Rear End howling

[aries]

Ok so I've kinda been grinning and bearing it but the last two "long" trips I've taken have done it for me. The rear end in my car makes SOOOO much howling noise it's getting really annoying!! Is there something that can be done to silence this? (besides turning up the streo or wearing ear plugs)

 

[viperbilliam]

It's not leaking? You may not have enough oil or of the right kind in the differential. Did you have it serviced recently? Or, did you have it serviced as per maintenance schedule?

 

[ViperGeorge]

A howling noise usually indicates a bad wheel bearing, especially when it continues to get worse.

 

[aries]

It only occures when I'm on the gas to maintain speed. As soon as I let off the gas it stops making noise. It also seems to only occur at a certain speed. Is it possible it could be out of allignment or something?

 

[BlknBlu]

Have you tried the dealership under warranty?

Bruce

 

[aries]

Have you tried the dealership under warranty?

Bruce

HA HA HA HA!!! Ummm yeah, they'll take one look at my car and say "I don't think so". ha ha ha

 

[dodgefever]

In my GTS, the service manual says to change the rear fluid every 12K miles. I changed mine because of exactly what your experiencing, and it quieted right down. Now, after 10K more miles ( 2 years), it's starting to get noisy again.

 

[Viper Wizard]

Have you checked the diff fluid and if so, what does it look like? Amber in color or black? How many miles do you have and or when did you change the diff fluid last? You should change it every 9000 miles or every two years which ever comes first. 2qts 75W-140 syn diff fluid and 4oz of a friction modifier.

 

[aries]

The car has 5000 miles on it and has never been changed and it's a 2006. Is there a brand that you reccomend that is better for noise reduction?

 

[AbsolutHank]

It's probably the pinion bearings

 

[Martin]

The car has 5000 miles on it and has never been changed and it's a 2006. Is there a brand that you reccomend that is better for noise reduction?

The Mopar fluid is good, so that's a reasonably good choice if you have some on-hand or can get it easily.

I had a noisy diff in my GTS, and first swapped with Red Line 70w-140 and that helped a bit. The next change I put Red Line Shock Proof Heavy in it, and that made a gigantic difference in the sound levels. The gear noise completely went away. I believe both of those already have the friction modifier in them, but check the specs to make sure.

I'm making an assumption here that other things aren't causing the problem (bearings, etc.).

 

[BigSnake]

Hey Aries,

I have the same issue. I also have a 06 Coupe Black with Silver Stripes as well. Anyway, my car has 12K miles and it whines or howls as you put it starting at about 50mph - 70mph maintaining the speed with light throttle. Press the clutch it goes away or let off of the gas, it goes away. For me, it is definitely NOT the alignment. I had my car realigned when I installed Eibach springs.

I have yet to replace the rear diff fluid. I was thinking about changing the Diff fluid as well as the transmission fluid. If the whine or howl is still there, I am going to get really good at ignoring it as long as the car performs well.

 

[aries]

Hey Aries,

I have the same issue. I also have a 06 Coupe Black with Silver Stripes as well. Anyway, my car has 12K miles and it whines or howls as you put it starting at about 50mph - 70mph maintaining the speed with light throttle. Press the clutch it goes away or let off of the gas, it goes away. For me, it is definitely NOT the alignment. I had my car realigned when I installed Eibach springs.

I have yet to replace the rear diff fluid. I was thinking about changing the Diff fluid as well as the transmission fluid. If the whine or howl is still there, I am going to get really good at ignoring it as long as the car performs well.

That is exactly what mine is doing but at slightly higher speeds. You're a better, more patience man than me if you can ignore that howl, because it's very, VERY annoying. It looks like I'm gonna try the the redline shock proof heavy in it and see if that does anything.

 

[Bandit3]

Big snake--it's the ring and pinion. Bearing noise will not change with throttle. Should be under warranty.

 

[BigSnake]

Aries,

The noise is definitely annoying, however since I don't drive the car for long distances in that mph range. Usually, I cruise at 80mhp it is all good. I am looking forward to your results with the Redline shock proof heavy.

When are you going to perform the change? Please post your results.

