I have just pulled a U-Haul trailer from the SLC Utah area up and over the Rockies into the Denver Area. This is a business trip where I am replacing a lot of servers in our DR data center out here and I used my 94 F350 to haul a bunch of equipment out here...
Along the way out here on any of the extended hills, the floor over the transfer case would get extremely hot and what I believe was the transfer would start to growl in protest. I would pull over at the next pullout I could find and let everything cool down. I crawled under the truck and could not see anything apparently wrong, but it smelled like burning oil or tranny fluid. I checked the tranny fluid and it was right at the top of the full "Hot" mark and did not look burnt or discolored. However I have never checked the differentials or transfer case since buying the truck 7 or 8 years ago.
Anyway I did make it out here to the Littleton area staying at a hotel just off of Ken Karyl and E-470. However if I try driving the truck I can hear a low growling noise that sounds like it is coming from the transfer case. I took the entire trip with the truck in 2wd and the front hubs unlocked, and it is making this noise while in 2wd now. I do not know if I should drive the truck at all at this point. I will be out here for work through the end of next week and need to drive back to Utah in two weeks, so I will need to get whatever is going on fixed by then.
On a side note, every time I come to a stop now, the truck lugs down and the engine stalls out. Seems like the Torque Converter is locked up and not releasing unless I shift into "N" for 10-15 seconds before shifting back to "D".
Luckily about 1/4 mile from my hotel is "Excel Diesel and SUV". Is there anyone from this area who knows anything about this shop? Are they reputable, or should I drive some place else within the Denver Metro area to another shop who will treat our IDI trucks with respect and not thumb their nose at a non-computerized Diesel truck.
Anyone have some good advice for what may be wrong with my truck or what I should be aware of taking my truck into a shop for service. I am wondering if I should just have someone do a full fluid drain / refill of the transfer case and both differentials. What about a fluid flush of the transmission. I had a drain / refill done about 5-10k miles ago. If I were back home and not working 12 hr days for the next two weeks while out here, I would just do all the work myself at home, but on this trip, it will cost me less to have someone else do the work for me, so I need to find a reputable shop.
Thank you everyone for your tips and advice. - John Z
Along the way out here on any of the extended hills, the floor over the transfer case would get extremely hot and what I believe was the transfer would start to growl in protest. I would pull over at the next pullout I could find and let everything cool down. I crawled under the truck and could not see anything apparently wrong, but it smelled like burning oil or tranny fluid. I checked the tranny fluid and it was right at the top of the full "Hot" mark and did not look burnt or discolored. However I have never checked the differentials or transfer case since buying the truck 7 or 8 years ago.
Anyway I did make it out here to the Littleton area staying at a hotel just off of Ken Karyl and E-470. However if I try driving the truck I can hear a low growling noise that sounds like it is coming from the transfer case. I took the entire trip with the truck in 2wd and the front hubs unlocked, and it is making this noise while in 2wd now. I do not know if I should drive the truck at all at this point. I will be out here for work through the end of next week and need to drive back to Utah in two weeks, so I will need to get whatever is going on fixed by then.
On a side note, every time I come to a stop now, the truck lugs down and the engine stalls out. Seems like the Torque Converter is locked up and not releasing unless I shift into "N" for 10-15 seconds before shifting back to "D".
Luckily about 1/4 mile from my hotel is "Excel Diesel and SUV". Is there anyone from this area who knows anything about this shop? Are they reputable, or should I drive some place else within the Denver Metro area to another shop who will treat our IDI trucks with respect and not thumb their nose at a non-computerized Diesel truck.
Anyone have some good advice for what may be wrong with my truck or what I should be aware of taking my truck into a shop for service. I am wondering if I should just have someone do a full fluid drain / refill of the transfer case and both differentials. What about a fluid flush of the transmission. I had a drain / refill done about 5-10k miles ago. If I were back home and not working 12 hr days for the next two weeks while out here, I would just do all the work myself at home, but on this trip, it will cost me less to have someone else do the work for me, so I need to find a reputable shop.
Thank you everyone for your tips and advice. - John Z