question regarding rear end whining noise

[naggi86]

I want to say first off i am not mechanically inclined and need some advice ....i just had my passenger side rear axle shaft,hub and bearing replaced in my 86 CJ7 . i drove the jeep about 10 miles and then the rear tires locked up and had to be transported back to the mechanic and he said that i guess some nut on the yolk where the driveshaft attaches on the rear end was backed out...soo he tightened that and said that he thinks all is well now....now there is a whining noise coming from the rear end somewhere...i cant diagnose where....im just paranoid that when i drive it the rear wheels will lock up again and leave me in the middle of the highway stuck....please help

 

[CJim7]

i drove the jeep about 10 miles and then the rear tires locked up and had to be transported back to the mechanic and he said that i guess some nut on the yolk where the driveshaft attaches on the rear end was backed out...soo he tightened that and said that he thinks all is well now...

Wow...I would be looking for another mechanic. Matter of fact, post that shop on here so nobody else has to deal with him.

That pinion nut wont back off if it is torqued to spec...which is about 220lbs or so. The whining you are hearing is probably the messed up ring and pinion

I would promply pull the diff cover and inspect thoroughly...

 

[naggi86]

ok thanks really appreciate the advice and input....the mechanic said that it could be the pinion bearing going bad?? dunno what that is but he said it would b 200 bucks if he was to replace it....i work in myrtle beach sc and i drive on highway 501 like 15 miles to work one way...dont want to take the risk of it breaking down at 3 in the morning when im driving home... also the mechanic took off the diff cover and he said all was ok and everything looked good....

 

[Busted Knuckles]

Is there some confusion going on here, is Naggie talking about the nut on the axle flange out at the brake drum ? I dont think hes talking pinion nut.

Naggie, did the wheel lock up or did the jeep just stop because the nut on the hub came loose ?

 

[Old Dog]

from the sounds of it, I think he really ment the pinion nut. If so your Mechanic did not torque it back down properly and the gears are whinning now. I hope for your sake he didn't it all up.
You really need another mechanic.

 

[BusaDave9]

the rear tires locked up and had to be transported back to the mechanic and he said that i guess some nut on the yolk where the driveshaft attaches on the rear end was backed out

I am having trouble understanding this too. The pinion nut wouldn't cause the wheels to lock up but that would cause bad noises as the pinion gear would no longer mesh with the ring gear.

is Naggie talking about the nut on the axle flange out at the brake drum ?

That's a possibility but it seems like that bolt would just rub on the axle flange. If it did find something to stop it (such as the hole used to access those bolts) then it seems like it would simply break off the nut.

naggi86, Can you ask your mechanic to clarify what bolt came loose? Was it the pinion nut (in the center of the axle) or a nut at the wheel hub?
Your original post makes it sound like it was the pinion nut but you don't need to mess with that to replace the axle.

 

[Busted Knuckles]

I think the wrench confused him, given the operation of repair, the wheel flange bolt came loose and spun. I doubt the wheel locked up, probably just would not move because the axle shaft was spinning. You tighten it up and your on your way.

As far as the whine, thats a hard one to diagnosis over the net.

I would not be calling foul on the tech just yet, although it does sound like to me that he forgot to tighten the axle flange nut, but I dont think the pinion is involved in this deal. I could be wrong, guess we will find out if the OP turns back up.

 

[naggi86]

hey everyone...yeah the rear wheels locked up going about 35 mph and left strips of rubber for about 15 feet...as far as i know he said the pinion nut...i feel like i should bring it to another mechanic and let him take it for a ride and see if he can figure out whats wrong with it, the mechanic i brought it to is sounding to me that he isnt a very good mechanic....i appreciate the input everyone

 

[BusaDave9]

If the pinion nut comes loose enough the pinion gear can bind with the ring gear and lock up the wheels. But how the heck this could happen 10 miles after replacing an axle shaft is beyond me. He never should have taken the drive shaft or pinion nut off.
I don't understand any of this and it may be too hard to decipher it across the internet. While the first mechanic should fix it for free that still sounds scary going back to him.
Please update us with any information you get.

