My Explorer dropped its rear gear housing (with pics)

[ScoobMaster]

I get a phone call at work from my wife telling me that as she pulled out of the driveway to go to work our 2003 Ford Explorer "lurched", made a loud "clunk", then a tire chirp or two. When i got home I saw a 4-5" long bolt with a huge washer laying at the end of the driveway (this can't be good I thought). When she got home she said it was making a clunking noise from the rear end. I scooted underneath to investigate and this is what I saw:

The grey object is the rear end gear housing (you can see the driveshaft coming into it at the front). That hole to the left of the orange letter "A" is where the bolt is supposed to be. It is SUPPOSED to be held flush to the hole above it in the rusty black frame member. As you can see, the entire rear housing has dropped about 2-3 inches!

Here is a closer picture:

There is a square-shaped insert with a threaded top that the bolt is supposed to engage in I have removed from that top frame member. The top portion with the threads had fractured into three pieces (that allowed the bolt to drop out and the whole assembly to drop and rest on the rear suspension arm crossmember).

Here is the threaded insert I am talking about along with the bolt that holds it all together:

Luckily she drives about a mile to work, so i don't think any other damage was done. The local Ford dealer had to order the threaded insert (has none in stock and says he has never seen one break or had to replace one). I have to wait two days for one to get here so I can put it back together.

Crazy stuff always happens to me.

 

[drnickriviera]

You must live up north? That's a lot of rust.

 

[NutBucket]

Craziness. Better give that sucker a thorough inspection underneath!

 

[Sluggo]

So after hearing the noises, she went ahead and drove to work?

I love women :awe:

 

[Eli]

So after hearing the noises, she went ahead and drove to work?

I love women :awe:

Well, it was still moving.... Couldn't be that bad, right?

 

[Bartman39]

Thats not even a real nut but a cheapass nut plate and doesnt even appear to have been zinc plated like it should have been...? Must have been one of Fords better idea`s...? Bet that nut plate cost 5X what reg nut/washer would have cost...? DOH...!

Might have been better to make it out of plastic...

 

[SpatiallyAware]

So after hearing the noises, she went ahead and drove to work?

I love women :awe:

This

 

[ScoobMaster]

You must live up north? That's a lot of rust.

Yeah - upstate NY where we put more salt on the roads than the snow that falls and covers them. the past two years of winters have been BRUTAL

 

[ScoobMaster]

Thats not even a real nut but a cheapass nut plate and doesnt even appear to have been zinc plated like it should have been...? Must have been one of Fords better idea`s...? Bet that nut plate cost 5X what reg nut/washer would have cost...? DOH...!

Might have been better to make it out of plastic...

Yeah - I TOTALLY agree with you. The cost from a Ford dealer is $40 (#%*&%&^!!!) but I am stuck because I need it. The parts guy said he has never sold one and never seen one go (which surprised me once I saw how "chincy" it was). I am glad it is a nut plate though. before I had discovered that it was a removable plate I had jacked up the housing and attempted to replace the bolt (discovering that the bolt was not grabbing any threads above) and first thought that there was a nut welded on the top of that frame member that had broken off (how would I ever fix THAT!)

 

[slag]

Might be worthwhile checking the other similar bolts/nut plates at the same time.

 

[Vette73]

Might be worthwhile checking the other similar bolts/nut plates at the same time.

Yea I was about to say I hope you are replacing the other side as well.

 

[sontakke]

What prevents you taking that bolt(!) to hardware store and find a matching nut and washer and put it back?

 

[DirthNader]

Yeah - upstate NY where we put more salt on the roads than the snow that falls and covers them. the past two years of winters have been BRUTAL

I had the same type of "fun" when I lived in Michigan. So much salt, creates so many rust-related problems. I had the pitmann arm on my Blazer pulled out of the frame rail. Fun drive back home with it ratchet-strapped back into the frame.

 

[JCH13]

What prevents you taking that bolt(!) to hardware store and find a matching nut and washer and put it back?

The lack of actual graded/rated hardware in many hardware stores. I would definitely NOT just get a bolt that fits as it may be woefully weak. Note that the chart is for US hardware... if you're getting "Chinese gray metal" it may just snap in half when you torque it down D:

 

[kornphlake]

I had the same type of "fun" when I lived in Michigan. So much salt, creates so many rust-related problems. I had the pitmann arm on my Blazer pulled out of the frame rail. Fun drive back home with it ratchet-strapped back into the frame.

Your life isn't worth the cost of a tow???

 

[sleep]

sell the explorer and get something decent.

 

[ScoobMaster]

Yea I was about to say I hope you are replacing the other side as well.

There is no "other side". The differential housing has only this one bolt holding it up to the rear suspension frame crossmember.

 

[ScoobMaster]

sell the explorer and get something decent.

Shhhhhhhhhhh

Don't want to let my wife know that. She has been itching to get a newer (2009+) F150 Quad Cab. Worse yet, she likes the Lariat and King Ranch ameninties.

We DO need to get something with a higher tow rating to upgrade from my PopUp camper to a travel trailer.

The double-edged sword is that if we DO get something else, we'll be tempted to buy a new camper too.


That all makes the $40 nut plate a BARGAIN!

 

[DirthNader]

Your life isn't worth the cost of a tow???

Four mile drive, with four turns that included the turn out of the parking lot and the turn into my driveway.

Besides, it was a bad ass ratchet strap.

 

[Vette73]

There is no "other side". The differential housing has only this one bolt holding it up to the rear suspension frame crossmember.

???

Looks like there are 3 major bolts that hold it up, unless this pic is differant than your Exp.

 

[SuperSix]

That's a pretty bullshit way to hold up something like that.

 

[Throckmorton]

LOL... all the bolts are along an axis. I bet it moves pretty easily under hard acceleration

 

[DirthNader]

Which would explain why all three have vacated their homes.

 

[ScoobMaster]

???

Looks like there are 3 major bolts that hold it up, unless this pic is differant than your Exp.

Ah - gotcha now. I thought you were implying a bolt on the other side of the FRONT of the differential housing. The two rear bolts are still in, just the front of the housing has dropped. I will certainly check them though (111 lb-ft of torque!).

 

[exdeath]

Interesting, usually its two bolts at the pinion and one or two at the rear cover.