Rear diff - howling noise

[btodd]

My rear differential is making a howling noise when coasting. The shop told me that it's probably a worn pinion bearing which is the same info I've found by searching. Are there any recommendations to the cheapest way of getting this fixed? Not sure if I should have a shop repair it or get a used on from a junk yard. I've already searched car-part.com for a used one, but you have to search for a carrier, and it asks if you have a "locking" or "non-locking" rear, which I'm not sure of. Any advise is greatly appreciated in this horrible time of frustration...

 

[Nanan]

Crawl under the rear of the car and see what the sticker says. If you have a LSD it will say BFH 3.545, if you do not have a LSD it will say BHB 3.545.

Before you start looking for a new rear diff take yours out, check for shaft play and take it apart to make sure nothing major is damaged.

 

[btodd]

I definately have LSD.

Ok I found an "expert" in my local area to do the labor for $350. I also called Mitsubishi Parts and came up with the following list of discounted parts:

MB185307 GEAR KIT 398.21
MA180841 SPACER 8.21
MB044434 SPACER 6.40
MB393929 OIL SEAL 6.00
MB393955 FRONT BEARING 20.27
MB393956 REAR BEARING 21.61

Now my question is, 2 different shops have said I have a worn pinion bearing. So for this, do I actually need the gear kit?

 

[ZachM31]

i would just take it off and take it apart, and if the pinion bearing is the only thing that isn't within spec, then i would replace that, he is charging $350 for only labor? if you want to save some money, do it yourself, or at least take it off the car and haul it to him and have it fix it at his shop, because differential removal is probably 30-45 minutes of labor, maybe more if he has problems.

 

[btodd]

Yes, after talking with a few knowlegable people, I'm going to do this myself. I've done everything else on my car by myself w/ the factory manual. I might have to have someone help later depending what's *)$#ed in the differential, but I'm at least going to take the diff out and open it up to have a look.

The guy I spoke with at the shop seemed to know what he's talking about. He said that since the noise only happens when coasting, it's the pinion/ front and rear bearings. If it made the noise when accelerating, it would be a gear problem. *correct me if I'm wrong on this*

So I'm going to attempt to fix this myself, I think, I might read the manual more before trying it heheheh. I'm also going to rebuild the drive shaft as listed on VFAQ to get rid of the rear thumb and center rattling.

 

[Nanan]

The rear Diff is a serious pain to remove, it took me almost 2 hours and I ended up breaking several bolts including both side swaybar endlinks. I used half a can of PB blaster on those bolts and they were still a mofo to get off. I guess 10 years of driving in the salt belt rust welded alot of it together.

 

[btodd]

Damn.. I can only imagine how difficult it is. But it can't be worse than me trying to pull out my old rear axles from the hubs!! At least I hope it's not that hard.

Has anyone else ever opened their rear diff? All I need to replace are the front/rear bearings, shim, spacers, and oil seal. Is this something a n00b with a factory repair manual can do?

 

[beat90tsi]

Mine has been making that bobble/howl noise since I bought my car. I read about it on this forum and dsmtalk, and a few different threads indicated that it's not terribly uncommon or dangerous. Does it just depend on how loud it is, or should I be looking into fixing this sooner than later?

 

[btodd]

Well the factory manual only has the complete steps for an overhaul on the rear diff, not just replacing the bearings. I for one, whether it's safe to drive or not, don't want to drive the car much at all with this noise, as I'm sure it will lead to larger problems down the road (pun intended). After spending literally hours of searching, I can't find any information for replacing the bearings in the rear diff. I simply can't afford to have a mechanic do the work or buy a new diff from Satan. One from a junk yard is an option, but an option I don't really trust. If ANYONE can help that has done such work on their rear diff; it is greatly appreciated.

 

[Detail]

first off im in ga, the local diff builder has never done one for a dsm, he questioned me how i broke one. my mechanic, a true dsm guy hasnt seen one break line mine up untill now and is scared to pop in open in fear that something will fly out at him. we pulled it out when i bought a used one(400 bucks) and went to put it in. it only took us about 45 mins with a lift and air tools. anywho, the one i bought was a non lsd. so we had to put everything back on. from what i know to rebuild.


250 labor ish...
500 from mitsu for sun gear, and bearings.

thats what i was told i needed bare minimum.

good luck, im still screwed as we speak.

 

[GritsnGravy]

Its not hard to rebuild the diff. Just pull everything apart to see what the problem is. Check all the bearings and teeth for wear. Remember when you pull the ring gear out to remember which shims are on each side because shimming the ring gear is a pain. For taking off the bearing if they bad you will need press.

 

[Tarantula]

Crawl under the rear of the car and see what the sticker says. If you have a LSD it will say BFH 3.545, if you do not have a LSD it will say BHB 3.545.

Before you start looking for a new rear diff take yours out, check for shaft play and take it apart to make sure nothing major is damaged.

Mine says BFB 3.545. What is this? LSD or non LSD???
Also My car makes a howling noise while in gear doing 60 or above. When theres a load it makes this noise. When I shift in nuetral, the noise goes away. What could it be???

 

[Nanan]

Err yea its BFB not BHB for non lsd rear end, my bad.

That would depend on where the sound is comming from Tarantula, it could be your rear diff or your transfer case.

 

[Tarantula]

Darnit, that means no lsd... I was hoping that it was...
The sound comes fro what sounds to be under the shifter. or towards the front. One says it might be my front diff

 

[Nanan]

Darnit, that means no lsd... I was hoping that it was...
The sound comes fro what sounds to be under the shifter. or towards the front. One says it might be my front diff

Your transfercase is right under the shifter/radio... It is likely that its worn out to the point that the gears dont mesh so well any more.

 

[I-luv-em-all]

That is right, call the dealer and see if your VIN# calls for a re-call.