My 26 touring left me stranded on the way to dinner. I went to shift from low to high and it made a clunk noise, heard a tire lock up and squeal for a split second then we started free rolling no forward no reverse and no brake. Other than the initial clunk no funny noises. Did notice the rear end leaking quite a bit in the middle which it never has done till now. In neutral it does still try and creep a little. Everything inside tranny looks ok and turns like normal. Any idea on a good starting point? I wouldn't trade this t for anything but I swear it tests my patience sometimes. Hopefully one day I'll weed out the problems.

Sounds like a rear axle rebuild is in your near future. You shouldn't t drive it until that rebuild has taken place for safeties sake.

It sounds like you broke something in the rear end my guess is you broke the pinion gear

You have probably had the old babbit thrust washer disintegrate in the rear end. Pull it out and rebuild it with bronze washers.

Aaron,
I hope you have more luck as I did??

Andre
Belgium

There are a bunch of places inside that can break and give similar results. I was an early convert to making sure that good brass/bronze thrust washers were inside for safety's sake, so I never had that one happen. But I did have a T shear the pinion gear key once. Similar result. An axle key can do that also, and is easiest to check and fix. However, if you do not KNOW the status of your thrust washers? Now would be a good time to find out for sure.

http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG79.html

I have to get on rebuilding mine as weel on my rpu. Tim

should have said as well!! Sorry

Well time for a status update. On the bright side some one has already put the brass and steel thrust washers in. And 3 out of 4 roller bearings are still good. Down side is it was the pinion gear that was the weak link.

Doesn't sound too bad. However, one never knows until all parts are inspected.
How does the end of the drive shaft look?
Thanks for the update.

Did the pinion just split?
There was an incorrectly made batch by Mark Auto made around 2007 where the pinions were hardened too hard = brittle and the keyway had a random placement. See for example this thread: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/599638/671199.html?1472509569

The ring gears from that batch should be OK to use, I think?

I had an original Ford pinion split into two pieces; just made a clunk that sounded like it was under the floor boards, then no movement forward or back. I figure the sound traveled up the driveshaft tube. That's why I always have external brakes.

While you have it apart: http://www.funprojects.com/products/2587e1.aspx

I have seen Ford script pinion gears with old cracks in them, nearly ready to split. So I know that it does happen with them.
Nearly 25 years ago, on a major club tour, we had a really close call. On a very steep hill, the touring car two cars ahead of us, made two loud snapping noises. About fifty feet away, we heard it loud and clear! After the first one, I said to my wife "That doesn't sound good!" About two seconds after the second noise, we knew where it came from. The touring car ahead of the car we were behind was fully stock drive train, and started to roll back quickly. The emergency brakes could NOT hold it!
Things happened very fast. I had enough time to wonder if my brakes could hold two or three cars on the hill. I looked down the side of the hill we were going up (about 300 feet to the rocks below) and started trying to plan my retreat. Fortunately, the fellow driving the touring car was an experienced model T man. With only inches to spare, he managed to maneuver around the car ahead of us. I had left a little room in front of me, and the fellow ahead steered backwards between the fellow between us and slammed the back of his touring into the nearly straight up mountain side. Damage to the back of his car was minor. The oil tail-lamp was nearly a total loss.
With his touring smashed into the mountain side, we and about fifteen cars behind us had to squeeze between his front wheels and the cliff to the rocks below. The vulture truck tow-roped him to the top of the hill before towing him back to the hotel.

I talked to him on the phone about a week later. Although I never got to see it, he said the pinion gear split clean in two (I don't know if it was a Ford gear or not?). Probably one side at a time, the two loud crack noises.
That is the closest I ever was to a major disaster on a major tour. The near disaster that wasn't more than a minor crash.
Do drive carefully, and enjoy! W2

Finally got all the pieces rounded up and assembled. Everything except the book on the rear end that was on back order. I had to use the t bible and it got it back together. However it dosent say a whole lot about what to do if it won't turn when you tighten the two housing halfs together. Loose the ring gear turns free. I haven't put the drive shaft on yet either. Tight the ring gear won't budge. Same thrust washers as before. Only thing I can think of is the gasket between the halves. But it would take a ton of them to get the slack I need to spin free. Ideas?

It happened to be too. Pinon gear split but the ring gear threw it through the housing. It left me free wheeling down a hill toward a red light.

Evidence on the pinon suggested a casting flaw but I believe I also had either improper backlash or the pinon was not set properly.

I was out of town for a while so my nephew put it back together.

I am pulling the rear axle soon to check it out for myself.

The axle book is sold everywhere. If one dealer is out, somebody else probably has it.

Almost sounds like one of the thrust washer stacks is out of register with the dowel pins, causing that stack to sit up too high and use up all the clearance.

The stack on the passenger side needs to be stuck together with some grease so that it stays in position on the dowel pins when you lower the passenger side housing down over the inner Hyatt bearing.