Just curious, and I probably already know the answer. Can I pull my 4 year old axle's and bearings and re-use them for some tweaking on my gears? I have a whine between 55 and 65mph. Over that, it's fine. Let off the gas and it instantly stops. Information is a corp. 10 bolt, factory posi, stock axle's, 3.42 gears. Everything was re-built 4 years ago and had a good pattern and backlash. I did it myself. Say 2500 miles on it since. Anyways, any help would be great! If the gears are worn in already, I will probably just replace them with 3.73's as I don't drive on the highway that often. I would like to have 3.90's but I think they would be a little much. Overdrive is also on the wishlist for the future. Cam is 1500-6000 , I guess this has turned out to be a 2 part question.
Thanks

 

Yes you can reuse the seals if you can remove them without damage. Gear ratio's is something you just have to play with, since you don't do a lot of hwy driving anything will work. I've found over the years some rear ends will whine in a specific RPM range just as you describe, sometimes an adjustment will just move that range to a higher or lower speed.

 

It sounds like when you rebuilt your rear,you installed new bearings & seals on your axle shafts.If that is true,then yes,you can reuse them.They will be fine.If they are 42yrs-old,I would replace them while it is apart.The pinion seal should be fine too,if it was also replaced.You are only looking to adjust your gear settings.From the sounds of it,it sounds like the pinion is too deep into the mesh,or possibly something came loose & moved,if it wasn't making any noise initially.The gears might be fine.You won't know until you get it apart.I would check for any play or slop in the pinion first,then go from there.

 

FIRST thing take a picture of the pattern and put marking compound on after and take again some pictures of the pattern coast and drive side. TAKE a backlash reading also (TIP _ you have tio put brake cleaner on the gears in the area you are checking thwe backlash - You will get a false reading with fluid on the teeth.)

Everything Brian said Plus - Do a double check on the carrier preload. When removing the caps see if the carrier comes out with a hand tug or you need to pry it out with a bar? IT SHOULD need to be pried out some what.
check the pinion nut for looseness- if there is ANY in out play on the pinion there is a problem there too.

Like Brian said maybe just a smidgen too deep on he pinion PULL the bearing and measure the thickness tell us what it is -

Jim Mitschke
JD

 

Yes, I replaced all the seals and bearings. Had new ones pressed on. This will be a winter project. I have to say that it made that whine from day 1.
But at the time after all the work I did on it, I was burnt out and just wanted to drive her. I checked the pattern last year and it still looked good. ? Anyways, I will run a pattern check and show pictures before I tear it apart.
Thanks

 

If it made te noise from day one,you might not be able to save it,depending on how much you drove. And incorrect mesh can cause the gears to recut themselves,which can also give you a sharper knife-edge on the gears. If this occurs,there is not really much you can do because now there are two shapes to each tooth,instead of one.
Run the pattern and see what you get.