2004 Dodge Ram SLT 5.7 whining noise in rear of car

[smiley]

Plan to spend $1000 then spend $500 and feel good about it.

 

[shelby5041]

people out here in general are liars and idiots ....

 

[smiley]

Where is here I'll find you 2 places.

 

[shelby5041]

well it shouldnt be 1000 lol

500 or 700 is actual ring and pinion shop price....

500 is bearings seals and 700 is ring and pinion added but i dont think they are bad.....i think its a bearing issue or adjustment issue

local general auto repair shop is 300 for berarings and seals

 

[Rustycowl69]

I strongly suggest you exercise due diligence, and familiarize yourself with a Chrysler factory Service Manual, rear axle section. If you are educated in the basics, you will be less likely to be ripped off. Any year fsm will probably work well enough, anything after 1978 will do, though generally the closer to your year, the better. I believe there is at least one service manual (2001, I think) downloadable on this site. If as someone mentioned, yours is a 9.25" ring gear axle, they haven't changed much except for abs. Since you don't want to fix it yourself, you only have two choices. You can take it to somebody like Randy's Ring & Pinion and be at their mercy. Or you can go to a reputable auto/truck junkyard and get a replacement axle with maybe a 90 day warranty. Don't know what that would cost, maybe $500. Better call around to find the going rate. You still have to pay someone to install it for you. The R & R labor should be just a couple-three hours if they have a lift and power tools, so no more than $250. You can pick your poison.

 

[shelby5041]

i live in detroit michigan....no randys here

we have warren gear and ring and pinion shop and dts drivetrain experts that specialize

and a used axle is an option but same thing will happen ..and used axle out here is over 1000.00 supply demand issue.....

the issue is a design issue so getting a used one is no better in my opinion

 

[shelby5041]

and fyi i would never take anything in for repair and be at anyones mercy

thats why i hate auto repair shops...they are all con artists.....

 

[smiley]

Take it in. The design is fine just needs precision.

 

[shelby5041]

the design is not fine thats why there are so many issues with dodge ram rear ends

i have owned 25 vehicles in my lifetime and this is the first rear end issue i have ever had....i have never ever changed diff fluid in any of my vehicles...and have never had an issue until now...dodge ram which i bought used 3 weeks ago.....

 

[shelby5041]

if you search dodge ram whining you will come up with thousands of hits.....thats a design issue

 

[smiley]

They have used the same axle for around 30 years do you think that has anything to do with the hits? Yes. It takes precision to setup and as far as failure goes they usually fail because of limited slip. If it is bearings which I have done many in mine after I put in 4.56 gears try changing to a heavy fluid after repair that is what worked for me.

 

[jwheeler]

and fyi i would never take anything in for repair and be at anyones mercy

thats why i hate auto repair shops...they are all con artists.....

You have some serious trust issues. Take that sucker in and get it fixed and back on the road. It could just need bearing, maybe gears. But if it has a limited slip, there are little clips that can break and if not taken care of, can cost you a whole new axle housing. Call around and get a few quote for a full rear end rebuild and just go with the cheapest one if that's what you are looking for.


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[smiley]

http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/154-0708-weakest-to-strongest-axles/

As you can see they listed about 24 other axles being weaker than the 9.25.

 

[shelby5041]

im not going to fork out thousands ill just junk the truck if thats the case....the truck is not worth much...so common sense would be to junk it and buy something else

and yes i dont trust anyone

 

[shelby5041]

i didnt say anything about weakness im talking about defect

 

[shelby5041]

its easy to talk when its someone elses dollar lol

thanks for the info but i will junk the truck

thread is done

 

[jwheeler]

Scrap the truck if it doesn't have anything else going for it. But there is no way it should be thousands to repair. You are looking at probably 400 in parts, 150 if the gears don't need to be replaced. Considerably cheaper than a new truck.


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[ST-8]

Unless the whole drivetrain is junk an the trucks damaged everywhere calm down. Trucks surely not "junk" lol

 

[Rustycowl69]

I doubt it's a design issue. It's more likely a maintenance issue. Didn't you say you had to add like 12oz of lube to the axle? Axle lube doesn't evaporate. It's leaking, and it's the truck's driver's responsibility to notice leaks, and fluid levels and handle it. Lets just say, for the sake of argument, the axle holds 36 oz. You were operating the axle with only 2/3 the proper amount of lube. This can certainly shorten the life of bearings, seals, and gears. Imagine running your engine 2 qts low on oil, if the engine fails, is that a design problem? I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, maybe you just bought the truck, but I think the fault in this situation lies not with the design but the (ir)responsible caretaker whoever that was.

 

[Redtruck-VA]

If the pinion isn't leaking and he wants to do a cheap repair he could buy the carrier bearings and replace only them and bolt the carrier back in and with some bearing collar adjustments have it back together. He or the shop obviously will need the bearing collar adjustment tool. It would be a good job to bond with your truck. There are also tools available to remove the carrier bearings, but it is cheaper to just take the carrier to a shop and have them press the old bearings off and press the new bearings back on. Couple cans of brake cleaner to hose out the housing and stick it back together. Check on ebay for the tools. I bought all the tools needed to do a full rebuild for about $350. I too have trust issues and prefer doing repairs myself. Good luck..