I would look for runout on the driver’s side at the transmission. I suspect a damaged side gear in the differential unit. The side gears are orange in this drawing. The orange gears are in the center, the side seals are also orange on the outside.

 

Thank you, sir.

I will check and report back.

 

Oh, the splines do not fit "into" anything, they mesh with and are driven by the side gears.... . Guess I'm finally learning transmission/drivetrain.. it's about time. Thank you.

 

Any metal generated by this repair will show up on the transmission drain plug not the transfer case plug. You can see by the drawing that the passenger side shaft passes through the transfer case and is driven by the other differential side gear. You can take the driveshaft running to the rear diff out and the Escape becomes front wheel drive. The transfer case is driven by splines on the side of the carrier itself. You can see the external splines in the drawing on the blue carrier. They mesh with and drive the transfer case.

 

Thank you, Andy.
This is all the stuff I have never taken the time to learn.
They did a transmission fluid drain and fill before giving the car back to me. So I may never know.

Thank you again.

 

Anytime, I still have access to the Ford site.

 

Late to the game, but I've always used a block of wood and a 3 pound hammer to seat axles. I've never had a failure like that, but have only replaced 6 that I can recall over the years.

 

Found it.
The axle shaft between the two boots on the driver's CV has quite a wobble to it

Did not see excessive movement of the driver's side axle shaft with a buddy working the gas. Maybe a tiny bit on the pass side by the carrier.

Rotating each wheel by hand produced the same engagement. No weird spots.

Ya know, Rube,
I asked you twice to come up and help me with this and.....

I thought I'd damage something with that much force. Another lesson learned, thank you.

 

I'm sorry derf. I can't leave the house for more than a couple of hours a day anymore. Re is on two blood thinners and she's constantly scratching herself and bleeding for hours. I cringe every time that she picks up a knife or a pair of scissors. Between her and the dog, I've become a frigging owl. I have to keep my head on a swivel to make sure Re isn't bleeding and an eye on the dog because she has melanoma and needs surgery. I'm taking a home equity loan to pay for THAT. It's always something that keeps me tied to this house. I promise I'd help you with all of that stuff if my plate wasn't full.

 

Sorry to hear that about Re n the pup.
You know I'm just pulling your chain.....