Ignorance is Bliss.

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BlueCollar89

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Well ****, that does make more sense. I was definitely misunderstanding. That being said, I priced an "on demand" shaft to replace the actuator (the purdy version of the socket trick) and they wanted $110 for the damn thing; said to hell with that.

So I figured since I destroyed my brand new actuator so I could get my wife and kid home, I might as well MacGyver that **** into a home made On Demand. I don't like the idea of any loose parts, ever really lol. So I cut off the tip of the broken actuator, and jammed a screw driver down the center of it's plastic innards. I then placed a socket over the top and then put a bolt through the center to secure the socket into place.

Might not be pretty, but it saved me $110 :peace:

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BlueCollar89

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I did notice when I removed my actuator from the differential that there were metal shavings in the oil around the actuator. I know for a fact that any metal particals in oil is bad; the problem is that when it comes to the differential, I don't even know where to begin diagnosing.

I've never seen the inside of one, so I can only assume a differential is a housing for a configuration of gears that distribute the power of the drive shaft to the tires. So am I safe to say that I may have some damaged gears in the differential? Keep in mind it's a 94 and 100% original, I'm the only owner that's ever put new parts on the poor thing. That said, it may be perfectly normal for a truck with 241k+ miles (?? unknown due to odometer not working), for a differential to have shavings from wear.

The oil was a creamy color so it may be older than dinosaurs piss. I'll get that changed asap, but at this point I'm wondering if it'll even make a difference 0_o.

I'm unsure if I should be making different posts for each of my inquiries? If so I apologize and can start making separate posts from now on.

EDIT: I figured as long as it's pertaining to my differential I should just discuss new findings here =)
 

CrustyJunker

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Everyone that already commented is watching this topic, so we'll help/answer the best we can. I'm sure others may chime in, too. This hot topic is already a few pages deep!

Agreed on changing your front differential oil. I had some metal shavings in mine too by the fill plug (slightly and uncomfortably bigger than glitter), but had no side effects and everything still worked fine. I suspected the shavings I found were not from the ring and pinion itself, but from the actuation gear bits. Easily happened if someone tried to go into 4WD at too high of a speed.

Creamy color oil might be from moisture over time, but also might want to check to see if your vent hose is still intact. Happy trucking!
 

RichLo

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Yep, change oil ASAP in BOTH front and rear diffs.

To check for wear in the gears, engage the front actuator with your nifty new on-demand setup, then put the truck in neutral and the t-case in neutral, block the tires so it doesn't roll over you, lol. Then just get under the truck and try to turn the driveshafts back and forth. Check all of the U-joints for any movement (bad, replace soon also), if there is no U-joint movement but you can still wiggle the driveshaft then you have ring/pinion gear wear. If its just a slight movement I wouldn't worry too much about it, just put good oil in it and check for leaks regularly and make sure the movement doesn't get worse with time. If there is a lot of movement and you can hear the gears clanking when you are wiggling the driveshaft (My Snow-Plow truck is like this, lol) just realize that a rebuild or swap is in your near future (Summer project for my Snow-Plow truck)

One more Note on your new actuator, dont tighten that bolt too hard... go just past finger tight at most. The truck may need to roll back and forth to get the gears to engage. If you tighten down that bolt without the gears aligned you could cause damage.
 

BlueCollar89

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Everyone that already commented is watching this topic, so we'll help/answer the best we can. I'm sure others may chime in, too. This hot topic is already a few pages deep!

Agreed on changing your front differential oil. I had some metal shavings in mine too by the fill plug (slightly and uncomfortably bigger than glitter), but had no side effects and everything still worked fine. I suspected the shavings I found were not from the ring and pinion itself, but from the actuation gear bits. Easily happened if someone tried to go into 4WD at too high of a speed.

Creamy color oil might be from moisture over time, but also might want to check to see if your vent hose is still intact. Happy trucking!

That's almost a perfect description of what I encountered when pulling out the actuator to tinker on it. I'll get the oils changed in the differentials ASAP and update ya'll on any findings.

I've got no doubt this project will be getting quite a bit more intense as we go along.

I watched an old 1950's like Chevrolet video on YouTube (here if interested) that really made understanding a transmission a lot easier for me. I will not be dropping the transmission again until I've managed to find out exactly how to rebuild it for crawling/climbing; not sure if an OEM rebuild kit would be sufficient?

I also watched a feller tear down a 4L60-E on the YouTubez last night. It was for like an 06 or something, so I'm not sure if it's the same as my 94 lol, but it gave me an idea as to what I'd be up against. Won't be addressing this until it either goes out or I get my rotors/brakes replaced which ain't a big deal.


Yep, change oil ASAP in BOTH front and rear diffs.

