Rear End Noise (the car, not me)
08-07-2014, 09:41 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: BC
Posts: 5
Rear End Noise (the car, not me)
So...my mechanic story is interesting. First mechanic I went to about our rear end noise said he couldn't hear it...then I found out he took it out for a test drive with the convertible top down, in the city...sigh...so much for that guy.
The next mechanic told us it could be 1 of 2 things and he would have to spend hours trying to see what it was and then proceeded to tell us that the noises we are hearing are coming from different places...sigh...again...so much for that guy.
Here is the noise...it is a whup whup type sound that goes faster when you go faster and goes slower when you go slower. We have been told that the wheel bearings are fine (by the first guy). There is no grinding noise...it is just a whup type hum that goes with the speed of the car...and it is coming from the rear end. From what I am reading it sounds like ring and pinion.
We have new tires...just changed from 16" wheels to 18", and kept with the specs of the tires, so it isn't the tires as it made the sound before and after we changed the tires. I have spent hours online trying to diagnose this and we plan on bringing it to a third mechanic that I think we can trust, but I would like to have an idea of what this might be before hand.
Would love opinions and ask questions and I will try to answer them.
Stefani
The next mechanic told us it could be 1 of 2 things and he would have to spend hours trying to see what it was and then proceeded to tell us that the noises we are hearing are coming from different places...sigh...again...so much for that guy.
Here is the noise...it is a whup whup type sound that goes faster when you go faster and goes slower when you go slower. We have been told that the wheel bearings are fine (by the first guy). There is no grinding noise...it is just a whup type hum that goes with the speed of the car...and it is coming from the rear end. From what I am reading it sounds like ring and pinion.
We have new tires...just changed from 16" wheels to 18", and kept with the specs of the tires, so it isn't the tires as it made the sound before and after we changed the tires. I have spent hours online trying to diagnose this and we plan on bringing it to a third mechanic that I think we can trust, but I would like to have an idea of what this might be before hand.
Would love opinions and ask questions and I will try to answer them.
Stefani
08-08-2014, 12:58 AM
#2
5th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 2,388
sounds like a ring or pinion gear issue. Has the car been raced? Any accidents or contact with a curb? Stock gears or aftermarket gears?
Those things don't usually just develop, something causes it.
Those things don't usually just develop, something causes it.
08-08-2014, 10:09 AM
#3
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: BC
Posts: 5
Other than cosmetic changes, we have not added anything to the car. Everything is stock and no accidents that I know of. It has 146,000miles on it and we haven't had to do any major work on it...just regular maintenance stuff. So I guess we have been lucky up to this point.
Thanks for commenting, I appreciate it.
Stefani
08-08-2014, 10:29 AM
#4
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Eastern Tennessee
Posts: 628
Here is the noise...it is a whup whup type sound that goes faster when you go faster and goes slower when you go slower. We have been told that the wheel bearings are fine (by the first guy). There is no grinding noise...it is just a whup type hum that goes with the speed of the car...and it is coming from the rear end. From what I am reading it sounds like ring and pinion.
We have new tires...just changed from 16" wheels to 18", and kept with the specs of the tires, so it isn't the tires as it made the sound before and after we changed the tires. I have spent hours online trying to diagnose this and we plan on bringing it to a third mechanic that I think we can trust, but I would like to have an idea of what this might be before hand.
Would love opinions and ask questions and I will try to answer them.
Stefani
We have new tires...just changed from 16" wheels to 18", and kept with the specs of the tires, so it isn't the tires as it made the sound before and after we changed the tires. I have spent hours online trying to diagnose this and we plan on bringing it to a third mechanic that I think we can trust, but I would like to have an idea of what this might be before hand.
Would love opinions and ask questions and I will try to answer them.
Stefani
My Tahoe did the exact same thing, only difference is I've got a stellar mechanic.
85 bucks to replace both (I think 150 with labor) and it was fixed.
Last edited by potman; 08-08-2014 at 10:32 AM.
