Noise under hood... lost the rear end!!

[roperteacher]

Well, I just got back from the dealer regarding my noise under the hood and the contaminated rear diff fluid on my 04. 5 4x2 11. 5" 3. 73... . Well, the noise WAS coming from the rear end. Tech said fluid definately should not be BLACK/GREY in color for only 2200 miles! He said he didn't even need to pull the cover that he knew for sure it was a pinon, bearings, plate of some sort, basically the whole rear end is shot at 2200 miles! He said he has NEVER hear of one going out with the amount of miles I had and that type of rear end. His explanation was that most likely it was defective from the factory etc... THey asked if I had pulled a trailer ( Which I had) but only after 1,000 miles of driving first. Anyway, going to take 4 days to get the parts... DO I need to break the new rear end in as well??????? I guess this tech knew the problem w/o even having to think twice about it! Thanks!

 

[klenger]

DO I need to break the new rear end in as well???????

Unless you want to buy the next one. At least they are taking care of it.

 

[roperteacher]

OK..... from the experts..... HOW MANY MILES DOES THIS TRUCK NEED TO BE BROKE IN????? How many shall I go for the NEW rear end to be broke in so I call pull a trailer?? The dealer I bought it from said get in it and drive the heck out of it. . even pull a trailer. I waited 700 miles as directed by the owners manual before using this one!! SO how many miles would you guys suggest???

 

[Prairie Dog]

500 miles is enough. BTW, Your problem wasn't caused by anything you did so if I were you I'd just drive it like you normally do.

 

[Big MAK]

You don't need a break in period to pull the trailer. Just one of those questions those guys are used to asking. Wouldn't matter if it had 10 miles on it or 10,000.

 

[XJSuperman]

Explain to me the logic behind not needing to break in gears... where'd you learn it????

The cummins diesel does not require a break in period BUT new gears NEED BREAKING in... doesn;t matter what vehicle you drive. That is EXACTLY why the owners manuals state:



for the 1st 500 miles DO NOT TOW. For the 1st 500 miles of TOWING (after the initial 500 miles of NOT TOWING) stay at or under 50 MPH. The gears need to be broken in. This is no different from doing a gear swap... it needs it.



Sure... people do it and don;t have trouble... but it looks like cheap insurance to me... I had 500 miles on my truck before the end of the first week I owned it. I'm not an expert on these trucks like some folks here BUT having had re-geared vehicles. . or vehciles with new rear and/or front ends put in them... they ALL required a break in period... no ifs ands or buts.

 

[roperteacher]

Sounds like a mixed opinion to me!! Don't you just love America!!??!!! What if this were a medical docs discussion board and we were discussing new plastic hearts or something?? LOLOL Yea, play tennis tomorrow if ya like. . No... . I'd wait a few months! LOLOL I'll try to get 500 on her before a tow!!! LIke I said above, I did wait over 500, BUT when I finally did hook up... away I went at normal hwy speeds pulling a gooseneck horse trailer, loaded 4 3 horses. . combined weight of trailer and horses... about 7500 lbs... . Pulled hills, 70 on the flats etc... . I'll be nicer this time. . but none of my other dodges cared. . just the new baby!!

 

[Jengle]

Follow the owners manual. You are starting out with a new rear end, just like the day you picked it up. That way, DC can't have an issue with how you drove it.

 

[catoiler]

Well my rear is shot at 12,500 miles and has been since about 1,500 miles. Took it to the dealer at 1500 miles tech said nothing wrong! I knew better but they are the experts so kept driving! I did not start towing heavy till about 10,000 miles. These rears are not as good as the dana in my opinion.

 

[doldenburg]

break it in? yea right. i see all the mid and heavy duty trucks running around empty to break them all the time.

 

[RobbieH]

The rear ends going out is a common issue, and is not related to break-in period for most cases I believe. After having mine replaced, I used it just like I did the first one and I have no issues. I do believe a gear set should be broken in, and I follow these guidelines:



http://www.ring-pinion.com/tech/techg0698.html

 

[roperteacher]

Oh my gosh! I just read the article linked above! I can't believe it! I'm supposed to STOP every few miles to let the rear end cool off? I can see the 500 mile break in period ( Which is a hassle, but I am willing to do it) and I can see driving at slower speeds the first hundred miles... but wow!!!! It's like we're not suposed to USE these high powered trucks. . I think they need to find a rear end ( And other parts) THat can KEEP UP with the CUMMINS!!!

 

[catoiler]

Think about this; when have you seen a semi break in a rear end before they hook up 65,000 and head on down the road?

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

I suspect the gears and bearings in a differential get settled pretty quickly, compared to engine components - that being said, probably even the big rigs would experience a higher percentage of differential failures if they immediately loaded them to the max, then headed them up over the Sierra or Rockies! Usually, by the time we get a few daily driver miles, and the trailer towing accessories installed, the differential is well settled and ready to go - but I still like to do a drain and refill early on with a new differential - and DERNED WELL would where one had been replaced, and there was a chance there might still be some random contamination and junk being circulated in the housing...

 

[bulabula]

I'm a firm believer in trying to maintain a break-in process/schedule for all the parts in the drivetrain (not just the engine); and doing an early oil change ESPECIALLY on those pieces of equipment that don't have a filtered lube system. Magnets are not a panacea in solving differential ills.

 

[CumminsAholic]

I have a buddy with an 04 and his rear end made noise since new also. They (dodge) replaced it, under 2,000 miles. So there's another one to add to the list. As for breaking it in, he didn't tow anything and it went bad.

Corey

 

[Big MAK]

Mea Culpa. Break it in. I speak from my point of view that I usually have over 500 miles on a new truck in a week -- but I still wouldn't go out of my way to break it in. Is it the smart thing? Sure. But the smartest thing is to just not rag on it before everything seats nicely.

 

[Jengle]

Just hit 13k and decided to change out the front and rear differential lube. Oil I drained was clean and the magnets only had trace metals on them.

 

[R.M.THOMPSON]

Until someone actually takes the temp of a diff. after a few minute run with a set of "0 mile"gears , they will probally remain a skeptic and non-beleiver. Randy's ring and pinion is not saying this a complicated procedure, just merely take about an hour of your time . A couple of short trips with a little lay over to let the heat disapate. Black oxide gear coatings settle out of the oil quick and that is were the early oil change helps. I am a believer , about a ten mile trip on a new gear set yielded close to 190 degree temps,next trip maybe 125 and then about 110 forever after. Unloaded of course. Why risk it? If I had not stopped to let the diff cool down,would it have peaked before the lube broke down or the teeth lost any temper,probally would have,just did'nt feel like risking it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!