Hannibal
Gas Station
Senior Member
Joined: 04/12/2002
View Profile
 Offline
|
My 4.56 ratio R&P and master install kid including carrier and pinion bearings cost $930 installed at the local gear shop when my carrier bearings gave up at 97k. Dodge and GM both use AAM rear axles. I would think even the dealer would be about half the quote you were given or less. That's outrageous.
'05 2500HD Dodge SLT RB1 5.7L Hemi 5spd auto/4.56. 118k miles
ex '95 Cummins,'98 12v Cummins,'01.5 Cummins,'03 Cummins
'07 KZ Jag 28JFSS.
|
armyhockeynut
Ft Myer, VA
Senior Member
Joined: 02/08/2001
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
Thank all of you for your opinions. I was very disappointed that it took them 2 full days just to give me the estimate. This truck was much more than they could deal with, and I was having serious second thoughts about bringing it back to them if I decided to do the repair. I plan to stop at another couple of shops and get a second opinion.
They did not show me any damages, but did say that they did take the cover off, and looked in there with a camera. They thought replacing the bearings would be the first step. But if it was worse than they expected, they would highly recommend the replacement. Almost like I wouldnt have any other choice at that point. When I picked up the vehicle, the mechanic who worked on it, also suggested coming back on Monday and they would drain the fluid and put in some synthetic fluid and see if that made a difference. They had also done a oil change and topped off all the fluids. He did say that one of the seals was leaking bad.
Never was it mentioned about doing a rebuild. Over the course of the last 3 days, every time they said they would call, they never did, and I ended up calling them. Only to be told that it was on the lift and still assesing the situation.
Noticed that no one commented on my using the truck this weekend to go camping one last time this season given the current situation. Campground is about 60 miles from the house.
David - Ft Myer, VA
Active Duty Army 25+ years
2004 Terry Quantum 330FKDS
2001 Chevy Silverado LT 2500HD 4WD CC LB
8100 VORTEC, Auto ,4.10, Allison Trans
GS Chapter President(2002-2004)
Virginia State Staff (2006-2009)
Good Sam Club Life Member
|
mowermech
Billings, MT
Senior Member
Joined: 06/28/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
Is the pinion seal leaking? That is, the seal around the yoke where the driveshaft attaches to the differential. If not, I'm not sure the pinion bearings are bad. If those bearing are loose enough to make noise, the seal should have a rather severe leak!
The carrier bearings are pretty well encapsulated, and it would be very difficult to properly inspect them without removing them.
I do not claim to be an expert on differentials, having never worked on them much during my wrench-bending career, but I most assuredly agree with those who said you need to get another opinion from a competent axle shop!
CM1, USN (RET)
'94 Dodge 3500 4X2 CTD, 5 speed, 4.10 LS diff., Jacobs Rambrake, 274,000 Miles
'99 Monaco McKenzie 32' triple slide
'95 Tioga 29H Ford-based Class C
Daily driver: '08 Subaru Outback
Towed: '06 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited/Load Trail 16' flatbed
|
cougar88nw
Prescott Valley, AZ
Full Member
Joined: 02/12/2008
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
I ran a shop for years and replaced many gear sets and bearings. It did seem more common a problem for the GM trucks. I would have the pinion and carrier bearings replaced and take it for a spin. If the gears haven't been damaged your problem should be solved. Replacing the bearings will not require re-shimming the pinion or carrier...you just re-use the old shims. You will need to install a new crush sleeve and replace all seals including the axle seals. The pre-load on the pinion will need to be set properly to keep your new pinion bearings from failing. Labor should be 4-5 hours and parts around 100-150. Total bill $350-$550.00. Find a good shop and a technician that has lots of experience with rear axles. If the whine is there on accel and decel..it's the bearings.
I wouldn't tow the camper until this has been repaired. You will just do more damage under load.
Good Luck.
Pilot---Mark  , Co Pilot (boss)Nancy
Children:
Alyssa  , Corey  , Matthew , Kaylyn
Dogs: Shih-Tzu's(other children)
Max , Shelby, Twiggles
TT 2001 Sunnybrook 2708 SLE
TV 2004 Ford Super Duty F-250 Diesel 6.0
Yamaha EF3000iSE/Honda EU2000i
|
Gale Hawkins
Murray, KY
Senior Member
Joined: 07/22/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
I have seen them whine for years so if the volume is not increasing by the mile you may not have to deal with it for a while. We had an old farm truck at was so loud it was hard to talk. About 10 years later when I was grown we found an old truck that was shot but had a 5 speed. I changed out the entire rear end tires and all and the transmission. That stopped the roar.
|
|
|
Golden_HVAC
Fulltime, CA, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 08/19/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
Gale Hawkins wrote:I have seen them whine for years so if the volume is not increasing by the mile you may not have to deal with it for a while. We had an old farm truck at was so loud it was hard to talk. About 10 years later when I was grown we found an old truck that was shot but had a 5 speed. I changed out the entire rear end tires and all and the transmission. That stopped the roar.
