Originally Posted by
Daurie
I'm puzzled too.. if it's not the ebrake I wonder what the chances are of a binding pinion bearing? Hows the gear oil level in the rear diff? Condition?
As discussed earlier, a binding pinion bearing is easy to diagnose--Disconnect rear propshaft, jack up both rear tires (or even just one), and start spinning the prop flange on the rear diff and check for binding/ too much resistance.
If you find any problem, ground the truck immediately and investigate the cause. ---I can confirm that a pinion bearing failure has the ability bring the whole truck to an immediate and difinitive stop (as in your whole axle unexpectedly locks up). I was fortunate and sensed something odd...an intermittent hesitation...when I was Rovering down the highway. I pulled off the exit and almost all the way into a 7-11 parking lot to investigate when the front diff locked up. If I didn't have shoulder belts, I'd probably have an imprint of the steering wheel on my forehead right now.
--Mark
1973 SIII 109 RHD 2.5NA Diesel
0-54mph in just under 11.5 minutes
(9.7 minutes now that she's a 3-door).