rear axel noise

96 with a dana 35 c clip locked sye. abs sensors removed.. i replaced the wheel bearings and seals, but the noise is still there. at the moment the rear end is on jack stands with wheels and rotors off insuring its not break noise. the sound is a muffeled grinding that pulses with the oscilation of the rear axel. internally everything looked fine when i removed the c clips for the bearing swap. any ideas would be greatly apreciated.

i was reading up on lockers today and was wondering if it could be that. is a locker noticably loud when driving?

ive hear that they are.
when tires are spinning, and turning in a given radius, the spin at different speeds. the reason is that the tires are connected, but are turning at different radii with fixed centers. the inner wheel wants to spin faster than the outer wheel because the radius it is following is smaller, and vice versa. that is why differentials are able to slip to a certain degree, to account for this. lockers are designed to eliminate this slip because that slip is what causes one wheel to spin when it doesnt have traction, taking all the power away from the wheel WITH traction. so in escence your locker is keeping your wheels spinning at relatively the same speed while turning even though they want to spin freely. which is why you hear the grinding sound.

when its up on the jack and making a grinding sound... could be the locker, maybe a cracked bearing, could be a number of things. is your driving performance worse on road? off road?

rocklandxjer said:

ive hear that they are.
when tires are spinning, and turning in a given radius, the spin at different speeds. the reason is that the tires are connected, but are turning at different radii with fixed centers. the inner wheel wants to spin faster than the outer wheel because the radius it is following is smaller, and vice versa. that is why differentials are able to slip to a certain degree, to account for this. lockers are designed to eliminate this slip because that slip is what causes one wheel to spin when it doesnt have traction, taking all the power away from the wheel WITH traction. so in escence your locker is keeping your wheels spinning at relatively the same speed while turning even though they want to spin freely. which is why you hear the grinding sound.

when its up on the jack and making a grinding sound... could be the locker, maybe a cracked bearing, could be a number of things. is your driving performance worse on road? off road?

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Sorry there dude, but if you don't know then you shouln't say. While you have the basic concept, the particulars as you have explained them are way off. The locker is absolutely quiet nearly all of the time, depending on which locker. A lunchbox locker might make a slight chatter around a slow corner, and most other lockers won't make any noise at all. If the tires are off the ground, like in this case, no noise at all will come from the locker.

my detriot is very quiet, until it unloads and then it goes POP.

hmmm learn something every day then huh,
ive always heard of lockers being clunky around turns, maybe it was just a misunderstanding, hmmm that was my major turn off, now that you say their quiet, maybe ill have to save up some cash and get one (or two)

norcalsnow said:

96 with a dana 35 c clip locked sye. abs sensors removed.. i replaced the wheel bearings and seals, but the noise is still there. at the moment the rear end is on jack stands with wheels and rotors off insuring its not break noise. the sound is a muffeled grinding that pulses with the oscilation of the rear axel. internally everything looked fine when i removed the c clips for the bearing swap. any ideas would be greatly apreciated.

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What did it sound like on the road, and under load? If the noise is consistent with the axle rotation then it's likely the carrier bearings. If the noise is consistent with the driveshaft rotation it's likely the pinion bearings, or the slip yoke. If you're driving it and the noise changes with the throttle pressure it's more likely the pinion bearings, if the noise gradually increases as you speed up but makes no (or virtually no) change with throttle pressure then it's more likely the carrier bearings.

If you drop the rear of the shaft and spin the pinion with your hand you might feel bad pinion bearings. This is tough when not able to hear the noise, so it might pay to ask a professional. If I can drive it I can nearly always tell what the problem is.

Re: rear axle noise

norcalsnow said:

96' with a dana 35 c clip, locked, sye. ABS sensors removed.. I replaced the wheel bearings and seals, but the noise is still there. At the moment the rear end is on jack stands with wheels and rotors off, insuring its not brake noise. The sound is a muffled grinding that pulses with the oscillation of the rear axle. Internally everything looked fine when I removed the c clips for the bearing swap. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

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D35c with ABS rings removed, and the rotors removed? On a 96'? No rear rotors on a 96' D35c in an XJ.
Lots to cover, and lots of info missing.
Have the gears been changed?
Did you set up the SYE correctly?
Does it make this sound or vibration at a specific speed, or all speeds?( Vibration-DS, runout poor on gears) Constant (bearings), only load, but no coast (bearings)
What kind of locker? Was the differential removed to install the locker? (carrier preloads, gear mesh)

You could see if the problem goes away if you pull the shafts. If it does not, that narrows it to the DS or carrier. Remove DS, remove carrier (be sure to mark where the shims go!), examine the carrier bearings. Turn the yoke, does it "feel" smooth? Is there ANY play? If so- bearings, preload, or both.

This is one of those things you can't really fix over the internet, but if you try the things Goatman suggested, and combine that with what I have brought up, you may be in a position to ask specific questions.

The noise seems to be coming from the driver side of the rear axel. The noise is constant at all speeds and is consistent with the axel rotation, not the dline rotation. noise is present with the drum removed. locker was inslalled professionally. I did the wheel bearings and seals.axel shaft had zero wear. gummy black residue was on the shaft and on the inside of the the axel housing. All of the differential gears look to be in really good condition. Afer hearing what everyone had to say I am about 90% sure its the carrier bearing. how hard is that to replace?? thanks for all the replies, they helped out alot.