my cruiser has issues (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jun 28, 2006
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22
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Location
Columbia, SC
ok so my fj62 has a little issue. I was planning on driving it up for the annual meeting saturday, but i think i'll be coming cruiser-less. The problem is a grinding sort of noise when i go above 55 mph. The noise increases in intensity with increased speed, and it is also worse as i let off the gas after acceleration. yesterday i changed out the fluids in the rear end and the T-case. I was hoping this would fix or help the problem , but it has not. I do not believe the noise is RPM related because when i took it out yesterday after changing the fluids, I drove it in gear 3 for a while and it started making the noise at 55mph just as it does when the cruiser is in drive. So heres my question. I dont have a lot of money so before i go and spend it on a rear end rebuild kit, I was wondering what you all thought. Is the grinding noise in my rear end or is it somewhere else? Also, is there anything else i can do to diagnose the problem? your input and help is much appreciated.
 
Crawl underneath the truck and move the driveshaft back and forth - look for movement in the u joint. Sometimes the pinion nut comes loose as well - so look for movement there too.

Park the truck on level ground and put it in neutral when doing this - block the tires as well.

Is there any vibration?

Good luck!
 
I vote for a loose rear pinion....
 
its not noisy when off the gas... just as i am giving it less gas. i dont think i expained it well. i will be going at like 60 mph, and as my foot releases the pedal it makes the grinding vibration sound really bad, but stops after my foot is off the gas completely.

yes there is a slight vibration too.

i will look at the pinion tonight. thanks for the suggestion

i really appreciate the replies
 
I tend to agree with the rear pinion bearing also. It sounds to me like it does it as you have it about even as far as speed and gas goes. In other words you are not giving it any more gas and you are not trying to deacselerate ( sp ) . Had it a few times over the years in different vehicles.
 
thanks ill check it out and let you guys know...
 
The rear DS is also suspect, but usually those tend to cause noise under power regardless if the U-joints are failing. If it is out of balance it acts more like a washing machine with a constant ugliness noise.

The grinding makes me thing gears. If it isn't grinding in that respect, please describe it better. If it is indeed grinding you will probably have pinion issues. I have had the pinion nut back off on my old 55 and it caused EXACTLY what you described. It would get worse as the nut gets looser. You will also see pinion bearing issues if the nut backs out.

Normally, when you have this sort of stuff happen, the flange near the rear third will start to get wet with gear oil as the seal that the pinion has around it starts to loosen up with the nut and pinion separating.

If you caught it you should be golden.

Let us know!
 
im sorry to ask maybe an obvious question, but i am unfamilar with the pinion nut. Where is it located in the rear end? do i take off the rear drive shaft to see it or do i open up the diff cover?
 
gotta drop the drive shaft, it is located directly underneath the rear of the d-shaft........ it should have a notch in the nut to keep it from backing out, sounds like your nut may have become loose as everyone else has said

hey brian I got a spare diff I'll sell you :D

oh and me and mary ellyn are down for dinner friday night :cheers:
 
sorry i do not have a better explanation of the noise.... i used grinding for lack of a better explanation. the only other way i could explain it would be to say it sounds like a vibration but i do not know which of these is more accurate. I wish someone esle could hear it and tell me what it is so i didnt sound so stupid.
 
sounds great jp cant wait to see the 62 this weekend... thanks for the explanation. i went under the 62 yesterday and tried to take off the bolts for the driveshaft but they were stuck pretty good so before i went through all the trouble of getting them loose, i decided to make sure thats where the pinion nut was. Im hoping it is just a loose nut....
 
also, make sure you have a big ass socket to put on that pinion nut. I think it is a 25mm or so if I remember correctly (been a while).
 
yeah it was close to 32mm. i had a 1 1/4in socket and it work although it was a little loose. i got to the pinion nut and it didnt really seem too loose. i tightened it down a little more anyways and put it all back together. the noise as i decelerate is gone, but there is still a noise when i get above 60mph. I think maybe my bearing is going bad.
 
nope..... you didnt mention that when i talked to you yesterday...
 
If it is the rear diff you can buy the whole chunk from cruiserparts.net for around 200. Or find someone on mud that will sell one. You don't want to pay to have yours rebuilt.
 

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