Blown front diff.

[Tim Nielsen]

Got home from work yesterday and shortly noticed a 10 in. Puddle of diff fluid up front...after inspecting I found a half dollar size hole in the diff housing with a nut stuck in the hole....wondering if anyone else has had this failure???...also..I plan to source an axle do the repair myself with a friend...we are both very mechanically inclined and have all the tools...just wondering how hard and how long this job will take on average..what to expect..roadblocks..ect. ??...05 Hemi..4x4...160k.

 

[DAVID C SHOUN]

Noob here. I purchased my '08 last September and have been getting her back in shape. I've always felt a vibration, and lots done to address the issue. Recently, it had begun a nasty shudder at take-off or reverse. Shop took it for a drive n said they could not duplicate, but thought it might be tranny. I bet money it was the rear diff, and told the tech to 'humor me' and pull the rear cover.
Here is what he found......
Lucky I got this BEFORE it crashed down on me.

 

[DAVID C SHOUN]

I have read that the clips holding the posi clutches together tend to fall out, as it seems this one was no exception

 

[caulk04]

Clutch pack clips in the 9.25 have been a thing for decades. Most of the time they get stuck to the magnet and cause no issue, it's rare for that to cause a serious problem.

The front diff...that's an interesting one. A straight diff swap shouldn't take but half a day, depending on condition of fasteners.