Rear end #3 DEAD!

Thanks for the help guys.

I talked to a guy that i know that used to have an offroad shop of his own and rebuilt differentials all the time.

He said get the race out, clean it all real good and put JB weld around it and snug everything back up and let it cure.

So, that is what i did. Got the race out, cleaned everything up real good, and let it set up for about 27 hours or so(bottle reccomend 15). Then I put the pinion seal back on, and tightened the yoke back up good.

When I put the driveshaft in, I noticed the U-Joint was good, but it was sliding back and forth in the yoke. When i took it out, I noticed that one of the strap bolts was loose and that the cap had been sliding back and forth some in the yoke. So i put it back in, and with the caps up against the tabs on the yoke that keep the caps from sliding out, the U-Joint has a good bit of back and forth play? I ended up putting some weld on the end of one of the caps to take the play out of it and made altered the stap a little to make sure it was clamping down hard on it.

I took the truck out for a drive and it is still smooth and doesent make any noise, but I still have a slight vibration only between 30 and 40mph. The pinion shaft is tight now.

So, now im not sure if the gears are worn because the shaft was a little loose, or if the U-Joint is causing the vibrating(and i almost think it is). It may be off center some how i have it in there now, but it is better than what it was. Im not going to drive it until i know for sure what it is. I may end up having to buy a new rear end, but if i can find a yoke to try on my rear end(because I think that is why the U-Joint isnt seating tight?), I will know for sure if its the U-Joint or in the rear axle itself.

Any ideas are welcome. Would the gears cause a vibration only at a certain MPH if they were worn wrong? What about the U-Joint? Could that cause the vibration only at a certain MPH if it isnt centered correctly?

Eric
 
This is where I got my D80 yoke from. I actually called them and they also have the Spicer NON-greasable ujoints is stock to.

Dana Spicer 80 1410 Pinion Yoke Dodge W2500 W3500 2500:eBay Motors (item 280256910333 end time Oct-09-09 16:55:27 PDT)

What did you torque the pinion yoke to? IIRC its 500ft/lbs. The shop I took it to (I was working 7 days at the time) changed the seal and just hit the pinion yoke nut with a 1/2" impact. That cause ALOT of slop and vibration because it was loose. That is why I needed to get another yoke.
 
9 time out of 10, U-Joints are the cause of vibration and howling in the drivetrain. I would get a new u-joint before spending a dime on anything else.
 
I agree- tack welding a u-joint cap to get it to fit right isn't exactly eliminating all suspect parts...
Get a new u-joint and a strap kit, then work from there.
 
asauer said:
I agree- tack welding a u-joint cap to get it to fit right isn't exactly eliminating all suspect parts...
Get a new u-joint and a strap kit, then work from there.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I knew that it wasnt the best thing to do.

I have a new U-joint still in the box sitting in the truck. Im gonna pull the driveshaft today and then see if that joint fits tight in the yoke. If it does, ill stick it in the driveshaft and see what that gets me.

If it doesent fit right(like my current joint doesent), I will probably try and round up a new yoke for it. I think I can probably find someone with a good used one that would let me try it if i need to.

I just got the pinion nut as tight as I could. I put it on with a 3/8's impact and then put a 1/2 inch drive breaker bar on it and put a floor jack under the end of the handle and jacked it up until it was pretty tight while dad held the brakes for me. Its about the same as all the other ones I have done, so it should be good there.

Ill report back when i figure something out. Thanks

Eric
 
I would put an indicator on the pinion, and spin it. Make sure your JB weld is centering the bearing.
 
Dial indicator with a mag base is that I meant. It just will see of the pinion is bent or if your off center on the bearing race.
 
I see. I need to buy a magnetic base for my dial indicator because im sure it would be handy for stuff like this. Thanks

Teddy Bear has a good Yoke that came off his puller, so if my new U-Joint is sloppy in my yoke, Ill be putting his yoke on my rear end tonight to see what that does for me. I have my fingers crossed that it will fix it.

Eric
 
Well, i found out that the yoke was worn for some reason. Probably because of the loose strap. So, I have Josh's yoke on my rear end now, and im waiting for a buddy to hold the brakes so i can tighten the nut up good. Then ill stick the driveshaft back in it, and see if that fixed it. I am sure hoping it did, so we will see. I know a loose/off center u-joint couldnt have been doing me much good.

Eric
 
She lives!!!

Got Josh's old yoke on it and got everything tightened up and it is smooth as it ever was now. Doesent make any noise and seems to drive fine. Pinion is tight for now. I dont know why the JB weld wouldnt last a good while, but I guess I will find out.

Thanks for the help guys.

Eric
 
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