 

[naggi86]

the mechanic said that the driveshaft was binding due to the pinion nut being lose....he said just listen to c if that caused the pinion bearing to be bad...im in the same boat as u all..none of this makes sense to me...lol....but now what would cause the whining sound now? it only does it when u are accelerating and not when u let off the gas

 

[1986cj7]

I'm not as knowlegeable as busadave, but I do know to replace a axle shaft bearing and hub u D*** sure don't need to take the pinion nut loose. IF he did then look for anthor mech. It sounds like he jumped into job with out knowing proper repair process. Took diff. apart figured out he didn't need to do this replaced parts and didn't setup diff. right and left the pinion nut finger tight getting in a hurry or got distracked. Diff. gears not being setup right caused havic in diff and gears locked up. Naggie did both tires lock up or just one. I think even if open carrier, diff. gears could lock up and both tires locked up. or just one not sure busadave, what do you think. Poopoo on the mechanic I think. Just my 2 cents!!!

 

[Busted Knuckles]

Ok, if he indicated that he had loosed/removed/ or came in contact with the pinion nut, and that the nut didnt come loose as pure chance ( which would be a 1 in a billion chance) than this guy is way past incompetent.

IF all you asked for and all you supposedly got and paid for was an axle shaft replacement, there is no reason to touch the pinion.

Why where you having the axle shaft replaced, we should know that ?

If indeed he removed the pinion nut or and or the pinion, you just got screwed, for all he did was retighten it, but not adequate or to torque spec I guessing.

And if the alignment of the pinion and ring gear was off enough to cause the tires to lock up , there's a better than not chance you have ring and pinion damage, and or pinion bearing damage. Taking it back to him, you can do, but hes so far removed from the necessary knowledge bank, I can only see it getting worse.

Go to your local parts WHOLESALER, and ask a counter guy whos the local guy that sets up rear axles. Take it to him and describe in geat detail what happened and entertain his advice. He will probably know of the yoyo that screwed up your rear, and will know how to proceed to get you back where you need to be and maybe get some $ out of the guy who screwed it up, or at least lay the ground work for a small claims court case.

I suggest going to your local parts wholesaler, that would be the parts company that sells to the shops. You want and un-biased opinion on who does what and whos competent, and whos not, these guys know, trust me on this one.

While the guy who does rear setups locally probably does not buy hits parts locally (because they are just not that many jobbers selling ring/pinion related parts, they come UPS from out of town), these guys are still buying ancillary parts, and the counter guys know who they are, where they are at, and if they are competent.

Good luck getting it straightened out, and I drive it as little as possible until you get it worked out.

 

[BusaDave9]

what would cause the whining sound now? it only does it when u are accelerating and not when u let off the gas

Ring and pinion gears that are no longer meshing correctly could cause that sound. Or maybe a bearing such as the pinion bearing.

 

[Busted Knuckles]

Ring and pinion gears that are no longer meshing correctly could cause that sound. Or maybe a bearing such as the pinion bearing.

Sorry, I didnt post that, was thinking that was obvious, forgot the poster is not familiar with rears, also why i recommended not driving much as possible without doing much more damage, in the unlikely event the backlash can be properly set assuming the the ring and pinion are still sporting all their teeth and are not damaged.

I was not aware that you could get the pinion loose enough to lock up the ring, the damn nut must have been almost all the way off !, and bearings popping out of their races to allow that gear to fall far enough down for that to happen, I still cant picture it in my mind.

 

[1986cj7]

Ok, if he indicated that he had loosed/removed/ or came in contact with the pinion nut, and that the nut didnt come loose as pure chance ( which would be a 1 in a billion chance) than this guy is way past incompetent.

IF all you asked for and all you supposedly got and paid for was an axle shaft replacement, there is no reason to touch the pinion.

Why where you having the axle shaft replaced, we should know that ?

If indeed he removed the pinion nut or and or the pinion, you just got screwed, for all he did was retighten it, but not adequate or to torque spec I guessing.

And if the alignment of the pinion and ring gear was off enough to cause the tires to lock up , there's a better than not chance you have ring and pinion damage, and or pinion bearing damage. Taking it back to him, you can do, but hes so far removed from the necessary knowledge bank, I can only see it getting worse.

