GEN 1 Rear Differential Whine on 2014

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Xlr8tin

Xlr8tin

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Is the whine constant? Does it change when you let off the gas? It could be a bearing or the gears themselves.

I know it sounds weird, but I would call around to some heavy duty, like 18 wheeler places that specialize in driveshafts and gears. Those guys can do anything. Unless it's under warranty, then go to dealer.

Installing new gears is not a rookie DIY type job unfortunately. I've done a bunch, it requires special tools and there are 100 ways to do it wrong, and 1 way to do it right.

After watching a few videos, although they make it looks easy I don't think it will be something I can do after all since many tools I don't have right now would make my life miserable.


I am dealing with this on a local guys truck. In the case of his truck the input side bearing has play. To me that means full rebuild and here is why: If one bearing has play that means that hardened bearing material has probably gone through every other bearing in the axle, the metal plug works pretty good but it isn't perfect. If you're going to tear into the axle for inspection you can have the other bearings checked, but I would plan on all the bearings and seals at a minimum. Ring and pinion should also be inspected, the tolerances will have to be checked and set when new bearings are put in so a little wear isn't a huge deal.

The good news is any 4x4, truck or axle shop can do this job for you no problem. The 9.75 in these is very common and most shops will have experience with it, it's also simple.

This seems to be more of a problem with the supercharged trucks. More power=more maintenance. Let it go to long and you will probably break the R&P due to slop being introduced.

Yea that makes sense. The ****** part is it has to be up on a lift and cover taken off just to find out. That right there commits me to that shop since it has to be resealed and fluid filled just to drive it away. It will take 3 weeks to get to that point around here with the lack of shops that can do it...So not being able to do it myself is really ******** me on this. I have to drive it. I have zero option so by the time it is in the air it should be thoroughly broken

check sdhq they sell nitro gears and install kits. if its a constant whine/whirl then its a bearing. if its a clunk then its a broken gear. how many miles are on the truck?

if its a constant whine/whirl you can still drive it but its going to get even louder and continue to do damage to other parts.

if its a clunk/grinding then its gears.

you can do a rebuild kit which contains bearing seals, bolts, and so on but best bet is going to be new ring and pinon too as the installer will be able to set the rear end up based on new specs not worn specs. biggest thing is make sure you take it to a known good rear end shop. a run of the mill service center that doesn't get the backspacing right. or just uses the old shims and a new crush sleeve will leave you with a still noisy rear end.

i could go on and on.. let me know if yo have questions.

It's a constant whine at cruising speeds with the gas on. Letting off the gas seems to quiet it a bit. Like I said above, I have to drive it until I can get it fixed. I'm hoping it is just bearing and seals and that a rebuild kit will fix it. I'll have to wait at least 3 weeks just to get it looked at.

A high pitched whine noise is typically pinion bearing failure. A rear axle rebuild is not a DIY unless you have extensive experience and the required tools. Setting the pinion depth, preload, backlash, and side bearing preload all require precision, and even with everything in spec you still need to verify contact pattern.

If only the pinion bearings have failed, any decent shop should be able to repair it properly. If the ring and pinion are damaged, you will want to find a shop that specializes in driveline/differential repair. Note that many aftermarket R&P sets do not match OE quality and can be noisy even when properly set up.

As of right now I am set to have it at a transmission shop. I wish I had better resources to find a shop that specializes in just this, but I don't think that is possible. I've been doing all the work myself on my truck until now so finding a specialized mechanic hasn't been a need yet. There's no way it's going to the dealer since they told me 3-4 months
 

MrGable27

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Fwiw, a diff rebuild on my Cobra’s 8.8” rear end was like $900 at every shop I asked about. I’d try to go OEM, but Yukon makes nice stuff too.
 

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Interested to hear how this pans out - just noticed that mine has a bit of a whine when I let off the gas (most noticeable at highway speeds).

Good luck, OP!
 
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Xlr8tin

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check sdhq they sell nitro gears and install kits. if its a constant whine/whirl then its a bearing. if its a clunk then its a broken gear. how many miles are on the truck?

if its a constant whine/whirl you can still drive it but its going to get even louder and continue to do damage to other parts.

if its a clunk/grinding then its gears.

you can do a rebuild kit which contains bearing seals, bolts, and so on but best bet is going to be new ring and pinon too as the installer will be able to set the rear end up based on new specs not worn specs. biggest thing is make sure you take it to a known good rear end shop. a run of the mill service center that doesn't get the backspacing right. or just uses the old shims and a new crush sleeve will leave you with a still noisy rear end.

i could go on and on.. let me know if yo have questions.

Oh yea, I'll check out SDHQ. I haven't been on their site yet
 
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Xlr8tin

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Interested to hear how this pans out - just noticed that mine has a bit of a whine when I let off the gas (most noticeable at highway speeds).

Good luck, OP!
Yea, I can keep everyone posted. I found a Diesel shop down the road that does rear ends. I lucked out. However, they are still 3 weeks out. I'm going to go with them since I know they are doing well over there and are literally down the road. I'm trying to get them to get back to me on a rough quote for doing a rebuild and doing a rebuild plus ring and pinion. Fingers crossed. Then I get that I will post
 

Christyle

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You could pull the cover and check it yourself with simple tools in your driveway without a lift. Grab a lubelocker gasket and you don't have to worry about resealing it with RTV, which isn't too hard anyway. That being said, you won't be able to see much by pulling the cover unless it's chewed or chunked your gears. You cant tell bearing condition easily without taking it all apart. If it happens on accel, i'm guessing it's your pinion bearing(s) going out due to the likely additional use of your party pedal. I'd guess a shop specializing in rear end set up would be about a grand to do the work, maybe more with OEM parts.