Bandit3,

Unfortunately, I know for a fact that my car's powertrain warranty has expired. Dodge did away with the longer powertrain warranty in 2006 and only offered 3yr/36K miles. This is a fact for my car with an in service date of 01/06 as I called Dodge and verified with my VIN. To bad for me.

 

[Malu59RT]

Will Dodge deny the warranty on the diff if the fluid was supposed to be changed at 12k, but wasn't changed, and the diff started to get loud at say 14,000 miles?

 

[SlateEd]

mine does something very similar - light whining with the throttle partially open only, not WOT, not coasting, and not at lower speeds. It's quiet enough that when I have the roof open I don't hear it at all - with the roof closed and windows closed I notice it a little.

 

[Martin]

Will Dodge deny the warranty on the diff if the fluid was supposed to be changed at 12k, but wasn't changed, and the diff started to get loud at say 14,000 miles?

Changing the gear oil is a really easy "do it yourself" task - and Dodge doesn't employ too many psychics as far as I know

 

[dave6666]

Big snake--it's the ring and pinion. Bearing noise will not change with throttle. Should be under warranty.

This.

I know because my pinion bearing just went out.

It took a spot that big to make the car sound like it had gravel in everything.

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[sbarbier]

Mine does the exact same thing yours does. The shop manual states that it is one of the bearings in the differential (can't remember which one). I planned to install 3.55 gears soon so was going to change everything then. I also changed the fluid recently but it did not make a difference.

 

[ViperTony]

I have a complete Unitrax 3.55 kit in the classifieds (includes new pinion bearings). Might be an opportunity to swap out the gear while you're in there.

 

[woosch]

Can the fluid be sucked out through the fill hole or do you have to pull the cover off?

 

[ViperTony]

Can the fluid be sucked out through the fill hole or do you have to pull the cover off?

Yes, you can **** it out. It'll be easier if the fluid has warmed up a bit as it's very thick. I used a Mityvac to **** out the fluid. There's a diff drain plug mod in the illustrated's section which will make future diff draining much easier/quicker. You can call Chuck Tator for some tips on draining the diff, etc. He may also be able to sell you the Mopar fill and friction modifier.

 

[Darbgnik]

On the SRT 's theres a drain plug on the bottom of the diff.

 

[woosch]

Yes, you can **** it out. It'll be easier if the fluid has warmed up a bit as it's very thick. I used a Mityvac to **** out the fluid. There's a diff drain plug mod in the illustrated's section which will make future diff draining much easier/quicker. You can call Chuck Tator for some tips on draining the diff, etc. He may also be able to sell you the Mopar fill and friction modifier.

Thanks! I'll check out the mod.

On the SRT 's theres a drain plug on the bottom of the diff.

I haven't looked at the car yet, but looking at the service manual it said that you have to remove the cover... I'm really hoping there is already a drain plug.

Thanks!

 

[Darbgnik]

You have to remove the underbody cover to get to the bottom of the diff, but there is a drain plug there, 2 actually, so you can plumb a cooler if you like.

I changed my fluid a couple weeks ago. I did use a suction gun to put the fluid IN.

 

[woosch]

You have to remove the underbody cover to get to the bottom of the diff, but there is a drain plug there, 2 actually, so you can plumb a cooler if you like.

I changed my fluid a couple weeks ago. I did use a suction gun to put the fluid IN.

Excellent!! Thanks!

I have a set of drill pumps, one for tranny and one for diff, that I use to pump the new fluid in.

 

[ViperTony]

I haven't looked at the car yet, but looking at the service manual it said that you have to remove the cover... I'm really hoping there is already a drain plug.

Thanks!

Ahh...I was thinking GenII. Be thankful you have a drain plug on your SRT.

 

[ILLSMOQ]

You're wasting your time and money on changing the oil. It's the gears and the noise will not go away. At a minimum you need a new set of gears and pinion bearings.

Just look at it as a good time to upgrade. 3.55's are a blast! Add in a better differential like the Quaife and you're good to go.

 

[aries]

You're wasting your time and money on changing the oil. It's the gears and the noise will not go away. At a minimum you need a new set of gears and pinion bearings.

Just look at it as a good time to upgrade. 3.55's are a blast! Add in a better differential like the Quaife and you're good to go.

The damn thing has just over 5000 miles!!! How the hell did it go bad that quick? (if it is indeed bad)