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Whining Noise Coming From The Rear End

22K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  Big D 318 
#1 ·
Ok, I need some assistance here.

About 2 weeks ago I turned 100k miles and started to notice a whining sound coming from the rear end. At first I thought I was my imagination, but over the last couple of weeks the sound has grown louder, and is especially loud when the truck is cold. As a precaution, I had the fluid changed in the front and rear diff and transfer case, but to no avail. The sound appears to be coming from the right rear, but it's heard to tell for sure. I'm thinking I might have fried a bearing, and plan on having it checked out when I go in for a brake job next week. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Wow, the silence is deafening. It's pretty sad when your the only one who responds to a new thread that you posted. But here's an update for anyone who's interested:

I took Bid D in for her brake job. Normally, I would have preferred to do this myself, but since she's just turned 100k miles, I thought it wise to have a professional go over the whole brake system. It was worth it too - I just about burned through the old rotors so had to have them replaced, and had the system bled and got a transfusion with some new synthetic brake fluid.

As to the mysterious sound coming from the rear end, it appears that it is the rear axle making all of the commotion. One of the carrier bearings is slowly chewing itself up. The bad news: too late to do anything but wait for it to fail and have the rear end replaced/rebuilt. The good news: according to my mechanic buddy, it may take another 10k miles before it actually fails and I am compelled to do something about it. According to my mechanic, this is not an unusual ailment for Dodge trucks and they have seen or heard of a number of similar cases. So, for the time being, I guess I'll have to live with a whiny hiney.

If anyone out thee has experienced similar problems with their truck or SUV, I would be interested to hear about it. Misery loves company. But more importantly, I would like to get some real world validation of my mechanic's assessment.

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
Why?

Big D 318 said:
Wow, the silence is deafening. It's pretty sad when your the only one who responds to a new thread that you posted. But here's an update for anyone who's interested:

I took Bid D in for her brake job. Normally, I would have preferred to do this myself, but since she's just turned 100k miles, I thought it wise to have a professional go over the whole brake system. It was worth it too - I just about burned through the old rotors so had to have them replaced, and had the system bled and got a transfusion with some new synthetic brake fluid.

As to the mysterious sound coming from the rear end, it appears that it is the rear axle making all of the commotion. One of the carrier bearings is slowly chewing itself up. The bad news: too late to do anything but wait for it to fail and have the rear end replaced/rebuilt. The good news: according to my mechanic buddy, it may take another 10k miles before it actually fails and I am compelled to do something about it. According to my mechanic, this is not an unusual ailment for Dodge trucks and they have seen or heard of a number of similar cases. So, for the time being, I guess I'll have to live with a whiny hiney.

If anyone out thee has experienced similar problems with their truck or SUV, I would be interested to hear about it. Misery loves company. But more importantly, I would like to get some real world validation of my mechanic's assessment.

Thanks.
OMG that is funny!
"So, for the time being, I guess I'll have to live with a whiny hiney."
I'll meet your wrench halfway and agree that it is bearing related... Which one is the real question. If an axle support bearing then replace the bearing now and save the gears. If a pinion bearing, same deal. No reason to murder it if the ring gear shows normal wear. I don't understand why he would wait for it to grenade. Try to save it now and add a Powertrax locker while you are in there. The pinion bearing has been the culprit on most of the 9.25s I've seen.

Anyway, my .02 without poking my head into the pumpkin.
 
#4 ·
Big D:
I gotta agree with Volphin here.
These Dodge rearends are known for bearing issues, but waiting may take a $300-$500 repair and make it a $1000+ fix.
Not to mention what could happen if you are tooling down the road at 60-70 mph when it takes it last hoorah.

Don
 
#5 ·
Big D 318 said:
Wow, the silence is deafening. *SNIP*
Sorry, but my first thought was to get your mother-in-law out of the back seat.
Rear-ends are best left to pros IMHO, and I don't think your 'buddy' gave you the best advice, leaving it alone.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Thanks to everyone for your input. I believe that all of you speak wisely.

I have to tell you that I've also been mulling this over for the past two days (and listening to that God-awful sound coming from the rear end) and can't stand the thought of my beloved Big D tearing itself a new ass for the next 10k miles. Plus I intend to make some additional upgrades to the motor this Spring (Fastman TB and headers ), which will only hasten the demise of the rear end. So, yesterday I called my mechanic back and made an appointment to open up the rear and give me a re-build estimate. I'd really like to upgrade it to handle additional hp/torque, and to ensure that I don't have to make this investment all over again.

Any recommendations?

Oh, and to B1G BLEU: that's not my mother-in-law making all the noise in the back. It's my girlfriend sitting next to me complaining "I really think that 95 miles per hour is a bit excessive?!!!) LOL

Thanks again,

Bill
 
#7 ·
Yeah, what's she thinking? I speedo goes to 120 for a reason, duh!
 
#8 ·
like the others siad, if the axle support bearing is bad, change it NOW, it would be putting all kinds of metal into the fluid, if it is the pinion, same thing, if it is actually a carrier (i.e. differential support bearing) then it too can be changed, you can still change gears and bearings at that time, the kit comes with all the bearings and seals, two carrier bearings, pinion bearing, and any seals necessary, except the cover seal, they usually use silicone for that, amd make sure you/they clean the diff housing good when it is done, and clean the magnet inside too
if no magnet, add one.
 
