8.75 clicking

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Righty Tighty

Blame it on the dog
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Upon exiting the interstate this morning I noticed a whine coming from the rear. As I slowed down it turned into a buzz, and while turning by hand, it clicks once every 180 degrees.

The sound is definitely coming from the differential and sounds more like it's coming from towards the front of the third member. I've removed a third member before, but my question is, how easy would it be to remove the yoke without removing the third member to look inside?
 
Is the nit still tight or did it come loose?

If you remove the yoke, can’t see much. Remove the pinion seal and the front bearing and you can see the race and not much more. But that bearing and race would be good to look at.

need something with 300-400 FT lbs of torque to break the nut loose.
 
My Duster made that noise, but only for a while. Then BOOM. Spider gears I think. Not sure if 3rd member has to come out to remove yoke?
 
Well, I just took it down the street to turn it around and get it parked -- no more click. Sometimes problems just solve themselves, right?? Kidding!!

I'll drop the third member next chance I have to see what's up. I forgot about the big nut holding the pinion yoke in.
 
Your description seems that the rear u joint is bad. Possibly the front one also as sound travels. Take the shaft off. Any binding then u found your problem. Kim
 
Your description seems that the rear u joint is bad. Possibly the front one also as sound travels. Take the shaft off. Any binding then u found your problem. Kim
Both u joints are new, replaced them while the transmission was out. I thought they came pre-greased, but maybe not?
 
I'm no rear expert (in cars anyway) but I would think you'd wanna leave the pinion alone and pull the whole pumpkin complete so it can be properly bench tested before you mess with it. ?? My two cents.
 
Thanks all, I’ll try the simplest first (drive shaft disconnected and spin), then pull the third member. The strange part is how I don’t hear any clicking now, but it was definitely there before.
 
I put in new ujoints and one of them **** the bed after 300 miles.
Don't discount parts based on how new they are ;)
 
I'd be ecstatic if it were a bad u joint and not something in the differential. I can't hear any noise at all coming from either wheel, but I'll take the wheels off and inspect the drums anyway. Couldn't hurt...

I have to work today, but I'll be able to tear into it tomorrow. I'll keep y'all updated.
 
An intermittent click can be a loose brake part or a small stone inside a brake drum.
 
I put in new ujoints and one of them **** the bed after 300 miles.
Don't discount parts based on how new they are ;)
I had a new u-joint fail in under 100 miles, unfortunately it was a front one, it failed at ~ 70 mph, and broke the tailshaft off the transmission.:mad:
 
Basic question, but what are some things I should look for when inspecting the u joint? I'm thinking I will remove the drive shaft and check for free movement of the joint. Anything else?

I kind of wish the sound didn't go away, but I'm going to look for the cause anyway.
 
Well shoot. Pulled the drive shaft and both U-joints look good -- move freely and smoothly, visual inspection good. Brakes look good, turned the output shaft on the transmission with no issues. That click is gone. Gone.

I guess I'll put everything back together and hope it doesn't come back.... That was weird.
 
Ujoint caps should have a slight drag when spinning them. If they spin super free, even if no play, then they're going.
You can pull the caps carefully, and look for wear on the ends of the cross. Any wear you can feel is too much.
Doesn't hurt to repack everything with grease while you're in there.
 
Ujoint caps should have a slight drag when spinning them. If they spin super free, even if no play, then they're going.
You can pull the caps carefully, and look for wear on the ends of the cross. Any wear you can feel is too much.
Doesn't hurt to repack everything with grease while you're in there.
I spun the caps, and there’s very slight drag as you describe. No play, feels smooth as silk.

It bothers me a little that I can’t recreate the clicking or find where it came from when it was happening, but I can’t fix a problem if I can’t find it. I’ll be playing with ignition timing today, so I’ll pay close attention during the test drives.
 
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