You can always check with a local junkyard and get a drum to drum replacement rear axle for about $150 - $250. Installation should not be to much, a little more than the cost of a brake job and perhaps 4 hours labor.
That $5,000 estimate is way off, you can replace the truck for much less than that! I would not go back to that place again. Reminds me of a couple of places that I had to deal with recently.
Not many people are going to say go ahead with that trip, and then want to hear your woes about being towed home. But I would go out on that limb, as you can not find me with the towing bill! and say that you should be good for another 1,000 miles, with the whine getting stronger over time. If you have new fluids in the rear axle, and it is quiet again, then you should be good for a few hundred miles. Just don't hot rod the truck.
The worst case is you will need the rear axle out of a newer and wrecked truck that is in much better working condition for about $500 total. The best case is the new fluid will make the sound go away. But somewhere in between, you will find that new bearings will cost less than $1,000 installed.
Good Luck,
Fred.
|
steelpony5555
Copperas Cove Texas
Senior Member
Joined: 10/26/2007
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
 They want whaaaaaat! Run, don't walk away from that shop and tell all your friends and relatives to avoid it like the plague. Even by some weird chance the job would have cost that much, it would be a poor shop that would not advise you to just replace the whole rear end. He should have located a used rear end for you already if that was the case. Did he have a mask and gun too. Ask around surely some of your friends or relatives know a good mechanic
03 Alpenlite Valhalla
07 Dodge 2500 Lone Star Edition 5.9 diesel
07 Honda Goldwing Burnt orange of course! (My new Baby)
06 Chrysler 300 Touring
Margarita machine---nothing better then sittin in the shade on a hot day sippin a Margie!
|
colliehauler
Mc Pherson KS USA
Senior Member
Joined: 01/27/2004
View Profile
|
I had a noise in a Dodge truck rear end gears and decided to go to 4:10 gears from 3:55 and with new gears parts and labor it was only around 1200.
|
ShapeShifter
Buffalo, NY
Senior Member
Joined: 04/03/2007
View Profile
|
armyhockeynut wrote:As you can see from my signature, it is a 2001 truck. Have to decide if it is worth investing the money. (Sadly, I am not mechanically engineered and will not attempt this kind of repair on my own to keep down cost) OR do I start looking at purchasing a new truck?
Nobody addressed this part of your post.
Do you want a new truck? If so, use this as an excuse to go shopping. On the other hand, if you really don't feel the need for a new truck, and this truck is in otherwise good shape and has given you good service so far, then invest in the repairs (after shopping around as others have suggested.)
I have an '02 truck with 100k miles that is still in great shape and has been virtually flawless over the years. I just sunk a couple thousand in repairs and service this year without batting an eye - with those updates, the truck should be good to go for a bunch more years, and I don't regret spending the money at all. On the other hand, if the DW's 2005 daily driver needed that kind of money, I would consider replacing it since we haven't been as happy with it.
armyhockeynut also wrote:Other conflict, is we are looking to switch to a motorhome in the next few years, so not sure if new truck is the wise choise, for such a short period, but I need something to town the camper come spring...
Sounds like you've got a good reason to consider holding on to the truck, assuming that you would want to downsize it once getting a MH. Even if it does end up costing $5,000 to extend the life of your truck, that is likely to be a small amount compared to buying a new truck, and then turning around and selling it again in a couple years. Turning over cars quickly is nice if you can afford it, but that's generally an expensive way to go in the long run. But every situation is different, and you have to consider what works best for you.
2007 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40PDQ
400 ISL Cummins/Allison
2002 Chevy Avalanche toad
Inside: Him, Her, and a pack of little furballs...
|
JALLEN4
OHIO
Senior Member
Joined: 10/02/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
I would be very cautious accepting the advice to replace with used parts from a salvage yard. The parts normally carry some sort of warranty but it does not cover labor. Until the part is installed, no one really has a clue if it is good or bad except for the exterior visual inspection. I have gone through three or four before finding a good one and then had no idea how long it would last.
Many reputable shops will not install used parts from the salvage yard. Many "shade tree" guys will and it is a viable alternative for those doing their own work. Sometimes it works well the first time and lasts for awhile, often it does not. Ther reputable shop doesn't want to take the risk of standing behind this kind of arrangement as the consumer is going to complain loudly, even when told upfront of the potential risks, when it doesn't work.
|
|
|
|