To check for wear in the gears, engage the front actuator with your nifty new on-demand setup, then put the truck in neutral and the t-case in neutral, block the tires so it doesn't roll over you, lol. Then just get under the truck and try to turn the driveshafts back and forth. Check all of the U-joints for any movement (bad, replace soon also), if there is no U-joint movement but you can still wiggle the driveshaft then you have ring/pinion gear wear. If its just a slight movement I wouldn't worry too much about it, just put good oil in it and check for leaks regularly and make sure the movement doesn't get worse with time. If there is a lot of movement and you can hear the gears clanking when you are wiggling the driveshaft (My Snow-Plow truck is like this, lol) just realize that a rebuild or swap is in your near future (Summer project for my Snow-Plow truck)

One more Note on your new actuator, dont tighten that bolt too hard... go just past finger tight at most. The truck may need to roll back and forth to get the gears to engage. If you tighten down that bolt without the gears aligned you could cause damage.

I do have some ujoints on standby already just in case they're needed; so that's good! I'll be sure to test out all of these new suggestions the first chance I get!

I'm a bit of a go getter; so I prefer to diag until I'm most certain as to what is causing an issue; then I study (heavily) on how to resolve it; and I dedicate entire weekends, to fixing stuff.

I used to work at Freightliner as a detailer; and there were a few fellas that didn't mind me eyeballing their work and inquiring with curiosity. Diesels are a different ball game but it was beneficial and encouraging to know that if a guy knows what he's doing, he can get it done quickly if he commits the time.

I suspect my biggest hold up will be financial lol! But I do thoroughly enjoy making these repairs. This truck's got so many different problems that I feel like I'll quite literally end up rebuilding it from engine to axels. Which isn't bad, just expensive haha.

I've been pricing parts through Rock Auto which has been pretty helpful in finding affordable parts. I think it only run me like $321.75 for MOOG ball joints, tie rods, idler and pitman arms; I felt like that wasn't too horrible? I'll continue to shop through them until someone can direct me to a better supplier haha. I'd like to keep it all MOOG if I can.
 

JackE

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I've been pricing parts through Rock Auto which has been pretty helpful in finding affordable parts. I think it only run me like $321.75 for MOOG ball joints, tie rods, idler and pitman arms; I felt like that wasn't too horrible? I'll continue to shop through them until someone can direct me to a better supplier haha. I'd like to keep it all MOOG if I can.

I do get a lot of parts from Rock Auto, but their shipping can get high if you are getting a lot of parts. My favorite thing to do with them is find the parts I want, then take the part numbers over to Amazon and eBay and compare. About half the time I can save a decent amount over Rock Auto for the exact same part.
 

BlueCollar89

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I do get a lot of parts from Rock Auto, but their shipping can get high if you are getting a lot of parts. My favorite thing to do with them is find the parts I want, then take the part numbers over to Amazon and eBay and compare. About half the time I can save a decent amount over Rock Auto for the exact same part.

I appreciate the tip!
 

BlueCollar89

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I just noticed your sig... Dont you have a 4l60E?

lol yea it's a joke between my dad and I. He drove 5 speed manual my entire life, then couple years ago he just up and bought an automatic cummins. I been giving him **** ever since.

I haven't looked into what my truck has for a transmission. From what I was reading briefly last night, I likely do have the 4l60E. My cousin was saying it would either be that or the 4l80E or something ruther. Haven't done too much looking into that yet. But she's a little finicky about 2nd gear sometimes. Nothing outrageous but enough that I wanna fix it lol. I'll actually start with a clutch adjustment and go from there before I get into anything to crazy.

But watching that old chevy transmission video really helped me get an idea of how it works. I still don't quite understand how it shifts from L-OD but I'm sure I'll figure that out eventually too haha.
 
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BlueCollar89

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While we're on the topic of differentials, and it's currently content that I'm researching for; I might as well share the content I discover. I've been having to do a lot of reading and homework on all of this stuff. So maybe I can save somebody willing to read through all this; in providing source material regarding the process. I've got a Haynes Repair Manuel that is sometimes vaigue to a novice like me; so I generally read up and then search for youtube videos for an eyes on approach to learning.

I typically try to keep my research as close to my year as possible. I.E. This VIDEO on changing front differential oil is for a 95' Chevy Silverado k1500 and should be applicable to anyone with an 88-98 to my understanding.

I've discovered that it's recommended to use SAE 80W-90 or SAE 75W-90 according to GM; please correct me if I'm wrong so I can correct the link. I don't want to contribute to misinformation. I only link to AutoZone because I been going there since I was in high school. I buy parts online for a reason, but for immediate satisfaction I pick up fluids and such from there. Just sharing link to give readers an price point to start comparing with =).

Lastly; if you're like me and you want to know HOW something works; I found this VIDEO rather interesting.

I also found this article interesting here on GMT400
 
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