08-08-2014, 01:25 PM
#5
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: BC
Posts: 5
Stefani
08-09-2014, 12:40 AM
#6
5th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 2,388
Yeah could be the UJ in the stock driveshaft. Should be able to raise the car (carefully) so back wheels are up, put in neutral, turn driveshaft by hand and feel for clunking or binding. Any such issues I've seen, there's been a way to feel it, at the rear wheel or at the driveshaft.
08-13-2014, 01:00 PM
#7
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: TX
Posts: 16
In our new to us car, I had the same issue. 131k miles. It also had a clunk when changing from drive to reverse and back. The clunk was obviously a u-joint. The whup whup was obviously a wheel bearing. Wrong. Both noises were caused by the same issue. In the ring carrier there are four spider gears. The axles go through two and are held in place with the c-clip. The other two spider gears are held in place by a pin that also serves the purpose of keeping axles in place with c-clips on. Where that pin goes through the carrier was my problem. Tons of play. The clunk, clunk was the pin hitting both sides of it's hole. The whup, whup was the carrier out of balance due to the pin not being located properly. Solution was replace carrier or junk yard rear end. Rear ends were scarce in DFW, but I found one. $400 cash. I did not price replacing the carrier. All noises are gone.
I put the car on jack stands and inspected the drive shaft. No play in u-joints, but pinion seemed to have a lot of play. The issue was obvious when I took the diff cover off and started moving things around. I could see the pin moving around.
I put the car on jack stands and inspected the drive shaft. No play in u-joints, but pinion seemed to have a lot of play. The issue was obvious when I took the diff cover off and started moving things around. I could see the pin moving around.
08-14-2014, 07:37 PM
#8
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: BC
Posts: 5
In our new to us car, I had the same issue. 131k miles. It also had a clunk when changing from drive to reverse and back. The clunk was obviously a u-joint. The whup whup was obviously a wheel bearing. Wrong. Both noises were caused by the same issue. In the ring carrier there are four spider gears. The axles go through two and are held in place with the c-clip. The other two spider gears are held in place by a pin that also serves the purpose of keeping axles in place with c-clips on. Where that pin goes through the carrier was my problem. Tons of play. The clunk, clunk was the pin hitting both sides of it's hole. The whup, whup was the carrier out of balance due to the pin not being located properly. Solution was replace carrier or junk yard rear end. Rear ends were scarce in DFW, but I found one. $400 cash. I did not price replacing the carrier. All noises are gone.
I put the car on jack stands and inspected the drive shaft. No play in u-joints, but pinion seemed to have a lot of play. The issue was obvious when I took the diff cover off and started moving things around. I could see the pin moving around.
I put the car on jack stands and inspected the drive shaft. No play in u-joints, but pinion seemed to have a lot of play. The issue was obvious when I took the diff cover off and started moving things around. I could see the pin moving around.
08-23-2014, 11:16 AM
#9
Cut & Paste Expert
Join Date: May 2007
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 13,322
Why keep punishing yourself with the idiot that wants
your $$ but knows nothing about your stang?
How many miles are there on the Odometer?
Replace the outer wheel bearings and seals before
they eat up the axles and you need to replace them as well...
Mine had the whump whump at 35K.
It was axle bearings.
New bearings and seals with some AMSOIL lube
and all is as new.
your $$ but knows nothing about your stang?
How many miles are there on the Odometer?
Replace the outer wheel bearings and seals before
they eat up the axles and you need to replace them as well...
Mine had the whump whump at 35K.
It was axle bearings.
New bearings and seals with some AMSOIL lube
and all is as new.
08-23-2014, 10:10 PM
#10
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 46
I'd say you have a bad u-joint (about a $12 part) or a bad wheel bearing. Differential noises are typically only most prevalent at certain speed ranges - depending on the type of failure, e.g. pinion bearing, carrier bearing, worn ring and pinion gear, etc. Each failure will have a unique sound. The sound you describe sounds mostly like a u-joint to me. If you have a dried out, worn u-joint, it will start making an audible sound immediately when the driveshaft starts turning.
