I have a hot rear end.

[Violator]

O.K. let me be a bit more specific. I took the wife and kids on a road trip today. We put on about 80 miles or so and the temp was in the mid 80's. We ran mainly county roads with a short blast down the interstate for about 10 miles. When we got home I could hear the normal ticks and pings of everything cooling down but noticed some pings near the rear end. It wasn't the exhaust or brakes it was the rear end itself. I felt it and it was very warm. Not so hot as to burn your hand but you didn't want to leave it there any longer than you had to. I don't have one of those fancy laser thermometers to get an actual temp but it was plenty warm. Is this normal for it to warm right after driving or did I stumble across a potential problem? I just got home and have not had time to check the fluid level yet but I have not noticed any leaks at the wheel seals. Anyone ever notice this with their Bronco?

 

[Revelation]

It might be warm from a long ride.
And for Verification did the hot rear end look like either of these?

 

[74 Explorer]

It is normal for the rearend to get hot as you describe. A friend and I set the gears up in my 95 bronco, until then I had never had any reason to check and see how hot it was. I contacted a very good mechanic and he said "that was normal".

 

[Violator]

I don't think so but thanks for the great reference material. I may start a new thread wanting to see more "rear end" pictures. Thank alot.

 

[Violator]

I guess I just never bothered to ever check to see if it got hot. I just got a little nervous thinking that something may be wrong.

 

[74 Explorer]

I will still check the fluild level anyway. I drove my 95 bko 75miles after the gear installation and I it was hot enough I didn't want to hold my hand on it. She is still getting down the road today and that was 20,000 miles ago.

 

[Pa PITT]

While I worked at dodge dealership the 2005 & up 1 tons truck . The owners would come into the dealership asking us to check the rear axle for them ..They got so hot as to burn off the paint and rust in about 6000 miles..
..I wasn't sure about our fine rear ends but it was nice to see the illustrations.

 

[blubuckaroo]

I enjoyed those illustrations but my sweetie is going to have CB blocked!

 

[Violator]

Don't let her do that. Just tell her it was all my fault for not being clear as to what I was looking for. And my wife wasn't very happy with me either when I made that lovely rear end illustration my screen saver.

 

[broncnaz]

Thats part of the reason gear oil is so thick all the power put to the ground is going through those gears friction and extreme pressure of the gears creates heat. its not uncommon for them to get pretty hot. in Nascar they actually have oil pumps and small oil coolers to cool the oil down. And they are all running basically the same 9in axle thats in our broncos.

 

[farnorthdan]

Don't let her do that. Just tell her it was all my fault for not being clear as to what I was looking for. And my wife wasn't very happy with me either when I made that lovely rear end illustration my screen saver.

Do you guys really have wifes that watch over your shoulder when on the net:-XMy wife could care less about what I am doing on the comp. And yes, those were some fine looking rear ends....;D



dan

 

[Broncobowsher]

80 miles of highway driving and it should be in the mid to upper 100s.
Add a trailer and pulling a long grade hard it can top 300 on newer trucks.

I remember (memory not always accurate that long ago) taking the Bronco to Flagstaff years ago and the inferred thermometer on the rear diff stabalized around 180, transfer and trans 150 (NP435 always in 4th). Checking halfway there and after arriving it was the same.