junkyard axle screams like a banshee, please help!

howdy all!

i recently put in a xj d44 that i got from a junkyard and now there is a dull sound coming from it. the sound is not quite that of metal grinding, but kind of like when you go in reverse (with a manual)and it whines, just a lot more exaggerated and with a lower pitch. i think that the settings for the gears may be off, but am not exactly sure what to check.

since the whole thing only cost $133 from the boneyard, i'm thinking of just letting it ride until it blows up so that way i can justify gears/locker $ . that is of course unless its easy to fix.

gears are one realm where i'm a real stranger, so any help would be appreciated.

thanks in advance,
dan f.

Well it is from a junkyard. Have you opened it up & looked inside to see what you've got? Might even pull the carrier, & check out those bearings. Look at the wear pattern on the gears, you should beable to see how the gears have been riding.

Rob

For starters, did you change to fresh gear lube when you put the axle in your Jeep? If so, what weight did you use? Switching from 80W90 or 75W90 to 75W140 might keep things quieter. But I agree you should check the bearings and look at the gear pattern.

Don't just wait for it to blow up. XJ Dana 44s aren't being made any longer, so it's kind of a waste in many respects to blow one up rather than fix what's wrong with it. You certainly bought it right -- around here, they go for $500 to $600 ... if you can find one.

thanks guys,

i figured i'd have to check the pattern, but since i don't think i can adjust it myself and i dont have the $ to pay to fix it, i thought i'd let it ride. i think i'll try a new lube while i'm at it.

thanks again,
danny boy

Yeah, at least pop open the diff cover and look inside. I have a xj dana 44 as well and love the thing. Would it have killed Jeep to put this in all their jeeps? You really don't know what you are getting from a boneyard unless you open up the cover and look it over. The thing might not have any gear oil in there for all you know. Great find and a unbelievable price. Did you just happen on it when looking around the yard? Where you looking for a xj dana 44? I see them once in awhile up here in Sac. My bro got 1 for $300, I saw another 1 at that yard and posted it here, and a fellow member got it for $250. We got to snag those things up when we see them. I wish you the best with the axle, it sounds like it might needs some new bearings, but it could be so many things.
Troy

An experienced mechanic can tell from the pitch of the sound if it is ring gear bearing or pinion bearing. A loose pinion bearing setup will cause howl. If left too long it will wear a funky pattern in the gears and you will never get rid of the noise. Drop the cover and take some pix of the wear pattern and post it up on here. Maybe we can tell you more once we see whats happening.

specifics, I need specifics. you have done good so far but give me more detail... when is the noise the worst? when does it go away. what speed does it start at, does pitch change with speed? you mentioned more of a lower whine which could be more of a howl? how about when you turn left or right? does it get hot after driving for a while? are there any vibrations felt that match the noise? are there any clicks, clunks, ticks, chunks mixed in? is it a rumble? did you notice the noise when you first put the axle in? or did it just slowly get worse?

Years ago My dad bought an '82 Granada Wagon. It was only 2 years old but no longer under warranty. After he bought it he noticed that the rear end was making noise, much like you are describing (I have no idea how he missed it on the test drive). He took it in and they said the rear end was junk and needed to be replaced. He did exactly what you are talking about, he let it ride. He tried all the snake oils for it, but it just kept howling. It kept howling allright, right up to the day he sold it, 12 years and 150K miles later! I'm not saying you should leave it, if it were mine I'd fix it, but I thought you might find the story interesting.

B-loose

Re: junkyard axle screams like a banshee, please help!--rehash!

allright,
thanks for the responses, guys! I've been out of the loop for a while, so here's a bit more info if anyone still cares.

First, when i bought it, i did look inside and have given it lube. However, i also had to give it brakes. when i found it, the brakes were missing, but everything else was still there. because i knew i could make my d35 brakes work and i had a disk swap planned anyway, i overlooked this. could this be related (as in someone opening it up to get at the brakes and fiddling around inside)? i don't know. maybe i'm an idiot for buying it (probably)

next, the sound is most obvious when letting out the clutch upon downshifting, especially from third to second. this may be because i have no muffler and at higher speed you just can't hear as well. It doesn't change if i'm turning or not, and when i'm accelerating, it's not quite as bad. also, if i'm slowing down by using the engine brake, it's very noticable and then if i push the clutch, it quiets considerably as the load is removed.

one theory i have is that there is too much play between the ring and pinion gears. my idea is supported by the fact that when i begin moving from a standstill, a click comes from the rear end. i believe this to be the sound of the pinion gear engaging the ring after it has moved just a lttle bit and taken up the "slack." One problem with this is that the d35 that used to be in there also made the same click, but without the roar of the d44.

If i get some time soon, i'll try to pop the diff and take a few pics of the pattern. that was a good suggestion, by the way.

thanks again for the help with this continuing saga,

danny boy

OK thats what I anted to hear. noise is most obvious about downshifting. chances are that the oil level is low and there is not enough lube getting up to the outer pinion bearing. which is shot. a simple rebuild would do you good. if it goes bad for to long then you run the risk of spinning that bearing and many of the folks on this list would have words if you let that happen... start with overfilling it with lube. park it on a hill then top it off.

Big Red said:

Yeah, at least pop open the diff cover and look inside. I have a xj dana 44 as well and love the thing. Would it have killed Jeep to put this in all their jeeps? You really don't know what you are getting from a boneyard unless you open up the cover and look it over. The thing might not have any gear oil in there for all you know. Great find and a unbelievable price. Did you just happen on it when looking around the yard? Where you looking for a xj dana 44? I see them once in awhile up here in Sac. My bro got 1 for $300, I saw another 1 at that yard and posted it here, and a fellow member got it for $250. We got to snag those things up when we see them. I wish you the best with the axle, it sounds like it might needs some new bearings, but it could be so many things.
Troy

Click to expand...

this post is pure tech gold!

Why is everyone avoiding the obvious?

pull the cover off the center section and see if there's a banshee in there. duh!

MaXJohnson said:

Why is everyone avoiding the obvious?

pull the cover off the center section and see if there's a banshee in there. duh!

Click to expand...

Silly.. Everyone knows banshees aren't real.. Probably just a squirrel wrapped around the pinion again.

HodgePodge said:

Silly.. Everyone knows banshees aren't real.. Probably just a squirrel wrapped around the pinion again.

Click to expand...

I hate when that happens!

I was just wondering if he was referring to a banshee indian or banshee atv.

Fix it now. If you wait on it to explode it could cost you twice as much to fix.