I've had a whine on mine coasting at lower speeds ever since I got it about 1.5 yrs ago. Taken it on many trips, towed heavy and light loads, and taken it offroad, still the same volume and tone. I'm not sold on it being the rear end, but I havent had time to really get into locating it. If the noise isnt getting worse, I'm not going to worry too much, and pretend I didn't hear it.
 

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A high pitched whine noise is typically pinion bearing failure. A rear axle rebuild is not a DIY unless you have extensive experience and the required tools. Setting the pinion depth, preload, backlash, and side bearing preload all require precision, and even with everything in spec you still need to verify contact pattern.

If only the pinion bearings have failed, any decent shop should be able to repair it properly. If the ring and pinion are damaged, you will want to find a shop that specializes in driveline/differential repair. Note that many aftermarket R&P sets do not match OE quality and can be noisy even when properly set up.
You could pull the cover and check it yourself with simple tools in your driveway without a lift. Grab a lubelocker gasket and you don't have to worry about resealing it with RTV, which isn't too hard anyway. That being said, you won't be able to see much by pulling the cover unless it's chewed or chunked your gears. You cant tell bearing condition easily without taking it all apart. If it happens on accel, i'm guessing it's your pinion bearing(s) going out due to the likely additional use of your party pedal. I'd guess a shop specializing in rear end set up would be about a grand to do the work, maybe more with OEM parts.

I've had a whine on mine coasting at lower speeds ever since I got it about 1.5 yrs ago. Taken it on many trips, towed heavy and light loads, and taken it offroad, still the same volume and tone. I'm not sold on it being the rear end, but I havent had time to really get into locating it. If the noise isnt getting worse, I'm not going to worry too much, and pretend I didn't hear it.
yup ^THIS^. taking a cover off isnt going to tell a shop anything beyond if its massive chunked gears... bearings are behind everything and need to be taken out to understand condition. better off just calling around and asking for a rear end rebuild. expect about $1k. you can save yourself some time if you go aheah and buy at least fluids, and a gear install kit from nitro. drop it off to the best shop you can find with the parts that way if they deam the gears fine they can started reinstall then and not wait 3 weeks for parts while your truck is on a lift./
 

dillard09

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I'm betting its your pinion bearing. I had mine go out in both rears of my 13 and 17 Raptor.
My friend owns Exodus 4x4 in New Braunfels. He did my 17 last year when it went out. Went ahead and swapped in a set of Yukon gears as well.
 
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Xlr8tin

Xlr8tin

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You could pull the cover and check it yourself with simple tools in your driveway without a lift. Grab a lubelocker gasket and you don't have to worry about resealing it with RTV, which isn't too hard anyway. That being said, you won't be able to see much by pulling the cover unless it's chewed or chunked your gears. You cant tell bearing condition easily without taking it all apart. If it happens on accel, i'm guessing it's your pinion bearing(s) going out due to the likely additional use of your party pedal. I'd guess a shop specializing in rear end set up would be about a grand to do the work, maybe more with OEM parts.

I've had a whine on mine coasting at lower speeds ever since I got it about 1.5 yrs ago. Taken it on many trips, towed heavy and light loads, and taken it offroad, still the same volume and tone. I'm not sold on it being the rear end, but I havent had time to really get into locating it. If the noise isnt getting worse, I'm not going to worry too much, and pretend I didn't hear it.

Yea I am tempted to just keep driving it like this after the quote I just got and I know it is a hell no I'll pass kind of quote. The Diesel shop I mentioned above told me $2600 and change to change everything. So now I am scrambling around to find a second more down to earth option. At this point I'm not spending that much on something like this. I can buy a lot with that kind of money.

Opening the cover myself isn't going to help me out any so I'd rather not try. And finding a rear end specialized shop doesn't seem as easy as some of you guys make it out to be. No one has Rear end in their shop name...So transmission shops are probably the only ones unless I am missing something more obvious

yup ^THIS^. taking a cover off isnt going to tell a shop anything beyond if its massive chunked gears... bearings are behind everything and need to be taken out to understand condition. better off just calling around and asking for a rear end rebuild. expect about $1k. you can save yourself some time if you go aheah and buy at least fluids, and a gear install kit from nitro. drop it off to the best shop you can find with the parts that way if they deam the gears fine they can started reinstall then and not wait 3 weeks for parts while your truck is on a lift./

If I were a rear end tech I would say opening the cover and looking while checking backlash and other key components would be helpful to be able to see in. But for me, opening that cover won't tell me much. The truck drives great and normal as it should with only a whine so I am not leaning towards gears. A professional would most likely be able to tell just from looking at that and with a little time with the cover being off should have it diagnosed, correct?

The quote I just got was $2600 and that is to replace everything including the R&P. So right now I am wondering if I should do what you mentioned and get the rebuild kit with all of the parts included and drop it off at a different shop.

Also, can anyone tell me what gear ratio you would suggest? I think stock is 4.11?


I'm betting its your pinion bearing. I had mine go out in both rears of my 13 and 17 Raptor.
My friend owns Exodus 4x4 in New Braunfels. He did my 17 last year when it went out. Went ahead and swapped in a set of Yukon gears as well.

Yea, I had a 17 that did the exact same thing. Problem now is the 17 was under warranty and now I'm out of pocket. The said they replaced the whole thing and I didn't ask for specifics since it was a warranty job. Where can I get these yukon gears everyone speaks of?
 
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