Portland Area Gear Installation

@thedriza did you end up getting 5.29’s done at paden’s?

 

Quick review on Paden’s and Nitro 5.29’s:


let me start by saying the do stand by their work but ultimately I’m unsure if they are doing something wrong to nitro gears are having an issue but my gears are loud. It’s in the coast and in certain speed zones. Mike has redone the rear and twice now and set the preload differently and it moves where the sound falls but always some on the coast. I think mike does good work but ultimately I think he is having trouble setting the correct pre load on my gears. Also since done, my previously installed edge bushing is giving me the same vibrations as my spider bearing. Truck drives much better but the gear issues are making it feel more like an ol POS than a 2018 should. Ultimately I may drive to nitro in cashmere to have them diagnose. They gave good reviews about mike and padens themselves but ultimately something isn’t right

If anybody else is having similar issues it’d be great to hear from you. I also have a grinding feel when coasting from 70+ down

 

Did you give those gears time to properly break-in?

This report is mildly concerning, I want to use them for a re-gear in the near future..

 

I did a proper break in each time which trust me was very frustrating doing 1500 miles of break in

if you’re doing 4.88’s or 4.56’s he seems to have those pretty dialed in

 

What kind of fluid are you using? Maybe try something with higher viscosity. I swapped Mike's oil out at break-in for something thicker.

 

I’ve been using the Dino 85-140 the whole time. The echo recommended stuff

 

@Alfasin

 

update

 

hmm....may hold off on the gears until later. I think the huge rush of customers since word got out on the street about their pricing may have affected their quality.

 

again after dealing with mike multiple times I wouldn’t say it’s his quality. Toyota axle seals are known to be weak when removing axles and he is up front that he doesn’t do a ton of air locker installs so the issues that have been stated make sense. The issues really are coming down to gears themselves. More people have this issue with noisy 5.29 nitros than I think is stated on here

 

still waiting for revolution to have gears in stock so I can get them in will update when things get done

 

Another place I’ve been recommended was six states in the Portland area. More expensive I believe

 

How are your gears doing? Would you still go back to Paden or spend the coin at JD? I got a quote from Mule, but over 1k more than Paden. I don't want to have to drive down back to Portland leaking fluid the whole way down if anything goes wrong.

 

My gears are great. I’ve had them on for about 7,000. Had a minor leak in the front diff that they fixed for free about 4,000 miles ago but otherwise they’ve been solid. I wouldn’t recommend them for an air locker install (he’ll even tell you he doesn’t like them), but for just gears they’re great.

 

It seems like more than a few people have had to go back to him for issues. I was considering him, but idk now. I do know there is no way I'm going to mule, their prices are bananas.

 

How was was mule asking? I starting to price around for this

 

I think ballpark I remember hearing 3k.

 

Mule uses full master install kits on all gearing jobs. We do not re-use bearings, or use mini install kits. We also offer a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty on labor. Once you have completed the gear break in you would come back to drain the diffs and refill at no charge. We only use Schaeffer's synthetic gear oil. Our prices are not out of line with most of the other shops in the area, and you are not traveling several hours to have any issues taken care.

 

They’re not out of line with shops in the area but compared to shops along the west coast, PNW prices are a little ridiculous even considering master install kits. @rlx02 my gears are doing wel I just wouldn’t go nitro again. I’d strongly suggest you check out revolution gear or Yukon. Just my 2 cents. Another one in the Portland area is six states. My quote from them for just labor for the rear diff only was around 500 I believe. Not terrible but not great.

 

I agree with what Jon said. I got quotes from 3 different places in WA and they're all roughly the same price. The benefit with Mule, if you're in King County, is that you dont have to drive super far like to cashmere to get it done.

Jon do you guys carry any other gears or is just Nitro?