It was nice to come home from a business trip and find these goodies waiting on my front porch!
Diff question
- Thread starter rich_mc
- Start date
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33IMP
Well-Known Member
No porch pirates in your area, I guess.
So it's been several months, the car is back together, and I've put I'm guessing 1500 miles on the novice rebuilt rear end. It drives very well with no knocks or clunks from the rear. What I do have though is a bit of a ringing sound coming from the rear during cruising at highway speeds. It quiets down if I accelerate or decelerate, but then the ring returns once speed is stable again.
At first, I thought it might have just been new gears wearing in and they'd quiet down, but that hasn't happened. Most research I've done gives symptoms of noise while accelerating but quiet at cruise, which is the opposite of what I'm experiencing.
Thoughts on what I should look at? I did go back and find these notes from my build thread in February where I noted that preload was lighter than spec but any other shim combo I tried made it too tight. I'm ready/willing/able to tear it back apart and make adjustments, but just not sure what to look for and open for ideas. Maybe redo preload and see if I can get it in spec? If I can't, is tighter better than loose?
At first, I thought it might have just been new gears wearing in and they'd quiet down, but that hasn't happened. Most research I've done gives symptoms of noise while accelerating but quiet at cruise, which is the opposite of what I'm experiencing.
Thoughts on what I should look at? I did go back and find these notes from my build thread in February where I noted that preload was lighter than spec but any other shim combo I tried made it too tight. I'm ready/willing/able to tear it back apart and make adjustments, but just not sure what to look for and open for ideas. Maybe redo preload and see if I can get it in spec? If I can't, is tighter better than loose?
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cudamark
Well-Known Member
If they are Richmond ring and pinion, I've been told the Richmond pieces will slightly whine even when set up correctly
Thanks - these are a Hoosier gear from Doctor Diff... come to think of it, he's probably a guy I should be asking as well!
33IMP
Well-Known Member
I hate to say it, but,....
A friend who owned his own rearend shop told me....
1. Once gears make noise, they will ALWAYS make noise, no matter what is done to them afterward
2. Some gears (some brands) will always make noise, no matter how correct the setup, no matter how talented the technician.
A friend who owned his own rearend shop told me....
1. Once gears make noise, they will ALWAYS make noise, no matter what is done to them afterward
2. Some gears (some brands) will always make noise, no matter how correct the setup, no matter how talented the technician.
So maybe my novice level mechanic skills are NOT at fault... Thanks! LOL
33IMP
Well-Known Member
As I understand it, some of the offshore manufacturers are using different gear cutting tooling that skips some steps that used to be part of the process in oem gears. Not cut properly, not honed in properly.....noisy.
I went ahead and emailed with Doctor Diff and it sounds like I may have been off a couple thou on my pinion depth and may be S.O.L. on fixing it without another gear set since I've put so many miles on them already... Guess I'll just live with it and turn the radio up more unless/until it gets worse.
No big deal- it was a good experience to rebuild myself and I learned a lot, even if I got it partly wrong. At least it is functionally working well
No big deal- it was a good experience to rebuild myself and I learned a lot, even if I got it partly wrong. At least it is functionally working well
33IMP
Well-Known Member
Louder radio. Louder mufflers. Lol.
Maybe some of that kilmat stuff under the carpet!
I do already have the TTI Exhaust system for the car. It sounds pretty decent for a stock slant, but maybe I'll come up with something...
I do already have the TTI Exhaust system for the car. It sounds pretty decent for a stock slant, but maybe I'll come up with something...
You could try adjusting it and see what happens, what do you have to loose!
I have Dr Diff 3.23 gears in my recently rebuilt rear and it's quiet as a mouse.
The rebuilder was sure the gears were lower quality overseas gears and something about the cut.
He thought I would have to sacrifice pattern on one side (drive or coast)
And it would probably be noisey on the less concerning coast side.
When I went and picked it up he was very surprised that the pattern on both sides was great.
I have Dr Diff 3.23 gears in my recently rebuilt rear and it's quiet as a mouse.
The rebuilder was sure the gears were lower quality overseas gears and something about the cut.
He thought I would have to sacrifice pattern on one side (drive or coast)
And it would probably be noisey on the less concerning coast side.
When I went and picked it up he was very surprised that the pattern on both sides was great.
Good point - I'll put that on my "rainy weekend" to-do list in the near future - couldn't hurt anything I don't think!
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