Stuck in wet grass - extremely disapointed with rear end

[Dustin58]

Im sure all dealers are differant but the cost of mine was 350.00 Good luck> keep us informed on what you change to and how it works

[short_stuff]

Eichhoma,
Ive got LS in my 2000, and it is useless. I've gotten stuck in my yard with a slight bump in the grass.
However, a trick I learned a few years ago (and has worked for me every time I think that I am stuck in a ditch or wet yard), is to shift the gear selector to 2 and slowly drive out in second gear.
What I've noticed is that first gear is so low that you can't help but spin the tires when you're trying to move. But, if you can slowly get the wheels moving forward in 2nd gear you won't slip, and you can easily get momentum and forward movement. The 4r100 transmission actually bypasses 1st gear and starts in 2nd gear when you select 2. I'd be surprised if your transmission didn't do the same. It's something to try, and it doesn't cost you a dime.

just my .02 cents worth

short_stuff

[eichhoma]

Originally Posted by short_stuff

Eichhoma,
Ive got LS in my 2000, and it is useless. I've gotten stuck in my yard with a slight bump in the grass.
However, a trick I learned a few years ago (and has worked for me every time I think that I am stuck in a ditch or wet yard), is to shift the gear selector to 2 and slowly drive out in second gear.
What I've noticed is that first gear is so low that you can't help but spin the tires when you're trying to move. But, if you can slowly get the wheels moving forward in 2nd gear you won't slip, and you can easily get momentum and forward movement. The 4r100 transmission actually bypasses 1st gear and starts in 2nd gear when you select 2. I'd be surprised if your transmission didn't do the same. It's something to try, and it doesn't cost you a dime.

just my .02 cents worth

short_stuff

Thats great infomation short stuff, thank you. I will have my dad try that in his as he is just as aggravated about his LS as well. He has a 2003.

I am going to pull the carrier next week and bring it to this shop and see what he wants to do to it. I will keep you all posted, thanks!!

[cut7]

My LS in my 2006 CC 4WD did the same thing. I had it in to the dealer about 6 times, they never could fix it. I finally replaced it with a Eaton Posi & it works great! It only barks when I get on it. Under normal driving conditions, you can't even tell it's there.

[da-bees]

Originally Posted by short_stuff

Eichhoma,
Ive got LS in my 2000, and it is useless. I've gotten stuck in my yard with a slight bump in the grass.
However, a trick I learned a few years ago (and has worked for me every time I think that I am stuck in a ditch or wet yard), is to shift the gear selector to 2 and slowly drive out in second gear.
What I've noticed is that first gear is so low that you can't help but spin the tires when you're trying to move. But, if you can slowly get the wheels moving forward in 2nd gear you won't slip, and you can easily get momentum and forward movement. The 4r100 transmission actually bypasses 1st gear and starts in 2nd gear when you select 2. I'd be surprised if your transmission didn't do the same. It's something to try, and it doesn't cost you a dime.

just my .02 cents worth

short_stuff

The way S S is doing it is the way to drive on anything slick such as wet grass and ice. 3 1/2 bills seems a little pricy for just bench work. Overall these front hubs are stuburn going in and out of 4wd. Put the truck in a situation that requires 4wd when you have you tractor or another way to get it out if this fails. Before you drive into the slick area,manualy turn the hubs to lock. If you are satisfied with how it pulls I would not spend the money on rear diff. , here's why , those rear diff components that wear and require adjustment or replacement accrue 90% of that wear while cornering in day to day driving. The front will last a long time if not run ecessivly on surfaces with good traction. The front does most of the pulling anyhow because of weight distibution between front & rear. As for the shift on the fly feature,if it is important to you,try several times to ingage & disingage. If it works,try to engage & disingage every 2 weeks or so to prevent it sticking. If shift on fly doesn't work,search arcives and faq on this and 4wd forums for troubleshooting,it is not complicated , usualy a vacum leak.

