[AUH]

So I took my three week old Raptor to the desert to do some light off roading and had a terrible experience my first time.

I went to an area with soft dunes and ended up stuck with all four tires digging. It seems that the level of the sand under the front tires reached the boot that connects the front axle and front right tire. Then I started hearing a loud clunking sound from that side and shortly after that lost the drive to the front wheels leaving my car stuck and with only 2WD working.

I was able to get the car out thanks to the help of another car with a winch and it drove perfectly fine in 2WD but if you look at the front axle boot it is clear that it has come off and sand has gone into the axle.

The dealer checked the car and told me they will replace the front axle.

I'm curious if this is a defect from the factory as I would never expect soft desert sand to do this to the front axle.

Also I'm wondering if it is necessary to protect that are with a skid plates.

Appreciate any input and feedback.

Thanks

 

[molton svt]

well you shouldn't be weeling with a CAR anyway,,,,,,,but in any case it sounds like you are not disclosing the whole story as just sand weeling will not destroy an axle unless there are other causes involved.just my two cents..

 

[AUH]

well you shouldn't be weeling with a CAR anyway,,,,,,,but in any case it sounds like you are not disclosing the whole story as just sand weeling will not destroy an axle unless there are other causes involved.just my two cents..

Not sure what else there is to disclose. :4-dontknow:

The reason I posted this is because I was surprised the sand caused the problem, hence my questioning whether it was a defective part from the factory and failed the first time I switched on 4WD

 

[SpiderOne]

So you dug down enough to rip off the axle boot and got sand inside? Makes sense to me that it would fail. A cut boot can do enough damage on the highway let alone a boot totally torn off in sand.

 

[BajaBob]

Something is wrong here. If the boot was torn off from the sand then it should not have been making a loud noise right away. It's true that the sand would cause problems but not loud noises right away. I'm thinking the axle was bad to start with. Running into some sand should not cause that much damage so soon. I have not heard of a similar situation on the forums. When the truck gets returned to you ask the mechanic who worked on it what he thinks went wrong.

 

[svt4baja]

I'm glad Ford is replacing it for him.

 

[mustangbesos]

Something is wrong here. If the boot was torn off from the sand then it should not have been making a loud noise right away. It's true that the sand would cause problems but not loud noises right away. I'm thinking the axle was bad to start with. Running into some sand should not cause that much damage so soon. I have not heard of a similar situation on the forums. When the truck gets returned to you ask the mechanic who worked on it what he thinks went wrong.

I agree, I've driven in soft sand lots at dunes and never had a problem, that boot must of been torn off already??

 

[BluFlm2010]

well you shouldn't be weeling with a CAR anyway,,,,,,,but in any case it sounds like you are not disclosing the whole story as just sand weeling will not destroy an axle unless there are other causes involved.just my two cents..

Really man...it's not a car...it's a TRUCK!!! Loud clunking in sand is suspect for sure. There might have been a hidden rock somewhere?

 

[hockster]

Dam.. Sorry to hear the problem but, never fear Ford is here... lol

 

[AUH]

Yes I agree with most that the boot must have either not been installed properly or somehow got ripped.

Anyway I'm glad it is being replaced under warranty and my TRUCK :naughty: will be done on either Sunday or Monday.

 

[BajaBob]

Yes I agree with most that the boot must have either not been installed properly or somehow got ripped.

Anyway I'm glad it is being replaced under warranty and my TRUCK :naughty: will be done on either Sunday or Monday.

Sunday???? Who the hell is open on a Sunday? Are they open 7 days a week over there?

 

[tigercrazy718]

he lives in the UAE
the muslim calendar makes saturday the holy day
it was really weird for me to go to school from sunday to thursday when i lived there lol

 

[tigercrazy718]

and man thats awesome that u get it replaced under warranty
ford FTW once again!

 

[AUH]

Yes our weekends are Friday and Saturday as mentioned by tigercrazy. Friday is our Holy day.

I wasn't surprised (but am definitely thankful) that they are replacing it under warranty and was expecting it since the truck was only a week old and I did some very light off roading in it. That's what its designed for

 

[Surfingbuddhist]

Let us know what they said...

 

[AUH]

So I picked up the car a few days ago and they replaced the front axle under warranty. They couldn't explain what the problem was and just that the part failed. They couldn't see any signs of impact on it. So my guess is the same as most that the boot either came loose or got ripped from something hard or sharp. Otherwise it may have not been installed properly at the factory.

Now I seem to have developed something else towards the rear of the car that occurs when accelerating from a stop or from a crawl. There is a thud or a light bang as if there is something loose in the bed and you accelerate and it hits the tailgate. It is very obvious and repeatable so I'm a bit concerned about it.

 

[hockster]

So I picked up the car a few days ago and they replaced the front axle under warranty. They couldn't explain what the problem was and just that the part failed. They couldn't see any signs of impact on it. So my guess is the same as most that the boot either came loose or got ripped from something hard or sharp. Otherwise it may have not been installed properly at the factory.

Now I seem to have developed something else towards the rear of the car that occurs when accelerating from a stop or from a crawl. There is a thud or a light bang as if there is something loose in the bed and you accelerate and it hits the tailgate. It is very obvious and repeatable so I'm a bit concerned about it.

There is a big vibration damper back there.,... I bet its loose and moving.. Its like 15 or 20lbs...

 

[BajaBob]

Now I seem to have developed something else towards the rear of the car that occurs when accelerating from a stop or from a crawl. There is a thud or a light bang as if there is something loose in the bed and you accelerate and it hits the tailgate. It is very obvious and repeatable so I'm a bit concerned about it.[/QUOTE]

That thump is normal. If you search this forum you should find references to it.

 

[AUH]

Hmm the vibration damper may be it as I doubt the thump I'm getting is normal and I didn't have it for the first 500 kms. I'm currently out of town but will look into it when I'm back next week. Anyone have any further info about the damper? I tried searching but couldn't find anything on how to check it is properly secured

Thanks

 

[AUH]

Happened again to driver side driveshaft

So it's been six months since my front right driveshaft broke. Now it happened to the front left one!

Truck is at dealer and it is being replaced under warranty. There are no signs of impact anywhere so the dealer is confused what could have caused it.

Same situation as last time. Soft desert sand. Was stopped on a flat area and trying to pull away slowly. Tires dug into sand and after a few attempts going back and forward I hear a bang. Went out and saw that the driver side wheel area was covered with oil and the boot that connects the driveshaft to the wheel was opened.

I'm worried that this is going to happen frequently. In my many years driving various off-roaders this has never happened and I have been stuck in some much deeper and softer sand.

Has this happened to anyone else? If it is not a factory defect then is there any way I can protect the driveshaft to avoid this from happening?

I'm attaching a crappy picture that kind of shows what the damage is.