8.8 burning gear lube

[junkyardjeff]

Ever since I started driving my now 2wd 1988 bronco I smelt a burning smell coming from somewhere and nothing touching the motor or exhaust,so toady I took it for a little highway drive and touched the center of the rear end and it was almost too hot to touch so I think its getting the gear lube too hot. It always had a big clunk so when I had it on stands installing the 2wd trans I took the cover off and the lube looked fine and no metal shavings but somethings not right,since the axle bearing ends were alot cooler I think its full of lube which I will check after I get off the computer but if I forgot to fill it I would think it would have locked up by now since I put over 1000 miles on it.

[junkyardjeff]

Tonight I jacked it up so I could feel if there was anything causing friction in the rear end and found nothing that really stood out except for a little play in the yoke,I did notice the new u joint with less then 1500 miles was sloppy in the cups that attach to the yoke so can the pinion shaft be getting so hot it is having a effect on the u joint. Just how hot should a rear end get as this one was too hot to touch around where the gears are and the axle tubes were just barely warm.

[junkyardjeff]

Just got back from a little test run to the grocery store and back,the center is almost too hot to touch after less then 10 miles and the tubes at the axle bearings are cold so something wrong. Its also acting strange too,when I let off the gas it sounds like its going down 1/2 a gear change but will let loose after slowing down to a certain speed. Tried it in every gear except low and still the same so not the trans so it looks like its time to shop for another rear end or have someone look at it.

[enjenjo]

Sounds like a bad pinion bearing.

[wayne petty]

setting pinion preload after installing new bearings... a 3 minute video...

[junkyardjeff]

I picked up another rear end and now that I think of it when I had the cover off the ring gear was a funny color so that should have told me something was wrong.