The rig in question: 2002 1500 4.7 auto (45RFE) 2WD. With limited slip, 3.54 gears, factory 17" wheels stock tire size, 9.25 axle ect. 160,000 miles both U joints are fine, they have been replaced (in pairs) 3 times in 17 years, gear oil and LSD additive get changed once a year regardless of mileage.
The problem: Driving down the highway there is no problem, if I come to a stop such as in the left turn lane waiting for the light to cycle and going to pull away I get this shuddering, in the median crossover where say I almost come to a stop just long enough/slow enough to have the traffic clear and keep going I get the drive line shudder like the transmission is hanging up or the limited slip is not slipping when it should be.
Last night when leaving the gas station I had to make a hard right to pull away from the pump and whole ***end of the truck acted like the limited slip clutches were totally locked up solid for a couple feet. a major [ Moparts Family Site - Keep it Friendly ] moment!
right turns/left turns it does not matter. it seems to be getting more common as to when it grabs and things bind up.
About a month ago I changed the gear oil and additive and it seemed more glittery than usual... it had 10 months/8000 miles since it was last done. I have done two more oil changes since then and found nothing unusual. This truck does not live a hard life at all. The occasional trip to the recycler and landfill is about the most it does anymore.
I would expect/understand how a clutch type LSD works and think that as it fails/wears out it should act like an open differential ?
But understanding how the RFE transmission works I cannot see anything failing inside it that would be binding up and not causing other major problems to surface ?
