Both Rear wheels locked up while turning. Any ideas?

[NNespeca]

I was driving home last night, slow right turn, push in the clutch to downshift as I'm turning, rear tires lock up and truck slides to a stop. Both rear tires left a nice 10ft skid mark on the pavement. I try to move, tires still locked, put it in reverse and move backwards slightly, then back in 2nd, truck moves forward fine for about 30 yards and then I start hearing a faint whine that gets gradually louder until the tires lock up again. Put it in 4x4 and the same thing happens again. Parked it and calling a tow truck to get it back to my place so I can start troubleshooting. You guys have any ideas what this could be? LSD, U-joints, Transfer Case?



Thanks for the help!

Nick



2004. 5 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab Short Bed

 

[04blackcherry]

Manual transmission? The last time I had something like that was in my Ranger and it was the manual transmission. Froze a bearing

 

[EricBu12]

get to where it locks up again and then jack the rear on both sides at once... if the tires turn, its the transmission

 

[Mikey-KE7LBB]

I had a similar issue with my '93 D-250 when the trans took a dump, I later broke a tooth on the pinion gear, and once again when I sheared the pinion gear



All resulted in the same thing and I have since retired the truck for parts for my '92 W-350.



My suggestion is to set it on jack stands and spin the wheels to see if you can notice/hear/feel any abnormal noises or binding. If you have an open diff, have someone hold the other wheel that is spinning opposite of the way you're spinning it to get the driveline to turn and see if it's indeed further up the drivetrain... Trans could also 'lock' up the tires if something goes awry. .



Both are expensive to repair and can get quite frustrating if it happens again and is an entirely different problem that has the same symptoms



Good luck and keep us all posted on what you find...

 

[NNespeca]

Looks like the consensus so far is the transmission, and I thought the 6spds were supposed to be bulletproof! Once I get it towed home I'll jack it up as described and start troubleshooting.



Scary to think if this failure would have happened while doing 65mph on the highway.



Thanks again for the responses,

Nick

 

[Wingate]

at high speeds, it would have probably just shattered itself.

wonder if something in the trasnfer case has failed??

 

[HBarlow]

How many miles on the truck? Have the transmission and rear differential been serviced properly? Have you checked fluid levels?

I've never heard of anything like that happening to either the NV-5600 or G-56.

 

[NNespeca]

The truck has almost 160k miles on it, I've only owned it for 2 years and put ~15k miles on it. When I bought the truck, the previous owner had an impressive stack of service records from a local dealership which led me to believe it had been well taken care of.



I believe the transmission fluid was changed when the clutch was replaced ~35k miles ago.



And I haven't checked the diff fluid level lately but I did replace the fluid ~15k miles ago.

 

[HBarlow]

I don't know what is wrong with your truck but those details make it sound less likely that the transmission locked up or, for that matter, the rear differential did. Try lifting both rear wheels off the ground and spinning one of the wheels listening for sounds of failure.

 

[rscurtis]

Perhaps the rear bearing in the 5600 locked up at low speed instead of spinning and ruining the case- a common failure mode according to Joe D.

 

[Nyoest]

Almost exact same thing happened to wife's 01 nv5600. Bound up just as we were pulling in the driveway thank god. We still had warranty and they told us it was material from the 6 th gear syncro floating around and binding in the gears.

No bueno.

If it rolled ok behind the hook the rear axle should be ok. Just in case I'd drop both axle covers and inspect.

 

[rjones]

I had a similar case and it ended up being the gear lube for rear end was very low and the limited slip seized up I filled and ran for a while and all went good... ... ... and it only locked up on turns

 

[NNespeca]

Thanks for all the responses, I think I've got a good idea where to start troubleshooting. I'll dig into it this weekend and let you all know what I find...

 

[ktb]

when i was a kid that happened at 65 in his old 92 the pinion nut had come off and the pinion slid back into the ring gear was a fun ride for a little bit

 

[rscurtis]

A rear end failure will give plenty of warning before it goes. The rear bearing in the transmission can act like a sprag clutch when the rollers come out of the cage. One moment it's OK, the next it's locked up tight.

 

[NNespeca]

Anybody know of a good DIY guide to pulling the transmission and replacing the rear bearing? Has it been covered in a TDR issue in the past? I try to avoid taking my vehicles to a shop but this job has got me a little worried!

 

[HBarlow]

I'm not a mechanic but I don't think disassembly of the transmission to replace the rear bearing is a do it yourself project - at least not for me.

 

[NIsaacs]

It was covered in issue 64, page 85 and issue 67, page 84 also a small article in the current issue 75. If you pull it you need to replace all the bearings and seals and inspect it for any gear or case damage. It is not for the faint of heart, meaning absolutely no disrespect. Transmissions are not every ones specialty. If you are a natural do-it-your-self'er with good instructions, you will be fine.



Nick

 

[NNespeca]

I completely agree, it is a little out of the my DIY capabilities but would be a good thing to learn to do. At the very least I'd like to pull the transmission myself and then take it to a rebuild shop. Thanks again for all the feedback...

 

[rscurtis]

IIRC from past articles, the 5600 is not a DIY transmission. You also need a 50 ton press. I would send it to Standard or Blumenthal's and do the job just once.