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Clanking noise from rear diff

4K views 20 replies 6 participants last post by  RickM 
#1 ·
The noise I was getting that I thought might have been a bearing is in fact coming from the rear diff. It sounds like a metal rod hitting something spinning and bouncing off it. Comes and goes but has become much loader and steady...any ideas? I searched and couldn't find the exact thing. Oil is full.
Thanks
 
#2 ·
Jack up the rear axle and put it on stands. If you trun one wheel does the other turn? Try from both sides. opposite wheel should turn in the opposite direction to the one you are turning with the parking brake on or in park.

If one wheel turns and the other doesn't you most likely have a broken shaft on the side that turns on it's own.
 
#3 ·
The shafts are easy to pull and inspect too. If you are running alloys, pull the wheel, then undo the ring of bolts around the flange and pry it out. Should pull straight out with little or no resistance. You'll know if they are broken. If not, just reinsert (keeping them level so as not to put too much pressure on the seal as you push it in) and bolt it up. You can put a little right stuff around the seal if needed.
 
#5 ·
If both wheels turn from both sides, is it smooth while turning (there will be some play between the wheels, that's normal)? If it grates, is clunky or hesitant (hard to describe, sorry), then you either have a bad wheel bearing (you should hear that right by you on one side as you're turning), or you have something bad in the diff itself (carrier or spider gears broken or Ring/Pinion missing teeth).
 
#6 ·
Take the fill plug out and shine a light inside. Stick a screwdriver in the fill plug and see if you can move the spider gears in and out. On rover diffs sometimes the spider gears wear into the case creating a lot of slop and an eventual cross shaft failure.
 
#8 ·
You have to pull the shafts to get the diff out. Start there :) I'm not convinced the spin test is good since there is no load. You could have a reasonably clean shear on the shaft and not tell without load.

But if you think it's the diff, pull it. Pay attention to the shafts as they come out. Diff comes out easy after that.

I broke a cross pin once and I'm pretty sure it locked up the diff when it broke. Not sure what other symptoms to expect from diff damage but it should be obvious once you have it out.
 
#16 ·
The u joint seems tight....I will check it again...not sure checked it with everythig in neutral and one side jacked.

Will check that next....as always thanks for all the great advice and thanks again Ron for your offer.. Are u around on Sunday at all?? Any downside to swap out for the ten spline?
 
#18 · (Edited)
Ron and I swap out my diff on Sunday with one he had in is VAST parts collection. I have seen first hand the beauty that is the Parts Ninja's stash. Engines, transmissions, tcases everywhere! Not to mention the 110 he is building!

Anyway thanks again Ron for you help. We swapped in a new diff and the noise was still there. We drained the Tcase and the fluid looked new with no metal. The u-joints seem tight and the tranny shifts perfectly. It's heading the the mechanic to see if he can't figure it out. Oh the joy of land rover ownership:)

Thanks again Ron for your generosity with your time and diff.


Rich
 
#19 ·
No problem rich. Sorry that was not the issue. The stock diff in the rear of Rich's truck was worn (spider gear eating into the stock housing so that I could get a finger nail in the gap) and thought the "new" diff would fix it but no. I am assuming T-case at this point, but Frank the rover whisperer will know for sure.

Ron
 
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