TSB on Rear Diff Howl?

[Brett Maverick]

My '03 was made in OCT 02, and at about 4-5 K, the rear dif started that annoying gear howl. It's now approaching 9K, and it has only gotten worse. The dealer is going to do an open and inspect after receiving some parts. Does anyone know of a TSB covering this topic?



Thanks,

Brett.

 

[Southbound]

Be careful!!

Hey Brett!! I had to respond to your post. If the dealer decides to rebuild your axle make sure you get an whole new gear set. I went round and round with a dealer on my old truck that basically had to have a new axle housing because I hit some debris on the road. Basically they tried to "re-set" the original gear set and were unsuccessfull after 6 attempts. The dealer actually suggested that I take my truck to an axle shop and have them fix it and they would pay for the repairs. While dealing with all of this I spoke to a engineer with Dana/Spicer who stated that it is next to impossible to re-set an old gear set once it has patterned itself. Bascially a gear set will make a pattern in the gears through break-in... ... ... . once it is dismantled it is very hard to rebuild the gear-set and match the original pattern. Hope this make sense. NOTE: The axle company that fixed my truck agreeded totally with what the engineer stated at Dana..... which is why the dealer had such a time. The dealer even tried different lubes but the howling sound was toooo loud. Once I had my axle fixed I racked up 75k miles on that gear set and never heard a peep out of the axle. One last thing if your gear set is bad on your axle I would suggest that you replace the carrier bearings as well... ... ... they will take a lot of wear if your gear set is coming apart. This is my . 02 worth. Sorry so long.



Southbound

 

[bmoeller]

Check the fluid level in the diff. Many were not checked before selling. If it is low, take it in to dealer before adding more oil. That way they will have to pay for it if damaged from lack of lubrication.