[fb427460]

i put in detroit tru trac diffs in my f250 100k miles ago and havent looked back since. its one of the only diffs you can use in the front without massive steering wheel tourqe when engauged. it gives true 4 wheel drive and has no clutch packs to wear out.

[johnny87]

Originally Posted by fb427460

i put in detroit tru trac diffs in my f250 100k miles ago and havent looked back since. its one of the only diffs you can use in the front without massive steering wheel tourqe when engauged. it gives true 4 wheel drive and has no clutch packs to wear out.

I was considering the same thing for my rear differential. I got a price of about $850 to 950. It is hard to find people who spend the money on that specific mod with any history. I currently have an open differential. With the torque that these engines put out I am not sure why Ford even installs a non-limited slip axle.

[BKB]

the limited slip that Ford uses is pretty decent but like everything its does need rebuilt. My Mustang uses just a smaller version and with spirated driving i rebuild it about every 10k miles. Seems most truck need them rebuilt around 60k miles. But if you are hard on it and sit there and spin one wheel for a while you can kill the clutches very quickly. Its a compromise between something that is cheap, quiet, and easy on the driveline.

[andrewbalser]

From my own experience, the L/S in the Super Duty really doesn't do anything. All we need is snow flurries in the forecast and my rear wheels start to lose it. I honestly don't know how someone with a 2WD diesel super duty could even get to work with snow on the ground. If I get full ground cover, just shifting into drive in 2WD is enough to break my full treaded michelin LTX's loose. Now don't get me wrong, I love my current truck alot more than my old 2WD Chevy 2500HD, but I have to admit, it's pretty bad when your buddy with a super duty 4x4 gets stuck in the snow, and has 1 in front and 1 in back turning, and you can pull him out with your 2WD truck because your GM locking rear differential actually locks up!

[95DRW4x4]

That's why they call them "limited slip"...they only slip when you really need them. That's why I have tow hooks on and a strecth strap in my truck. I know I'll need to be pulled

[eichhoma]

Ok, so I send the carrier to a rear end shop in STL and he did his work same day. He put .050 shims up against the clutch discs in side the carrier. He said that is as much as he felt comfortable putting in there without putting too much strain on the spider gears. He also explained that this is a temporary fix as eventually the clutch's will weart out and we will have to pull it again and replace them. Still, I can do this about 6 times before reaching the cost of a locker.

It wasnt a bad job, took a little force to get the carrier out and equal amount of force to beat it back in. It all went back together last night and I took it for a ride. The difference I noticed was barely noticeable. From going very slow, going into a turn under some accelration, you could feel and hear a slight barking sound of the tires skipping just a little bit. It never did that before so it sounds like it is doing its job. The real test will come this weekend when I go back up to our farm and take the truck out int he wet fields again. We'll see what happens. He charged me $150.00 to do this, and only about 3 hours out of my life. So far, I am very happy, but like I said, we will really test it out this weekend, I will post those results as well.

[schoolde]

Originally Posted by cut7

My LS in my 2006 CC 4WD did the same thing. I had it in to the dealer about 6 times, they never could fix it. I finally replaced it with a Eaton Posi & it works great! It only barks when I get on it. Under normal driving conditions, you can't even tell it's there.

How much would this cost? Bolt up parts or does it require a tech to do? My 2002 slips all the time, rear is a standard, without limited slip.

[eichhoma]

Originally Posted by schoolde

How much would this cost? Bolt up parts or does it require a tech to do? My 2002 slips all the time, rear is a standard, without limited slip.

They look like they are between $429 - $759
It would replace your carrier so it doesn not involve a tech to do. The pinion stays in place. No lash, or end play to set.

[blizzardwarrior7]

This all seems strange to me, I dont use any friction modifier in my LS....And my truck spins both rear tires and they are 38x15.5"s...And I dont get any chattering driving, unless I make really sharp slow turns to the right.