Hey all, I've got a whining coming from the rear end. I have Isolated it to the differential. I have change both Pinon bearings and both diff bearing. But the whining is still there. I took it to the shop today and they quoted be $3500 to replace rear end. Is there any thing else I should check I'm thinking maybe pinon gear???? Thank you for the help. 2005 Ram 1500 2 wheel drive.

 

First, find another shop that quote is ridiculous even for an entire new axle .

Do you have the factory LSD? If so, then do a search on here for "C-Clips".

If the bearings have been replaced, then odds are it's the ring and pinion. I doubt you'll need a new carrier if it's just whining. Ring/Pinion and master install kit is about $600 labor included at reputable shops in my area...

 

Thank you. I thought that was way too high also, so I started searching salvage yards. I'll will definitely try a new shop. $600 seems a lot easier to swallow anyways.

 

did you do the first bearings yourself? if so the preload may not be set correctly you have the spanner nut type and its hard to get the exact preload. also did you check your backlash and gear pattern marks on your pinion and ring gear?

 

the ring and pinion are probably the culprits, with the bearings being shot and changed there could be an irregular wear pattern on the teeth causing the whining. If you can deal with the whining just leave it ans save some money.

 

Im assuming the preload and setup of the diff wasnt done right. Did you also replace the pinion nut each time you took it apart and back together?

 

I did do the work myself, so back lash and preload could be wrong. That is the main reason I brought it to a shop to see if they would set it correctly and they gave me the $3200 quote, I did not use a new pinion nut each time, is this recommended. As far as checking the pattern I guess you could say I used the old marks on the ring/pinion as a guide so it proably close. I was thinking that I may just drive till failure then I guess I will know what is wrong then thank you.

 

You should okay with the pinion depth since you're not changing the ring and pinion out, but yeah, I would agree that it seems the bearings may have been going and did some irregular wear on the ring which is causing the whining. A new nut is definitely recommended. It's a bit to swallow, but I'd get one at the dealer. That's one component (as well as the ring gear bolts) I would only trust with OEM parts. I don't have the specs for a 2500, but there are links to the service manual where you can check preload settings, backlash specs and the like. I would wager to say you already have some mileage on those "new" bearings so I wouldn't go by "new" bearing specs any more but perhaps a little on the high end of the "used" bearing specs.

 

Almost forgot, do you have an inch pound torque wrench? A must have for setting pinion preload.

 

differentials are one of the hardest things to setup. if your not experienced i would recommend taking it to a shop