TMair

Hello
I am new to the forum and of corse I need a little help, I have a 2004 suburban 1500 LT when I put it in 4 wheel drive the front differential howls and I can feel some drag, anyway how do I know which front differential is in it?
The front axles bolt onto it rather than a stub shaft, and the housing is aluminum.
Don't know if that helps or not but wanted to mention it.
Thanks for your help
Terry

oilcanhenry

If you can find the RPO in the glove-box, it would help identify the axle code and lead to more information:

https://www.crawlpedia.com/rpo_axle_codes.htm

When I looked it up I found 8.25,8.50 and 8.625 inch ring gears in various ratio's, from 3.42. 3.73,4.10 and 4.56 gear ratios' in what seems to be all in a 10 bolt axle cover.

If its not there then I'd certainly pull the cover off and see what comes out with a magnet. And with the wheels off the ground you can determine axle ratio in a couple of ways, but mine is marking the drive shaft and wheel and counting the spin(s). It may (I don't think so, but it's possible) that you might have a tag on one of the bolts., showing information about the axle.

TMair

Thank you for the reply!!
I checked for the code and could not find it listed on the label, that's why I was hoping for some direction on what might be an easy way to find out without pulling the differential first, I live in the mountains, snow has already hit here and I will be working on it outside so I was hoping to have a kit ready and just get it done.
Also I can't pull a cover like on the rear differential, I will need to pull the unit to crack it open.
I guess I'll just bite the bullet.
Thanks again for the reply!!

oilcanhenry

No problem. Even my 1998 Chevy K-1500 has that kind of front axle. I'd take a solid front axle like a Dana 44 with leaf springs and locking hubs over this axle any day. Sometimes less is better, particularly on an off-road vehicle, but its a way to cut costs using Tahoe and Suburban parts and designs in the later FWD pickups, even old one like mine, for people that like to have a 4x4 for going skiing, not get the thing muddy, dirty or driven on hard rock . You should have seen my old Jeep CJ-5 when
we hit the mud!!!

TMair

I heard that!!
You take me back a few years, when I was younger I had two CJ-5s loved them both, thinking of them makes me think of getting a mahindra roxor.
On the bright side it wasn't that bad pulling the front differential on the suburban, tomorrow I'll tear it apart and find out what the problem is. That said I was missing my old hoist about the fifth time I had to get up to go get tools