DODGE RAM FORUM banner

Howling/whining in rear end

8K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  dbmorris22 
#1 ·
Just recently i have started to hear a howling sound when i start from a dead stop. It sounds like it is coming out of the rear of the truck. When it first started it sounded like i had a hole somehwere and the wind was going through it and making a howling sound. The other day i went and got a load of mulch and everytime i would go from a dead it was super load and sounded more like a whinning then a howling. Before i started hearing the sound i had replaced the oil in my rear diff. I looked at the magnet and no shavings. Everything looked good. I thought that my seal might be going bad on the passanger side of the axle but it looked good. Could the seal make that kind of noise? The bearings looked alright when i took the shaft out but i was not looking very closy at them. Does any body have any idea what would be cause this noise. I can only hear it when i start and it seems to quit once i shift into second. it happens more often when under a load. I did just recently change one of the ujoints and the rear shocks. The pinion seems to have no play so i dont think that is the problem. I also do have slight vibrations when driving betweem 50-60 not sure if it is the same problem. Thoughts?
 
#2 ·
I'd want to rule out wheel bearing. The only differential failures that I've seen were caused by running dry, leaving out the plug.
 
#3 ·
speaking from experience, my truck suffered from the same symptoms and after some investigation I found my rear pinion yolk nut had worked loose. I removed my drive line from the rear differential, put my torque wrench on the pinion nut torqued it to the recommended spec, gave it a test drive, problem solved. I also pulled the rear differential cover to check for metal and damage, everything looked good filled the differential with Royal Purple 75/140 oil. Good luck hope you solve your problem.
 
#4 ·
I have been planning on taking the rear diff cover off to look at everything again and then replacing the wheel bearings if needed. I drove to MI today with a load in the back of the truck. With the load I get sounds more often. It only happens between 0-20MPH and also if I accelerate while turning left or right there is never a sound. But as soon as I take off in a straight line I get the noise. Now that the load is no longer on the truck I only hear it once and a while but still only on a straight line when starting. I am starting to think that it is something in the pinion being loose. I will have to check the nut. I do have play in the drive shaft where it connects to the differential. When I checked the ujoints which are very easily moving with no play. When the drive shaft was off I turned the pinion bearing and it have about a 1/4" of play. Is that normal? Any other thoughts?
 
#5 ·
So I took everything apart again. The differential all looked great no shavings all the bearings looked good. No play in the pinion. The U joints are all free flowing and seems to be great. I still am getting a howl only when I start off. This is driving me crazy. As soon as I let off of the gas it goes away. I feel like it has to be drive shaft related with the differential. I did put 85/140 in the differential with the additivie. Could the type of gear oil I am using be causing the problem?
 
#6 ·
did you put in any LSD additive in it?
it won't hurt anything if you put it in a differential that does Not require it,
it will sure help a differential that requires it
check your owners manual for the proper amount

this is what one person wrote in here

LSD you need a Posi-Trac additive. You can go to the local autozone and get Trans-X Posi-Trac Additive, or a similar product, it's an additive for the LSD clutch's etc. Anyway's the weight depends on the temperture that the truck will most likely operate in and what kind of use for the truck. If you do alot of towing I think you would use 75-140, I use 80-90 because I can use it in both high and low temp environments, but their is some restrictions such as if I do towing but the oil will still do it's job just might get a little bit hotter.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top