This is what happens when your pinion preload losens up: Rear end Noise

Let me know if you have any questions about this. Even if you dont have this problem its a good thing to know.

I had the gears in the rear end of my ram 3500 changed and after 500 miles the pinion preload loosened up. I was getting a distinct wine while slowing down but could not determine the cause of the sound. In the 1 ton truck with extended bed and cab the differential is waaay behind you. So i strapped a camera to the underside of the truck and went for a drive. In this video what you are seeing is accelerating up to about 50 MPH then letting off the gas. No braking until the end at all. The noise you hear is all differential.

I took the truck back to my mechanic and sure enough the pinion preload had loosened up. After a quick tighten and re torque the truck was running quiet again.

If your only symptom is a whine while slowing down preload on the pinion is a good place to start. I am not sure what it would sound like on a smaller gearset tho, This truck has an 11.5 inch ring and pinion set so the gears are a bit noisy to begin with.

This is my ram 3500 dully diesel I had it fixed at Mid Michigan Transmission and the guys there are great!

[lonecrusaider]

I think this gets overlooked but lets give a shoutout to GOPRO for making a camera that can do what we have done for generations by ear.

[garrettslizzy]

Dude I kid you not I had the same exact noise with my truck after I replace the driveshaft you joints and the yolk. I was about to take it to a shop because I was so pissed off I even contemplated selling it. After watching this I removed the driveshaft and tighten down the bolt next thing I know the noise is gone and it runs perfectly fine. Thank you so much!

[MR-dvms]

Mate this video just saved me money and stress, I dropped the prop shaft and the pinion nut was loose. Tightened and presto perfect

[kaydec]

#1 way to fix strange noises:


Make your exhaust louder than any unnatural noise. Fixes everything

[Proer]

The label on the drive shaft outlasted the differential.

[carlossoto]

Dude, this video saved me. I was just about to order a bearing rebuild kit just before i seen this, and sure enough the pinion nut was near hand tight. Tightened her up and quiet as a church mouse. Thanks for the video man! 👍✌

[wannabecarguy]

Clearly google has heard my rear differential and be like... recommend..

[eithanwooden]

You good sir have saved my life, money and time. This has had me, my dad, and a mechanic stumped for 3 days. Just to find out it's a loose nut

[easygoing]

Lots of guys asking how tight to get that pinion nut if it's loose. Just do it like we done it down in southern Illinois - tighten it just enough to where the threads on the pinion shaft poke out through the front of your radiator about 1/8". That's about right.

[DoItMyselfGarage]

Always accelerate, never slow down, problem solved.

[Tshizzleo]

Getting the same thing on my 04 grand cherokee. This confirms my diagnosis.

[metalheadrelic]

Thanks for sharing this. Trying to convince my cousin that the 8.8 Ford we swapped into the rear of my Jeep Cherokee is not set up correctly. Bought it from a guy who sets them up for various vehicle axle swaps and learned he doesn't do any actual shimming or setting preload, he just "wings it" according to my cousin. I believe there's too much endplay in the pinion because it doesn't have adequate shims or not enough preload on the pinion bearing itself. It makes this exact noise every time you let off the throttle. I'll share this video with my cousin since he insisted he didn't need to drive the vehicle to hear it for himself before we dropped it off @ 4WP for some other work to be done. Last night he told me I should just drive it through the break in period because 4WP tearing into it is going to cost me more money. Uh, I'd rather have them tear it apart and set them up right than have an issue with it down the road, like on the HIGHWAY. Hindsight is 20/20, no wonder the guy sells his 8.8's so cheap. Guess it's gonna cost me isn't it... : (

[macmccune]

This noise bothered me so bad I tore a ford 8.8 back down again, even though I read people ran them for years like that no problem. Even read that professional shops have that issue sometimes with ford racing gears.
Noise got better but never went away. 4.10s was a silly idea once I started putting miles on that car anyway!

[irvinhernandez]

Wow solved I’ve changed and spent money tryna figure what it was any tips how to tighten

[dansmith]

God I love YouTube. I just put my Volvo 245 rearend back together and took it for a test drive. The whole ride it was smooth and quiet. Parked it for about a hour then went home, and on the way home this exact noise came from the rearend. Found this video and all my worries went away

[yurizaitsef]

Had a U joint break apart when my wife was driving on the freeway in my 1995 dodge ram 1500 5 speed. It broke at the rear axle and the drive shaft was flinging around hitting against the fuel tank which luckily had a steel shield around it since it was 4x4. That protected it but the transfercase was cracked and broken. The drive shaft flew out from under the truck and slid across 3 lanes of traffic. Got it back but man that was a shitshow. Luckily there was very light traffic and nobody got hurt.

[sdmac]

Sounds like my partner, and my truck's rearEND TOO. CLEARLY I need to replace it, and I mean both of them!!!! IM SERIOUSLY AFTER THAT LONG OF TIME, TIME FOR A NEW ONE, OR AN EXCHANGE WILL DO!!!! Thank you very much for sharing this with me.✌️🤠👍. More please.

[c-martz]

I think it is the rear bearing in the exhaust pipe bend. A lot of hot air hits it and causes premature failure under deceleration

[skipcampbell]

It reminds me of an old '71 F150 my dad had. 360 3 on the tree with first gear out! Learned how to drive with it. Probably had 300k hard miles on it. They don't make them like that anymore. Probably lucky to get 10 mpg with it. Just add gas and 30wt oil to it and run the snot out of it! Miss him and that old truck.

[salloroc]

Previous owner (yes I know, it's always the previous owner) changed pinion seal but couldn't spring for a new crush sleeve. Thanks guy, by the time I got it, the r&p are trashed.