If rear differential dies, can you still drive in 4wd?

[Carlos]

As the title is asking, if you manage to destroy your rear differential, can you put your truck in 4H and still drive?

 

[smritte]

Yes but. What exactly did you break?
Broken diff.
Tear down and remove broken diff parts first.
1. Pull rear drive shaft, if there's a flange bolted to transfercase, just unbolt driveshaft.
2. If the driveshaft slips into the transfercase, you loose all your fluid if you pull it. pull cover, remove broken parts, remove carrier, remove ring gear, reassemble. Driveshaft is still hooked to pinion. Pinon just free spins. I always recommend the transfercase here is moded for a rear flange. Now you can remove driveshaft without issue.

Broke axle Non C-clip.
Tear down, remove broken pieces. if the axle is not engaging the carrier. Do what ever it takes to make the rear driveshaft not power the carrier (see above). Reassemble and drive easy. The axle will bounce around but shouldn't cause any real damage.

C-Clip axles.
Hope you have spare parts. The carrier holds the axles in place with a c-clip. You break axle and it walks out by it self. This is why I tell everyone to buy chromoly axles. Especially those with C-clip.

I rarely see a broken diff. If it did break, it was abused for quite a while. I've seen pinion gears come unbolted and fall into the diff. That's a real party right there. In these cases, remove carnage, hope the housing isn't too bad, remove driveshaft, Stuff a rag into where the pinion was and drive on front end.
Mostly its axles and U-Joints. If you break those, you either need stronger or better maintenance. I use to carry extra U-Joints. I would wear mine out about once a year. I kept a few slightly worn ones with me. I must have given out at least a dozen to people broken on the trail.

I have done everything listed above at least once.
I have also trail fixed a C-Clip diff good enough to get him back to camp. It required make-shifting a hub and bearing to bolt to the rear axle housing. Not my best work and it was held on with 3 5/16 shaft bolts but it held.

 

[Steve Messer]

Is a differential tough to open up?

 

[smritte]

Open? Naw. 20 odd bolts on the cover and there it is. Beyond that gets tricky.