#9 ·
forgot to add, if you let it go too long the housing itself will be ruined, then it will get real expensive.
 
#10 ·
If it's whining it's "telling you to fix it".
Bearings are one cost, but bearings and Ring and Pinion are a whole new ball game.
I'd get that taken care of ASAP.
I have had two rear ends go out. One was due to losing a clip and it punched a hole in the cover draining %70 of the fluid. That was with a 30ft 5th wheel trailer on it at the time. Distance until total destruction 55 miles. My other rear end was due to abuse (blame me.)

Cost of repair on carrier bearings, new R&P, setup and New cover $1350. oh Yeah $ 0.35 each for two new clips. 

That’s my .02
 
#11 ·
Thanks to everyone for responding. Clearly, the concensus is fix the problem as soon as possible. I had it looked at last week and the mechanic recommended that I get a new/rebuilt axle from Jasper. Cost: $1,950 plus labor = $3,000 (Ouch!!!). I'd much rather find someone that could replace the carrier bearing and anything else that has gone bad back there, but the mechanic says that there is no one he knows that he would trust to do the rebuild, hence the total replacement option.

There's gotta be better solution. I'd even consider taking it to a dealer, but I doubt that would be any more cost effective. Any recommendations?

Bill
 
#12 ·
Bill:
$3,000 for a rear end is ridiculous. It better be gold plated and do your dishes and take out the trash at night!!

Come to think of it, maybe thats not a bad idea. :0)

Seriously though, 3k would (or should) get you a brand spankin new never run before assembly installed by a dealer. Surely there are some local places that some of the hot rodders or off roaders in your locale can recommend.

While you are at it, if the carrier is bad or has to come out you might consider putting in a good limited slip unit since the labor will be the same.

It amazes me how some businesses think they deserve to be paid like brain surgeons. My local 5 star quoted my $600 to simply swap transfer cases for me. My neighbor with a lift in his garage did it for $150.
My 65 year old mother got 4 new tires and had her front rotors resurfaced at the local GM dealer last week and they charged her $1000.

I don't know how those thieves sleep at night.

Don
 
#13 ·
Don Fox said:
*SNIP*My 65 year old mother got 4 new tires and had her front rotors resurfaced at the local GM dealer last week and they charged her $1000.

I don't know how those thieves sleep at night.

Don
Thanks, you reminded me of the thieves that constantly rip my mom off, you just want to go there and beat the sh!t out of them, those a$$holes! Here's how it goes..."I brought it in for the annual inspection and they said the exhaust system was no good", $900 later and it f*in leaks at the clamps! Of course she calls AFTER she gets home.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for your response Don.

I feel bad for your mom; dealership service departments have no conscience; that's how they sleep at night. My mom had a similar experince at her local buick dealership. Her LeSabre turned 90,000 miles last month, so she takes it in for its scheduled service (she's very meticulous about the car, and the motor runs smooth as silk when she takes it in). When she got the car back, there was a sticking lifter making quite a racket. When she took it back the next day, they told her it was normal. Now she's all stressed about it, and thinks the car is ready to blow up any minute now.

Needless to say, I dislike dealership service departments. Like you say, they think that they're brain surgeons. However, I am going to break down and visit the local Dodge shop and get their opinion and a price quote. I can't wait! :help:

Bill
 
#16 ·
Dang Shady Mechanics....3grand would get you a complete performance Axle that would be 2x stronger then the factory one easy. The only time I take my stuff to a Mechanic is when I have no clue whats going on. Those stupid prices is what made me learn how to do things on my own.

9/10 those folks will replace the worn parts(if you lucky) and pocket the extra money...then your SOL later when it breaks again. Make a couple good friends who work on cars....things get much cheaper then...like a case of beer and parts :D
 
#17 ·
Hey Thirsajohn.

That's a pretty good description of the noise: "Nying ying ying... Nying ying ying ying." Have you had yours looked at and diagnosed? Hopefully better news than I got.

As an update to my last posting, I've taken my Durango to a couple of other shops and they concur with my regular mechanic: carrier bearing. And, unfortunately, the estimated cost to repair is in the same range. I agree with you, for the money I could get a brand new high-performance unit.

For the time being, I've decided to take my mechanic's advice and drive it for a while until the noise gets noticably louder - an indication of how fast the bearing is deteriorating. So far, the noise has actually dimished - not sure if its because of the warmer summer temparatures, but we'll see what happens when fall gets here.

Keep me posted.

Bill
 
#18 ·
Hey Kinjirra,

Thanks for your post. Yes, for the money I could really upgrade, but for now I think I'll wait (see recent post for an update). I agree, I learned many years and several cars ago that it is much less expensive and more fun to do my own work. The mechanic I have is a good guy that I've known for years, and I let him work on my cars/trucks when I either don't have the proper tools or know-how, or if I'm running short on time. He's also helped me over the phone when I've gotten in a jam or two. A good mechanic like that is worth his weight in gold---or beer!

Talk with you later,

Bill
 
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