Howling after gear change
 

Well, after my gear change I have begun to notice a slight howling/whine around 40-45mph coasting. I went from 3.55's to 4.10's. Initially I thought it was normal. Then yesterday I replaced the differential fluid with Royal Purple and after it still did it I got annoyed. So, should I take it back or is this a normal thing with 4:10's? Its not loud by any means, but noticeable especially if you turn the radio off.

Well, it's definitely axle whine. I would take it back and have them check the runout and mesh pattern. SOmething is off a little bit and they should be able to fix it. If not, ask for a new gearset.

Whine is not normal. Something isn't set up right. Take them back and ask them to check it out.

I agree. It is not normal. Something is not adjusted right. Have them adjust and after there should be no noise.

Man what a PITA. I thought he could get it right.

Sometimes it's the gearset and some brands are more notorious than others for this. It could also be the setup. The big point is not to put too many miles on the gears. After a point, adjustments will no longer eliminate the noise, assuming they were set up incorrectly to start with. It would be unlikely for a shop to admit they set up the gears wrong. Overall, the best scenario would be if they put in a new set of gears and were a bit more careful this time. If it whines on coast, you should get a big time whine if you back up at any speed.

When I had my 97 with the 8.8 differential the pinion bearings went bad.I took it to a differential only shop to have it repaired.They rebuilt the whole differential,including replacing axles,bearings,spider gears,ring and pinion,carrier,and all seals.This was the first attempt,with OEM Ford gears.Well,it whined on the coast side at 40 mph.They wound up rebuilding it 4 more times before they got it correct.I only had to pay for the first time.They used US Gears on the final rebuild.

I haven't gone to a mechanic yet and had something done right. I would have done this myself but due to the complexity I figured I would take it in. This guy is supposed to be a gear guy. He took all the measurements and seemed to do it right. Maybe its not as bad as I make it sound. I mean it is very faint. Calling it a howl is almost too much. It doesn't make the noise in reverse.

Its going to get worse,trust me!Been there,done that!

Dido, mine started like that on my Bronco, it diden't end well.

We're not trying to bash the guy who installed it, it could be just a bad gearset. But it will only get worse if you have whine now.

I'll have to taek it back. Man what a Pain. I know my wife heard it and thought I was a dumb A#$ for doing it in the first place. LOL

You did get a written warranty,rite?

mbogosia: Poor workmanship or defective parts does not a duma#$ make! The 4.10s were the right choice. Think of this as just another character building exercise... or another drop of urine in the bladder of life... depending of if you are a natural pessimist or optimist.

Mbogosia,
I just sent you a PM asking how your gear change was going and letting you know mine was put in today. Now I see this thread and I think I am about to throw up on my key board. You are not going to believe this but I think I am hearing a little bit of the same thing. A little bit of whine when I back off the gas at around 45-50 miles per hour. But I think sometimes I can be a little paranoid, so I am not sure if I had listened as closely before the gear change as I am now that I might not have heard some of the same. I was chalking it up to a need for a little break in period. I was informed of the need to go easy for the first 500 miles and then bring the truck back and have the diff drained, cleaned, and refilled. I assume once they have the housing apart again it would be an easy thing for them to make any needed adjustments before resealing. The shop that put my gear in used Yukon Ring and Pinion and Yukon Master Over Haul Kit which I have heard here is quality stuff. The guy that done my truck said he had done close to 400 diff changes and had only had maybe one or two come back with an issue. Believe me I interrogated him before I handed over the keys. Man, I am not going to sleep well tonight.