was a honest answer to a good question.

 

thks, I tend to be very direct…

Luck with the truck work and the job possibility.

 

No problem! Thanks!

Also, I have hit up the usual used part places online (eBay, Craigslist, junkyard sites, etc), is there anywhere else to look online? I am going to be visiting my local junkyard in a few weeks, I just want to get an idea of what I'm looking for.

Thanks again for all the help!

 

I have trouble looking for things on line, I can find them but not as readily as say 99offroadrngr, he is a wiz at it; maybe he will chime in and tell you his secrets.
If you were up north there are a few JYs that have Expos, a little stripped but the rear ends are still there, some newer with disc, which is one thing you should add to the list when looking, “Get Expo Rear End with disc, 4.10s, and L/S. All Expos come with 31 spline axles so a good thing there.

I am not sure of the coding on the doors but the axle has the TAG so chk it out if you can.

 

i guarantee he said you are missing the flexplate/flywheel COVER or INSPECTION PLATE. while some mechanics seem to think this is a vital piece of metal it really is not. unless you go mudding. there really isnt any room for anything to get inthere and the flywheel will be spinning when running thus not allowing rocks or squirrels to get in. i would put one back on if you have it.

also if your bearing was cooked it could easily chew up the axle but it would have to wear though the race first. why did you not replace the axle then. now you still need an axle and will have to get another new wheel bearing.

always ask to see damaged and replaced parts.

 

Maybe you could use one of those manual pump thingys (good wording, huh?) to suck the rest of the oil out of your tranny. To keep on changing it is overburdensome.