Rear end bad??

I havnt been driving the jeep since i found out it was a bent driveshaft but before that, i was driving it back and forth to work, maybe 15 miles/day for about a month. Anyways, i started hearing this whinning sound coming from the rear end and i'm linking it to however the driveshaft got bent...my question is...can driving w/ a bent d/s mess up my rear end, and my other question is...if this whinning sound (upon deceleration only) is the rear end....how long can i go before i would have to replace it? Right now i'm at a slight whinning when i decelerate, thats all. Thanks for any info.

Any ideas at all much appreciated.

A bent shaft can easily damage the pinion bearing, which could lead to R & P misalignment. Both problems would make the noise you describe. i've had several whiny axles in the past few years & they've never left me stranded, just made a lot of noise & given an unsettling feeling of imminent doom. A junkyard axle swap is quick & relatively cheap, or you might want to make a gear change front & rear at this point anyway. Pull the rear shaft & diff cover & check for odd wear patterns on the R & P, blueish markings on the teeth, & slop in the pinion before you freak out. Good luck.

Re-gearing is expensive right? B/c of the lift i just bought i cant afford anything right now unless its relatively important...i can afford a couple hundred for a new ring and pinion though. Will this problem get worse even though i fixed the d/s??

Looking at around $300 for a gear set and install kit, then usually another $300-500 for install.

I think if the pinion bearing has no play and doesn't feel rough, you could probably take a "wait-and-see" attitude about the noise. If it does start getting worse you'll hear it well before anything awful happens. It might be worthwhile putting some synthetic oil in it to see if that helps quiet it down.

beav350 said:

A bent shaft can easily damage the pinion bearing, which could lead to R & P misalignment. Both problems would make the noise you describe. i've had several whiny axles in the past few years & they've never left me stranded, just made a lot of noise & given an unsettling feeling of imminent doom.

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Not to be a naysayer, but I had a D35 lock up going down the road at 65mph because of a bent driveshaft that led to pinion misalignment and ultimately a bad day.
Just my $.02

Thanks all, i'll keep my ears open...the new d/s should be in on monday along w/ the SYE. Then i'll be hitting the trails...we'll see what happens i guess.