Failing rear Diff at 54k!? 2004 Tundra

Yo guys! Decided to follow up on how its been with the new diff! I cut my finger in half with a saw so I have some extra time. Its still attached but i did cut the bone completely in half. Anyways, it took about a month for ECGS to ship out the new diff, they even charged my card twice which sucked haha but after finally receiving the diff and paying an extra 40$ for diff fluid, they only sent me three little bottles so i was short on fluid and over payed for it so I dont recommend doing that! lol. Regardless, the diff is perfect so far!! so stoked. replacement really wasn't too bad just aliitle awkward and heavy to slide in the new pumpkin. Made sure to break it in properly and changed the fluid right at 500 miles. its driving so good and its so awesome to not hear pinion bearing noise!!! HUGGGGEE thanks to everyone for helping me out!! Now im onto finger surgery and rehab!

 

Also, I am looking possibly trade my Darrel Waltrip BBS rims for something smaller and more off-roady. Ive got a matching spare as well! they are in near perfect condition, leme know what yall got!

 

So, it was the pinion bearings that went bad? Or they went bad because the gear set got lunched?

I'm sorry but I need snaps of the old differential.

Upload them now, plz.

 

I cut my finger on a table saw. I somehow anticipated the accident and started pulling my hand away before contact with the blade. Afterward I developed a new respect for power tools! I've since read many studies of shop accidents and found them all to be characterized by 3 common traits:

1. The operator was performing an inherently unsafe operation (guards down, fence too close, etc.)
2. The work being performed was repetitive/monotonous, and/or the operator was tired
3. Most victims reported having a premonition (vision?) of the accident instants before it happened...what I call the "oh shit" moment.

I hit the trifecta for sure! In my case I indeed had this "oh shit" moment (I've had it several time since). Everything started happening in slow motion. I began moving my finger away from the blade before impact, and I'm convinced that's why I didn't cut it clean off (although I do have a nice .125" saw kerf in the bone).

The emergency room team did a fine job of sewing me up and preventing infection. But they can only focus on the physical trauma, not the emotional aftermath. I felt like the dumbest f'er on the planet, a feeling reinforced by nearly everyone I encountered ("didn't your mother every tell you not to put your hands in a spinning saw?").

Eventually the felling returned to that finger (my guitar playing hand!)...but unfortunately the feeling was pain! But I motored through it all. I bought an expensive new guitar for motivation, and forced myself to play every day until I bled. I recovered, more or less OK, but it took ~ five years. And that was more than 30 years ago. I can still predict the weather however...

 

I wouldn't be crawling under there without the front wheels chocked while it's in drive. That could be an "oh shit" moment as part of @w666 3 common accident traits.

 

Guilty. Was using my chop saw to cut up some dry (1st mistake) pecan so I could smoke some ribs and a butt. Got down to the 2nd to last cut on the last piece of wood, I could tell the blade wasn't fully up to the task (2nd mistake) but I was so close to being done and too lazy to change the blade for two small cuts (3rd mistake).

Needless to say, saw kicked the wood, and I let go the second I felt it coming but my hand flew up, thumb went top-side up into the blade. Aftermath before/after heal below, that's from day 0 to month 4. Don't ask me about the one time a tree branch knocked a chainsaw bar into my wrist. Somehow both times managed with no critical function or digit lost, and I'm incredibly thankful.

 

40 years building cabinets and furniture, and never had an accident involving a power tool, stabbed myself a few times with sharp hand tools though. My rule of thumb is always know where my fingers are in relation to the blade and concentrate on the task at hand. It worked for me. I'm glad you and the truck are good now.

 

Finally. Some carnage.


Now we just need to get some crazyshit.com level carnage up in here, and we'll be set.

 

Wow really cool to hear everyone’s stories! Definitely some carnage lol. My mistake was using a saw with a frozen guard for sure and I learned the hard way. I am a guitar instructor and play in a couple bands so I’m gonna be working really hard on rehabbing it. I’ll throw in my nasty photo haha that’s the bone sticking up. Really love this forum, so sick reading the reply’s from everyone!!

 

Sorry about the booger-picker, glad you didn't lose it entirely.
I'd love to snag those BBS Wheels, but shipping to So Cal wouldn't be cost effective.
Someone is gonna swoop those up, don't let them go cheap, when they pop up for sale out here, they're usually in the $800 range for a set.
Good Luck and speedy recovery.