retmil46
Full Access Member
Well, the CRD is getting some remarkable fuel mileage after all the work/upgrades - front end alignment, new Michelin LTX tires, brake rotors turned and new Bendix pads, new shocks/struts and front bushings, new rear upper suspension arm, new bearings and seals rear diff and new rear axle bearings, front driveshaft removed pending replacing the CV joints.
I'm seeing fuel mileage out of this diesel now, on my normal commute to work, the like of which I'd only previously seen on a multi-hour run on the interstate.
One of the first things I did to troubleshoot the driveline noise I was having (which turned out to be a bad carrier bearing in the rear diff), after getting the front end alignment redone, was to pull the front driveshaft as one of the more likely (and less expensive to fix) possible culprits.
While it wasn't the cause of the noise, it did produce immediate results as far as improved fuel economy, noticeable on the very first full tank afterwards. This even before a new set of tires and the other work listed above. Kicker is, the shop I showed the front driveshaft to said the CV joints were still in decent shape.
After what was found in the rear diff, and hearing on here that the front diff most likely has plastic bushings on the output shafts, I'm wondering if perhaps I should get the front diff checked out as well. I mean, if the DC assembly plant did as good a job setting up the front diff as they did on the rear...:disgust:
Yesterday evening I crawled up underneath and grabbed the input flange to the front diff, and tried rotating it back and forth on the "slop" in the gears and the CV axles. Probably less than 1/16th of a turn, I could easily bump it back and forth with one hand, but it felt like there was a considerable amount of "drag" on the input shaft for what free movement I was getting on the output shafts - considerably more than I've felt when checking out the diffs on other vehicles.
Perhaps I'll drop back by the shop that worked on my rear diff one day, and let the gent do a touchy-feely and see what he thinks.
I'm seeing fuel mileage out of this diesel now, on my normal commute to work, the like of which I'd only previously seen on a multi-hour run on the interstate.
One of the first things I did to troubleshoot the driveline noise I was having (which turned out to be a bad carrier bearing in the rear diff), after getting the front end alignment redone, was to pull the front driveshaft as one of the more likely (and less expensive to fix) possible culprits.
While it wasn't the cause of the noise, it did produce immediate results as far as improved fuel economy, noticeable on the very first full tank afterwards. This even before a new set of tires and the other work listed above. Kicker is, the shop I showed the front driveshaft to said the CV joints were still in decent shape.
After what was found in the rear diff, and hearing on here that the front diff most likely has plastic bushings on the output shafts, I'm wondering if perhaps I should get the front diff checked out as well. I mean, if the DC assembly plant did as good a job setting up the front diff as they did on the rear...:disgust:
Yesterday evening I crawled up underneath and grabbed the input flange to the front diff, and tried rotating it back and forth on the "slop" in the gears and the CV axles. Probably less than 1/16th of a turn, I could easily bump it back and forth with one hand, but it felt like there was a considerable amount of "drag" on the input shaft for what free movement I was getting on the output shafts - considerably more than I've felt when checking out the diffs on other vehicles.
Perhaps I'll drop back by the shop that worked on my rear diff one day, and let the gent do a touchy-feely and see what he thinks.
