Think I blew up my front diff

[Turbogoat324]

Wow, way to think outside the box man! Good luck with the install, I always hated doing lift kits on jeeps because suspension work just isn’t fun. Having two jacks in addition to a few jack stands really helped when moving the axels around.

Yeah I have my pro eagle and another 2 ton so I should be good. My wife said she would help in any way she could (she is amazing)! I'll update how everything goes!

 

[Turbogoat324]

Just to wrap this up. I finished everything on Monday night. Everything went well with the swap and I drove it for the first time yesterday in 10 weeks! It felt great to drive again. Took about a solid 12-14 hours of actual work. A lot of that was spent making sure the diff was properly supported and not going to fall off and crush me since I did it by myself. Overall not a bad process at all. 2 of the 3 mounting ears of the diff housing were cracked and the last one was sheered off. The case also had a decent size crack which is where the fluid was leaking from. I replaced the transfer case fluid too while I was under there. I was hoping to install the thicker IWE rings from RPG that I had ordered but its been over a month since I ordered and they don't have an ETA when they will come in. I'm very happy this whole thing is over and I can get back to driving my truck. Already have a trip planned to Glammis dunes to test everything out. Overall this experience has left me pretty disappointed in Ford as a company but I have never missed driving any vehicle as bad as my Raptor. It felt so great to drive again! Thanks to everyone for letting me vent on this thread throughout the last 10 weeks!

 

[Potato]

Glad you got everything back together!

 

[nikhsub1]

Glad you got her back in business!

 

[Stroked out]

Glad it work out, i busted mine in march . I had 3.0 on it and set to out the box height as well. When i took it to the dealer i put stock struts back on it. I also took the bumps and exhaust off. They fixed it with no problems. Btw i put the 3.0 back on lowered all the way down and the truck still sits a inch higher than stock.

 

[TurboTJ]

Just to wrap this up. I finished everything on Monday night. Everything went well with the swap and I drove it for the first time yesterday in 10 weeks! It felt great to drive again. Took about a solid 12-14 hours of actual work. A lot of that was spent making sure the diff was properly supported and not going to fall off and crush me since I did it by myself. Overall not a bad process at all. 2 of the 3 mounting ears of the diff housing were cracked and the last one was sheered off. The case also had a decent size crack which is where the fluid was leaking from. I replaced the transfer case fluid too while I was under there. I was hoping to install the thicker IWE rings from RPG that I had ordered but its been over a month since I ordered and they don't have an ETA when they will come in. I'm very happy this whole thing is over and I can get back to driving my truck. Already have a trip planned to Glammis dunes to test everything out. Overall this experience has left me pretty disappointed in Ford as a company but I have never missed driving any vehicle as bad as my Raptor. It felt so great to drive again! Thanks to everyone for letting me vent on this thread throughout the last 10 weeks!

sorry to hear about everything you had to go through but happy to hear you’re back up and running.

If it were me, I’d submit this to small claims court. Long ago I got tired of trying to figure out who is denying what and for what reason. Far easier to pay the filing fee and have them lay out their case in front of a judge who in my experience, don’t put up with handwaving about how things happened. Make them show how what you did caused the differential case to crack. If you have pieces, there are places that could do failure analysis and determine if it was a casting flaw or something.

Your state/county should have good resources on how to get started. Typically you send a certified letter saying “pay me
this amount in 7 days or I will sue for that amount”. I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice but maybe something to look into.

 

[nikhsub1]

^^ Agree - if Ford gets a notice they have to appear in small claims court where the limit you can sue for is $10k, they may just settle. I'd file a claim for sure, 100%

 

[Turbogoat324]

Hmm ok maybe I will look into that. Do you guys think it matters that I took the truck and did the diff myself with a used part? So even if they settle would it just be money that rewarded or reimbursing me for the used diff? Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[nikhsub1]

Makes no difference - your truck was out of service for how long? How much time did you spend dicking around with the dealer then fixing yourself? These all can be monetized. You will need to be detailed, even if they are number pulled out of your ass though.

 

[TurboTJ]

Hmm ok maybe I will look into that. Do you guys think it matters that I took the truck and did the diff myself with a used part? So even if they settle would it just be money that rewarded or reimbursing me for the used diff? Thanks for the advice guys!

I would write the 7 day demand letter for all the costs you incurred as a result of them not doing it. You probably won’t be able to charge for your labor but you could try. I would also include the Uber receipts. I would bet they will be on the phone with you the same day they get it. They probably do not want to go to court. Also, you do not have to follow through if they don’t settle. You could just give it a shot.

What county and state are you in?