Torsen front axle problems ! anyone else ???

[justvettn]

So before I plop down 58,000$ for a 2014 Raptor, did Ford change ANYTHING??

Nope

 

[Kngranch]

My truck has been in the shop for the last 36 days and needless to say my sense of humor is starting wear thin. The dealership managed to get their hands on a brand new, complete front differential (casing, diff, ring & pinion, complete) from Ford. They originally ordered all the parts separately and assembled it but it failed immediately. They are also replacing both front hubs this time around. I sure hope Ford has tweaked some of the "weak links" for the 2014's. All I want is a 4wd system I can depend on.

 

[wanderfalk]

My truck has been in the shop for the last 36 days and needless to say my sense of humor is starting wear thin. The dealership managed to get their hands on a brand new, complete front differential (casing, diff, ring & pinion, complete) from Ford. They originally ordered all the parts separately and assembled it but it failed immediately. They are also replacing both front hubs this time around. I sure hope Ford has tweaked some of the "weak links" for the 2014's. All I want is a 4wd system I can depend on.

Why is it taking so long?

 

[Kngranch]

Why is it taking so long?

I was told that it took some major effort for them to get a complete front assembly from ford, that it isn't an off the shelf part and came straight off the line.

 

[Rorywg]

I am having what sounds like the same experience as Kngranch- with the same clunking as his youtube link shows. I have looked at hundreds of sites and this is obviously something that has happened to a few people. I have replaced my axles and hubs; disassembled transfer case and transmission and found no damage there. Surely, given the number of people who have experienced this, someone out there has some guidance as to the cause?

 

[Rorywg]

For anyone with an interest in this stuff- and I think it is becoming more of an issue for more people- here are go pro videos of THE CLUNK!

Clunk 1- after I replaced the left hub. Camera was mounted on the skid plate, facing the left front wheel. For the first 10 seconds or so, I am on firm ground in 4wd. No clunk. When the sand gets soft, the clunk starts. When I disengage 4WD, the clunk goes away.

Post replacement of the hub, the noise is persistent, frequent and very loud.

Front end clunk 1 - YouTube

Clunk 2- after replacing both axles, examining the transfer case and differential. No internal damage, but 2 bushings on the transmission replaced. Camera is mounted on the LCA skid plate on the right front side. This film is of the vehicle driving on the road, accelerating fairly hard in a straight line in 4H and going up to about 5000RPM and 40mph or so…I know, I know- best not to use 4WD on tarmac and I never do but it is useful in this case for testing the clunk... Noise is still there. But not as severe as before, although this may be because of the different camera position relative to the cause of the noise (I am assuming it is either in the centre- differential or transfer case- or in the hub). The clunk is also apparent on the sand, but the film is better on the firm surface. One person said that this film shows that the clunk comes from the Differential… I'm not sure.. what do you think?!

Front End clunk 2 - YouTube

Any insights/advice? The workshop here in Dubai has given up after a good bit of work. I am pretty much stuck with a big, expensive 2WD car until I can find a solution… please feel free to PM me or post comments on what you think the problem might be.

Rory

 

[Kngranch]

So before I plop down 58,000$ for a 2014 Raptor, did Ford change ANYTHING??

Yes, they have made a change to the front differential assembly for 2014. When the dealership attempted to order one for my 2012, they were told it was incompatible and were given an alternate part number to order directly from the vendor/supplier. I should have paid closer attention to the part number, but it was abnormally short, only 4 or 5 numbers/letters. It would be interesting to find out exactly what the change was.

Day 40 w/o my truck and they we're given an estimated ship date for my front diff assembly of 12/9.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Yes, they have made a change to the front differential assembly for 2014. When the dealership attempted to order one for my 2012, they were told it was incompatible and were given an alternate part number to order directly from the vendor/supplier. I should have paid closer attention to the part number, but it was abnormally short, only 4 or 5 numbers/letters. It would be interesting to find out exactly what the change was.

Day 40 w/o my truck and they we're given an estimated ship date for my front diff assembly of 12/9.

Yes, interested in what changed!

Yukon Joe
www.RUNRAPTORRUN.com

 

[Stepside]

What setting on the shock (perch setting) is the vehicle on??
How many miles on vehicle?
If in fact there were any changes to setting (perch) How long after did problem occur?
How often do you engage 4WD? Times per week or times per month?
Have you always or not engaged 4WD in a no load situation?

Engineering at Ford would want to know ALL Variables.
The video would appear to indicate - damaged gears and/or gears not fully meshed
And that - Sucks

 

[Rorywg]

Thanks for this-

1. Mid perch. All work done by the guys at SDHQ in Arizona, so a reputable shop that knows what it is doing. No changes to the settings recently.
2. Ideally, I would use 4WD every day- I bought the truck as a toy for the desert out here in Dubai. In practice, it has been sick for most of the time that I have owned it (and I didn't go offroad at all for the first few months I had it due to an unrelated back operation…). Since October, I have used 4WD a couple of times per week. I have only done 5 or 6 proper day trips in the desert.
3. I have never engaged 4WD under load. I have engaged on the fly, but always with no power on.
4. The problem only occurs in 4WD and we have narrowed it to the front end. Do you mean gearbox problem or something in the differential? Ring & Pinion etc were all ok...