pinion gear?

[pdiddyz28]

whats up guys, there's a humming noise coming from my rear end that is loudest when i accelerate and decelerate.my friend and my mechanic think its probably the pinion gear and bearing.Also two weeks ago when it was at the shop my mechanic said the pinion seal is leaking (again) cuz i had it changed last year and he said that's usually sign of bigger problems like the pinion gear and or bearing.

i was wondering if i should have the pinion gear and bearing changed or just throw in a whole new (meaning used) rear end.Cuz people say its risky and you're taking a chance rebuilding it cuz it hardly ever works right afterwards.

oh, also i know its not a wheel bearing making the noise! thanks guys!

[Spikito]

welcome to owning an f-body....

since it only makes noise when the gears are under strain, id say the noise is coming from where the ring and pinion actually interact, just like all the rest of ours do.

We have loud rear ends, just the way it is.

[jrgswhitels1]

New bearings and races and you should be OK, so long as you set pinion nut at the same setting as it was. Torqueing it down too much/little and the rear will whine and over heat.

[JayTA98]

make sure that you don't have a worn axle. I had noise in my rear end and when I pulled the axles out one of them had damage were the bearing sits at. I put a repair bearing (or replace it with a new axle) and replaced the other side's bearing and the noise is gone.

[RyanJM]

I chewed up the factory 3.23's in my 98 A4 TA just got some new gears and a rebuild kit and worked great for a couple more years before it started humming loud again so I tossed in some 3.73's with another rebuild kit and been ok for 2 yrs although it is a little loud. I plan to swap to a better rear when I have the cash but the the ring and pinion gears. Usually a set a motive gears and a ratech rebuild kit will get you by till you can eventually buy a more solid rear.