lost oil from differential
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lost oil from differential
Somehow the rubber plug came out and the oil or most of it exited the diff. 1998 Dodge Dakota 2WD auto V6 3.92 posi rear end. I travelled approximately 3miles before pulling over and having it hooked to shop. Oil was replaced and anti friction put in.. Noticeable howl between 30 mph and 70 mph then most disappears. I am going to replace axle assembly, however I would like to know if the unit I am removing is worth reparing, and what would be the obvious damage to start with. Is the howl a result of spiders, axle gears, pinion bearing or worse, or all ? Tks. pls contact me at e-mail addrees. tu.
Champion
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 4,839
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From: Apex, NC
Welcome to DodgeForum!!
I'll move this thread to the 2nd Gen Dakota section for you.
The howling is very unlikely to be the spider gears because they only spin when you turn. It could be the ring and pinion, but more likely you killed a bearing or two when it ran out of oil.
As for fixing yours... if you know how to do it yourself, I think it would be worth fixing it yourself. If you can't, and need a shop to do it, I would suggest getting a whole new axle because it would be cheaper.
I'll move this thread to the 2nd Gen Dakota section for you.
The howling is very unlikely to be the spider gears because they only spin when you turn. It could be the ring and pinion, but more likely you killed a bearing or two when it ran out of oil.
As for fixing yours... if you know how to do it yourself, I think it would be worth fixing it yourself. If you can't, and need a shop to do it, I would suggest getting a whole new axle because it would be cheaper.
Last edited by 95_318SLT; Apr 21, 2010 at 10:44 PM.
My noise and shuddering I was experiencing was coming from my pinion bearing. Similar thing happened to me, but my oil was coming from the cover and I didn't catch it soon enough. Unfortunately when the pinion bearing seized up, it started spinning on the pinion (The inner race is supposed to sit still). Therefore, it chewed up the shaft of the pinion gear. New ring and pinions can be obtained. Just make sure it's the same axle size and you can choose whichever ratio you want (there will be changes in performance and speed due to the change in ratio). I was on a time budget so I opted for a salvaged rear end. I still have my old rear end. I'm just going to part it out. You can get a bearing replacement kit for approximately $180 (that's what mine cost). It will be a bit of a pain to rebuild the differential, but totally doable. Haynes has a repair manual called "Suspension, Steering, & Driveline Manual" found @ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/156...ef=oss_product for $24.95. It shed a lot of light on rebuilding a rear differential assembly (bearings and seals and gears).