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Dave_445
Dodge Dakota
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7/16/2006
16:34:14

Subject: Rear Diff uh-oh
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what are the ill-affects of driving about 50-75KM with little rear diff fluid? I have an '00 Dak, 4.7 with the LSD rear end. I didnt notice until kind of too late the rear seal diff gasket was leaking pretty bad ...once I started hearing the noise from back there I got it to a garage asap. Will there be irriversable damage as a result of driving it like that??



Manny
Dodge Dakota
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7/16/2006
16:52:28

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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for the most part, if you're hearing rear end noises, it's too late.



Catfish Craig
Dodge Dakota
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7/16/2006
20:45:42

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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Well I say it depends on the noise. The rear diff is actual pretty tough but, it will whine when the fluid is low. If you didn’t burn it up you may get another year or so out of it. I say clean it out good, put it some synthetic and see how it goes. If it starts to get noisy, it is time for a new diff or a rebuild.

Good Luck CC




Dave_445
Dodge Dakota
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7/16/2006
21:12:47

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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Thanks for the info. I hadnt hear anything till yesterday when I started hearing the whining noise and thats when I took it in. So hopefully I'm ok. I get it back tomorrow...thanks again.




GraphiteDak
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7/16/2006
21:25:03

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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Wow. Rear ends are expensive to get repaired and most shops wont want to do anything short of a total rebuild if it has any damage.

One thing to note. For some reason synthetic fluid causes the Auburn brand LSD to chatter.
Mine started doing that ever since I swapped it to synthetic. I went back to standard fluid (as someone suggested) and the chatter is almost completely gone.
It took me a few times to set up my own gears correctly. But so far so good and I get no whine from mine. Just had to get rid of that chatter when I turned.





shatto
Dodge Dakota
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7/17/2006
02:01:45

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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Fill it and drive until the noise gets so loud people are looking because they hear you comming, through closed windows, at freeway speeds.




bluedak98
Dodge Dakota
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7/17/2006
11:32:59

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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ya my rear diff in my 98 cc 4x4 is starting to whine when im on the highway or goin over 25mph..think it might be toast,fluid is full....maybe a change out of fluid????? not sure what gears or lsd or anything just got it like 2 months ago



AveryT
Dodge Dakota
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7/17/2006
11:53:44

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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You should be able to drive it long enough to save up for gear replacement if`n you keep it loobed. The whine started when the pinion wore a "pattern" into the ring gear from lack of gear oil. If you caught it soon enough you could essentially ride a good while but it`ll be whinee. At this point I personally don`t think synthetics is the way to go. Syns are good but they ain`t band-aids.
Keep this in mind, it ain`t gonna fix itself. It may quieten up somewhat after adding diff fluid or turning up the radio but the worn gears are still there.
Good luck.



Dave_445
Dodge Dakota
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7/19/2006
12:59:18

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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OK, so heres the skinny. My garage just called and said that there was *alot* of metal shavings in the rear end and some *magnet* was full of shavings as well. As you can see Im not completely mechanically inclinded. In any event, I called 2 local wreckers and a used rear end for my truck is about 1400 (there were only 2 in the database). I guess my questions are, can i drive it (im thinking no) and is it better if I try to get a shop to rebuild my existing rear end or buy used from a wrecker. Cripes, this is p1ssing me off. Its summer and I dont have time (or the money) for this!!!
thanks for any help,




N56629
Dodge Dakota
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7/19/2006
20:43:39

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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I checked car-part.com and they ranged from $200-$1250 for a 9 1/4 and about the same for an 8 1/4 rear end. The average price was around $700. You could move up to 3.92. Here's a typical price for a 9 1/4 3.92.

2002
Rear Axle
Dodge Dakota - LOCKER,51K 51,000 A6-078 $550 Jay's Truck & Van Parts USA-OK(Oklahoma-City) Request_Quote 1-888-490-8890 Request_Insurance_Quote



Manny
Dodge Dakota
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7/19/2006
20:52:36

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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try these guys ---> http://www.gearsareus.com



AveryT
Dodge Dakota
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7/22/2006
01:43:42

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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You might be able to get someone to go in there and re-setup your existing gears just to get them to last til you get the bux and time to fix it like you need to. But new gears aren`t all that high. Have you tried Summit Racing or Jegs? It`s getting someone to install them and getting it done right that can get pricey. Good luck.



cyrjm
Dodge Dakota
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7/25/2006
23:44:05

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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Mine started whining a few weeks ago, took the diff cover off and drained the fluid. Found a LOT of metal shavings on the magnet and I finally found the slightest of chips (about the size of half my small finger nail and not deep at all). That's really all it takes to make that sucker whine and ultimately I'll need to rebuild it. A lot of what I'm reading seems to suggest the same. I can drive mine for a while but the problem is that once that hardened steel has been chipped it could propagate and weaken the tooth and then that could spell disaster. Get in there with a good magnet and a flashlight and try to find any damage on the gears.

Also, it is so friggin' expensive to fix! Almost as much as a tranny rebuild which I would think would be way more complex. Oh well, 107k miles on her and this is only the second major repair I've had to do.

2000 4.7 w/MBRP cat back and 360 Intake
3 in BL and black steel ProComp rims



Dave_445
Dodge Dakota
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7/26/2006
08:48:07

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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Well, I got my truck back - COMPLETE new rear dif, all new gears, bearings, seals the works. 2 year/40,000KM warranty from the shop which is pretty good I thought. Cost me $1486.75 taxes in, the truck is running great! Its one of those things...you cant drive it, and you gotta fix it...tough pill to swallow but no regrets ... I love my Dakota :)



bluedak98
Dodge Dakota
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7/26/2006
11:10:56

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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wooooow......expensive huh....crap i better start saving then



Dave_445
Dodge Dakota
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7/26/2006
15:46:47

RE: Rear Diff uh-oh
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Yep, its not a cheap thing to have done (maybe cheap if your a backyard mechanic and have the garage and know how), but for people like me I dont have a choice but to take it to a shop. But still, 0 regrets...I llove my truck :)



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