Rear 3rd whine - New Gears? (1 Viewer)

[phatairman]

Just got out of the stealership trying to figure out my rear whine/rumble strip noise. They said the rear 3rd was toast. New pinion bearing, set of carrier bearings and probably, because of all that wear the rings are bad. Quoted me a repair bill of $2000!!!! No thanks. I will do this with help from my friends at IH8MUD. I really just think it is a bad bearing or two but I am just speculating. Since I have owned it, the gear oil has never gone too low.

A little background, I have already replaced the 4 u-joints and had both the shafts balanced. They did nothing to help with the noise that goes up with speed and down with less speed.

So bad rear 3rd from the dealership. Should I get another opinion?

Options?
1. Buy a good used stock one from Slee. Can a 2.5 banana guy install this?
2. Buy all the bearings, crush sleeve and seals from Dan and have the local shop rebuild it.
3. Upgrade to 4.56 from ringpinion.biz to do front and rear. I will never go to 35s. Is it worth it for 33s?

A couple notes; this is my DD so I cannot be without for an extended period. With a baby due in May and financial obligations I will not be throwing ARB lockers in. I wish I could but not now.

Thanks for all the input guys,
Matt

 

[Tools R Us]

... They said the rear 3rd was toast. New pinion bearing, set of carrier bearings and probably, because of all that wear the rings are bad. Quoted me a repair bill of $2000!!!! No thanks. ...

A brand new complete 3rd from Toyota is what, half of that price?

What does the fluid, magnet look like? If your loosing a bearing, most of the time the magnet will have a caterpillar of metal dust stuck to it and if real bad the fluid will look metallic. Brother Brian's lost a pinion bearing, we got the parts from Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters and changed it out. His didn't hurt the gears and the carrier bearings looked great, IIRC the parts bill was ~$80.

 

[phatairman]

A brand new complete 3rd from Toyota is what, half of that price?

What does the fluid, magnet look like? If your loosing a bearing, most of the time the magnet will have a caterpillar of metal dust stuck to it and if real bad the fluid will look metallic. Brother Brian's lost a pinion bearing, we got the parts from Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters and changed it out. His didn't hurt the gears and the carrier bearings looked great, IIRC the parts bill was ~$80.

Thanks - Kevin

I believe the dealership would have charged me for every part and in the end they would have just put in an entire 3rd from Mr. T.

Changing the fluid tomorrow so will update if the magnet has grown a caterpillar on top of it.

Should I just go ahead and replace the carrier bearings while its apart?

Any other opinions about my dilemma?

 

[MikePL]

If the whine is present all the time, whether accelerating, cruising or braking, then you'd better also check your wheel bearings. But if you have noise while accelerating and cruising, but NOT under braking or heavy acceleration, then the diff has problems.

Are you sure it's the rear diff? I could swear that I also heard my rear diff but then I removed the FRONT driveshaft the noise was gone. So don't be fooled. Sometimes you hear it behind but the problem is up front.

 

[d0ubledown]

definitely pull your rear (or front) shaft to see if the noise is still there. if its not, then its definitely diff, and not wheel bearing. slight metallic paste on the plug magnet is OK...its large metal shavings and poor condition oil that you should be worried about. my experience was with my 8" elocked rear...but the LC is the same thing. just a bigger diff.

my whine ended up being the pinion bearing. i've re & re my rear 3rd enough times to know its not too difficult to swap...just nuts & bolts really. if you feel comfortable pulling it out, get a new install kit, bring the 3rd to a reputable driveline/diff shop and have them rebuild it. if youre going to crack it open...might as well replace all the bearings in there. shouldnt cost more than a few hun. its the pulling of the 3rd and reinstalling it that skyrockets the labour charges. thats the most economical way.

the easiest (but more expensive) way to do it is drive it in and pay the shop (not the stealership though!) to rebuild it. at least this way...if there are any issues with it later, you should be covered. if repair cost is an issue...dont regear. your bill will just be doubled!

 

[lovetoski]

I had a whine in the rear of my 80. Noticed it when on or off the gas, not at steady state. Then after 5,000 miles the whine was all the time. Gear oil was clean, nothing on the magnet. Wheel bearings were fine. Another 1000 miles and the whine was a howl. Clearly it was getting worse rapidly. Paid $200 for a used third, a couple of hours swapping it in and no more noise. Interesting on the one I took out...I cannot turn it by hand - the bearings are really shot. If you have the FSM, and the right tools, replacing a third isn't too bad. The bugger is heavy though...

 

[Tuning Haus]

i just bought a 93 landcruiser and i hear a whine coming from the FRONT. it sounds like it's coming from the engine bay, almost like a supercharger sound. that is only when i floor it though.

do you guys think that sounds like a diff problem?

 

[phatairman]

Well I found good caterpillar. I don't think he will score but he isn't bad.



Note for the mountain bikers, you can use a seat post in a bind for a breaker bar. Freaking dealership impact guns.

With the advice of the board I am going to just replace the whole 3rd with a slightly used one. Any suggestions from the board in doing this? I am going to study my FSM later to familiarize myself with the procedure. Do you have to pull the real axles? If so, should I just go ahead and do a rear axle job because it is all apart? I am really looking forward to my brother in law helping me out because he wrenches on BMWs for a living.

Thanks for all the input. And keep it coming.

 

[phatairman]

Bump for input.

 

[Tools R Us]

That doesn't look too bad, how was the oil, did it look metallic and how long have you been running it?

My plan would be to disassemble in steps and drive it, post results, between each step. First remove the driveshaft and lock the CDL. If the noise is greatly reduced, it's probably the diff, if not maybe a wheel bearing, transfer or maybe from the front. Second drain the diff fluid, remove the axles and tape up the hubs. If the noise is gone, it's the diff, if not and it's for sure coming from the rear, it's a wheel bearing.

On Brian's, the diff looked fine, only after we removed the carrier could we feel the bad pinion bearing. Replacing the bearings was a pretty easy job, but will need some tools, a dial gauge, couple of torque wrenches, press, etc. If it's a locked diff and your not replacing the gears, it's easier, with the carrier bearing shims the only adjustment is pinion bearing preload.

In each step above you can drive it without issue, as long as the holes are sealed so dirt doesn't get into the wheel bearings, etc. On Brian's, he pulled the axles and diff then drove the truck for a couple of weeks while the parts were ordered and the diff was repaired.

 

[Beowulf]

i just bought a 93 landcruiser and i hear a whine coming from the FRONT. it sounds like it's coming from the engine bay, almost like a supercharger sound. that is only when i floor it though.

do you guys think that sounds like a diff problem?

Your noise sounds like cogged drive belts. You should start a new thread and request assistance. This is a rear diff noise thread.

-B-