Go to your local parts WHOLESALER, and ask a counter guy whos the local guy that sets up rear axles. Take it to him and describe in geat detail what happened and entertain his advice. He will probably know of the yoyo that screwed up your rear, and will know how to proceed to get you back where you need to be and maybe get some $ out of the guy who screwed it up, or at least lay the ground work for a small claims court case.

I suggest going to your local parts wholesaler, that would be the parts company that sells to the shops. You want and un-biased opinion on who does what and whos competent, and whos not, these guys know, trust me on this one.

While the guy who does rear setups locally probably does not buy hits parts locally (because they are just not that many jobbers selling ring/pinion related parts, they come UPS from out of town), these guys are still buying ancillary parts, and the counter guys know who they are, where they are at, and if they are competent.

Good luck getting it straightened out, and I drive it as little as possible until you get it worked out.

I know from personal experance as some one in maintance at work sometimes a preson can jump on a problem, thinking I can figure it out. But didn't take long for me to figure out that a persons best friend can be an exploded veiw of a piece of eq, machine, vehicle. Best thing is like what busta knuckles said is see a parts store they will have on the computer a exploded view of the whole axle, diff. An last but not least buy a chiltons book on your vehicle even if not jeep I've bought one on every vehicel i've ever owned very helpfull. Even though you took it to a mechanic thinks happen, people get distracted. Not supporting your mechanic just my 2 cents on alot of things. Also sorry about my spelling in my posts not one of my strong suits. Hope every thing works out for you and keep us informed on what happens!

 

[CJim7]

the mechanic said that the driveshaft was binding due to the pinion nut being lose....he said just listen to c if that caused the pinion bearing to be bad...im in the same boat as u all..none of this makes sense to me...lol....but now what would cause the whining sound now? it only does it when u are accelerating and not when u let off the gas

You need to see if this guy is going to warranty a new ring and pinion, bearings, crush sleeve, sett-up, and labor. This guy is clearly negligent. Once a bad pattern is established on the teeth, its all over but the crying....and that's the sound you are hearing.

What you are hearing is the drive side of the gears that have been burned up. You wont hear it on the coast side when you let off the gas

 

[BusaDave9]

Any mechanic that removes the pinion nut to replace the axle should loose his job. True, there are some axles that have a C-clip in the differential that needs to be removed to remove the axle but you NEVER need to remove the pinion nut.
Naggi86, you need to ask the mechanic point blank "why did you loosen the pinion nut". I don't know if you misquoted, misunderstood or if the mechanic just didn't know what he was doing. I'd like to hear his response.

 

[Busted Knuckles]

Im thinking if the guy did loosen the pinion nut, hed be just about the last one on the planet Id want replacing the ring and pinion. Thats why I was suggesting finding the right guy for the job and trying to work out $ with the clown that screwed it up.

Would you go back to a doctor because he removed your nose because you had a sinus headache ? Maybe he can get it right the second time around, no thank you. I know its a bad analogy, but I cant come up with a good one, but Id steer clear of that clown, he clearly does not know his limits, that is one thing for certain. I would appear he cant read either.

 

[1986cj7]

I had a mechanic work on my Transmission on a cutlass ceira, and after he worked on it it leaked fluid about a quart a week. I got under it and found the pan bolts wheren't but finger tight. I went to the mechanic and he said yeah he is the only one in his shop that he onws and anthor customer came in and he must have forgot to tighen the bolts he apoligized and took $50 off my bill. Now this is a sign of a honest person. But since he wants to charge you $200 to replace the pinion bearing. When he knows what happen and why.
Try what busadave said ask him staight up why and what he did. If he says he didnt mess with the pinion nut, well I think he would be lieing, I don't think a nut with 200lbs plus tourqe would work loose, and all bets are off. He's in the wroung and follow busted knuckles advice. This is a bad sinerio. Ask around about a mechanics rep. is all a kind say. Like bused knuckles said, I had to learn this the hard way on my jeep rad. Keep us informed.

 

[naggi86]

Hey everyone...sry for not posting any info...started college again...I had the passenger side axle shaft,hub, and bearing done because the jeep wouldn't move when put in gear...just sat there...the mechanic said that the teeth on the shaft were all smooth and gone....