rebuilt rear differential

after the new u-joint installation I was still experiencing some vibrations, so I dropped it off at shop that specializes in drive lines. After balancing the drive shaft and installing a new a carrier bearing there was still vibrations. The vibrations only occur in the 25-30 MPH range, although low, it is noticable. The shop owner said he believes something is shot in teh differential. He said somewhere around $1,000 to have the differential to be rebuilt, although it could be much lower, depending on what needs to be done to it.
I asked if it was cheaper to just get a different differential somewhere and have it installed. He said he was wary about after market rear ends, and said I would be better off having the rear end rebuilt.
Any ideas from those of you out there? What would be your solution? Rebuilt by the accredited shop or something else?

 

Stock height? If not, did the shop check the pinion angle?

4X4? If so - does the vibration occur in both 2WD and 4WD?

If you have any interest in a limited-slip or locking differential, now would be the time to do have one installed.

 

first time doin this sort of thing(forums)..anyways, my truck has the same problem. i felt it right after i put on a 3" suspension lift. took it to the shop and they couldnt figure it out.

 

Do you have a lift?

You're getting the same vibrations before & after the u-joint install?
The reason I ask, is because if the u-joint isn't installed properly, can actually cause vibrations.

What u-joint did you install? If you had a bad u-joint, then something else probably caused it to go bad (like, poor driveline angles).

Are you sure its in the driveline and not in the wheels & tires?

 

You probably need axle shims. You're most likely experiencing driveline vibrations. I had the same vibrations on my 96 tacoma when I had about 3" lift in the rear. I installed 2.5degree axle shims to fix it.

 

Are those the weights on the bottom of the drive shaft? if not, were would i get them installed...or just ask an auto shop to do it and they'll know what im talkin about?

 

just look for people parting out trucks on craigslist or go to a junk yard and pull one out of a truck. i had to switch out my rear diff with different gears and i found a used one on craigslist for 50 bucks and it works fine. took less than an hour to install

 

Thanks!

 

the truck does have a slight lift on it( Toytec AAL with 1.5 spacers in the rear), but would that cause this vibration? That seems an awfully slight lift to cause this problem.

The tires are old and need to be replaced, but they must wait until the new wheels come in( two weeks).

I will hold out on doing anything with the differential until I rule out tires, but while it was on the lift the mechanic showed me, while the truck was in gear and the drive shaft going the vibrations could be felt coming from the front of the differential. Not in the u-joint or or carrier bearing.

 

I would definintely hold off on one shops opinion, check the other variables i.e.: tires/wheels etc; I'd take off the inspection cover & look closely for bits of metal (hopefully not chunks !! ) in diff fluid,do a good visual on everything you can see inside... I dunno thats where I'd start anyway........ Good luck....

P.S. the weights on driveshaft are for balancing it.

P.S.S. My bad, there is no inspection cover so drain the fluid & see if anything metal falls out of it...

 

My vibrations started after I had the Rear suspension TSB done. Doesn't take much to get the angle off.

Take care of is ASAP. My minor vibrations got worse as the slip yoke started to deteriorate as a result of the u-joint vibes.

Just got the Slip Yoke replaced and the vibes are back to just a minor annoyance again, but I ordered an axle shim kit to fix it permanently (hopefully).

 

Just a note: I've read alot of guys talking about vibration issues. Depending on how bad these vibrations are I'm of the opinion that alot of these "vibrations" have been there all along & some of you didn't experience or notice them until a suspension or lift mod was done, don't forget people, when you change things (like stiffer suspension) all the road vibs that were silenced by the "mush-mush" softness of your stock springs/shocks etc; are now pronounced by suspension mods,generally all the way up the drivetrain,thru the suspension & on up to the steering wheel, you're going to "feel" alot more of the road.......

 

where do the shims go on the axle?

 

they go between the leaf packs and the axle

 

How do the center pins locate the rear end with the plates installed? I see a hole in the plate, do you get longer center pins?

 

you shouldnt need longer center pins, but if you do theyre only a couple of bucks for new ones.

 

A friend of mine whom works for one of those muffler/ oil change shops allowed me to put the truck up on the lift and run the engine while in "drive". I experienced exactly what the mechanic and shop owner showed described and showed me. No vibrations from the transmisson, near the carrier bearing, or any where else along the drive shaft for that matter. The only area where vibrations could be felt was in the differential. It was noticeable and even more so when the truck was in the 25-30 MPH range. Having the truck up ona lift we automatically deduced the vibrations coming from the older tires (although these bad boys are on their way out, soon )
Having come to the conclusion that #1. besides the elective mods and regular wear and tear parts, the truck really hasn't needed anything like this since I have had it. And #2. I just hit 100K the other week, and plan on having it around for another, this repair while somewhat costly would be a good investment.

So I called the drive line shop that did the diagnosis last week and told them I would drop her off this monday to have the differential rebuilt. I was told there could a number of things wrong with the internal gears or bearing, but that would not be known until it was taken apart by a professional.

Either way I am looking at putting a week's pay check into the parts and labor, but once again, if it helps me keep this bad boy for another five years going strong then ......... so be it

I'll drop her off monday, and hopefully have it back by wednesday, I will let evryone know how this turns out.

Until then..... it'll be a lot of walking in those two days

 

x2

 

what is this you speak of? what can i gain from having this? How much more will it cost me to have it done?