I was listening to a weird noise from my truck comming from DS/Diff, it sounded like if my rpm was higher than it was suppose to be and then when I slowly went to a stop, the noise level cool off too. I took it to the dealership and they said it was the differential unit and that most 01 trucks had a problem and it was common. Just to open the differential and to inspect they charged $350. So I took it to my mechanic and said it was the DS. Could it be both? One or the other? One more thing, if you have any instructions on how to open/inspect your differential and check for problems please send me a link to it.

01 Ram Quad cab

 

Hmmm thats over my head. Send a PM to steve00ram360 or silverdodge. They both like to get take things apart... lol

 

Ive decided to take a look at the differential myself and add new gear oil and clean this pumpkin. But first I would need what kind of gear oil should I use also should I add an additive? My truck is a 01 1500 Quad cab 5.2 liter and the gear ratio is 3.55.

 

do you have a LSD? gotta find out if you do or not...i made the mistake of not knowing and running my rearend for 2000 miles with no LSD friction additive in it which is horrible for the clutchplates inside... best thing to do is get a build sheet for your truck... do a search for buildsheet in this forum and youll find details on how to get one..took me 2 days to get mine... VERY helpfull especially if your not the orignal owner.. i think i used the Mopar rear end gear oil and there additive.. the stealership sold it to me..cant remmeber the weight of it though... i know steve00 swears by all modbile synth. products... do a search for diff fluid and you can see what most fellas use and there thoughts about it... as goes for alot of other stuff too!!!! welcome to DF!!!

 

Lets say I dont have a LSD can I still add the additive w/out causing any problems to my truck or would it not affected at all

 

You can put the addative in there if you don't have it, won't hurt anything. Any 80-90W gear oil works to refill it

 

is it like a squeeling sound. it might be you have a warn out bushing in there. did you get any water in there? did the fluid come out gray?

 

You can do a general inspection yourself.If you drive in a tight circle is it worse going one way than the other? U-Joints are ok? No play in the main pinion gear shaft?Rear brakes seem to function ok?After you pull the diff cover off, on the 1/2 ton 9.25 ,there is a magnet at the inner bottom of the housing, check it for chunks of metal,check the oil for metal also. If there are metal pieces in there, check your gears for any broken teeth, if they are ok and you have an LSD, you probably have a Trac-Loc, inspect both clutch packs using a flashlite to see in the LSD unit, [where the 4 small gears are,clutch packs are behind the axle shaft gears], normally the innermost clutch pack compression ring will be cracked or broke if the truck has over 70,000 miles on it,if you find it in the bottom of the diff it is easy to recognize-looks like busted piece of a flat washer,just larger.If you find some small wavy or u-shaped pieces it will be the LSD clutch pack retainers - If it was a axle c-clip you would have most likely lost an axle by now.EITHER OF THESE CONDITIONS REQUIRE IMMEDIATE REPAIR. 9.25 and Dana 60 diffs both have had this type of LSD factory installed.If all of that is ok,you probably have a bad bearing. With the axle supported on jack stands, you can rotate the tire by BY HAND to see if you can feel any grinding or hear any abnormal noise and track it down ,have a friend watch the ring and pinion gears for any up/down/side play while you rotate the axle,make sure it is in neutral and front tires securely blocked,don't want it rolling away from you or ON YOU.To check for ring/pinion backlash you would need some special tools, for bearing pre-load you would need a torque wrench and appropriate values.......This is as far as I recommend you should go if you do not have any experience working with diffs........To check your wheel bearings and axle shafts on the 9.25 you will need to remove your tires,brake drums and pinion gears pinion shaft [ the 2 small gears you see inside the diff housing oriented in a vertical position], these gears have a short pinion shaft holding them into the housing,remove the keeper bolt for the pinion shaft,you may have to rotate the axles to get clearance to pull out the pinion shaft,when you pull out the pinion shaft the gears will probably stay in place unless you rotate the assembly which then the gears and thrust washers will fall out,you do not want this to occur as these are usually pre-loaded if it is an LSD and can be difficult to re-install depending on how much wear the clutch packs have on them. If it's not an LSD then no worry.Push on the outside end of your axle towards the diff and you can remove the c-clip that holds the axle in place[inside of the diff housing at the end of the axle shaft], now you can remove the axle to check it for wear or galling, normally if the either the axle or bearing is bad they both are.Replace the seal to.Easiest way to remove the bearing is with a slide hammer with appropriate attachment.MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS CLEAN, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHERE AND HOW EVERY PART GOES,re-assemble,clean diff cover and diff mating surfaces,apply sealer,install cover and fill with recommended oil. If you have never been into an axle I highly recommend you don't unless you have a friend that has had some experience with them and can help you.

 

Question on this.....

i am re-installing the diff. and noticed by chance that the washers had slipped. due to inexperience i turned the the axel to get to the hole for the pinion shaft, and the gears moved and the washers slipped.

what is my course now? i am going to take it onto aamco to have them reasssemble it. fu**!!!

95 an hr.


did i misalign it or is it a quik fix?

please, some advice for a novicefrom the real experts.