Rear differential problem

[crusher]

I'm guessing a general lack of maintenance or some poorly done maintenance to me. You smelled burning oil (likely gear from the diff) because you were missing a cap but saw gear oil on the bottom of the bed and kept driving?
Your tranny blows after a diff service?

This doesn't even sound believable
Again, sounds like abuse and poor maintenance to me

then again, the truck only has 46000km thats 28000miles... its not suppose to happen

and there is not much maintenant to be done at that point

to be fair i had problem with my 2009 ram 1500 sport differentiel and also my 2014 ram sport

the 2009 was making whinning noise, dealer denied to fix under warranty, a few months after, a recall was sent for that, went to a different dealer and he mention it was about time, i was about to loose my pinion nut or something and my drive shaft would.of fall on the ground...

the 2014 also had the whinning, it was getting worst but i traded in for.my new 2022

 

[crusher]

What cap are you talking about, there's no cap on the diff
View attachment 146647

View attachment 146648

probably the rubber gromet you would remove to refill the diff, its on the diff cover, we dont see it on your pictures (was there before dont know on the 2019+ if its still there)

 

[crusher]

My rear diff blew on my 2019 ram 1500 warlock at 46,000 km. They tried to void warranty because a cap for the rear diff was missing when it blew. No one touched the rear diff since i bought it so wtf. They tried to void warranty over the missing cap, however when i heard noise i pulled over at a mechanic shop 5 mins down the road on my trip. I told him it was under warranty and to call dodge to authorize repairs b4 he looks at anything. They said check his diff, refill if necesarry and send me on my way and to book an appointment at the dealership for the following day. It blew 6 hrs later with no noise until it blew. They tried to void my warranty and slap me with a 4,500$ bill saying i must have removed the cap. I showed them the paper work showing the mechanic called dodge and they authorized the work. I had it in writing that he called dodge. The next day they said they would cover it under warranty. Took 2 months for them to get parts. When it was repaired i had to pay 570$ to get it towed to where i moved. I get in it and it still has mild noise coming from the rear but now i have a vibration at all speeds. Booked an appoontment for tuesday at the dealership. I will never be buying another dodge. I purchased it new with the idea that i would save on repair costs and limit breakdowns in cold environments where i work. This vehicle has been a complete lemon. Can a replaced diff cause vibrations? If the bearings and gears blew.. could it have damaged the internal housing and now the new bearings and diff are scraping on the damage caused by the previous diff? I am selling my truck once it is fully fixed. No longer a dodge person.

do you have the lsd? if yes they must add a lsd additive in the diff fluid... when they fix my older 2009, they forgot to put it in, first 90 degre turn i took i could hear it

its probably not the cause of your noise but its something to check

 

[BowDown]

then again, the truck only has 46000km thats 28000miles... its not suppose to happen

and there is not much maintenant to be done at that point

to be fair i had problem with my 2009 ram 1500 sport differentiel and also my 2014 ram sport

the 2009 was making whinning noise, dealer denied to fix under warranty, a few months after, a recall was sent for that, went to a different dealer and he mention it was about time, i was about to loose my pinion nut or something and my drive shaft would.of fall on the ground...

the 2014 also had the whinning, it was getting worst but i traded in for.my new 2022

no it not but the story isnt adding up either

 

[BowDown]

probably the rubber gromet you would remove to refill the diff, its on the diff cover, we dont see it on your pictures (was there before dont know on the 2019+ if its still there)

Its a 15MM hex head plug for both drain and fill




My 2003 had a round rubber grommet but it took some effort to get it out, 277K miles and it never had an issue

 

[crusher]

Its a 15MM hex head plug for both drain and fill

View attachment 146689


My 2003 had a round rubber grommet but it took some effort to get it out, 277K miles and it never had an issue

so they did change that for 2019+ year model, it use to be a rubber gromet. i think its a good thing, never was a fan of that gromet, like you said was hard to remove

thanks for the info

 

[Cbty2050]

Its a 15MM hex head plug for both drain and fill

View attachment 146689


My 2003 had a round rubber grommet but it took some effort to get it out, 277K miles and it never had an issue

14mm hex.

 

[Cbty2050]

so they did change that for 2019+ year model, it use to be a rubber gromet. i think its a good thing, never was a fan of that gromet, like you said was hard to remove

thanks for the info

Some early DT had a rubber plug and a hex in the side of the diff. I'm not sure on the cutoff on that.

 

[BowDown]

so they did change that for 2019+ year model, it use to be a rubber gromet. i think its a good thing, never was a fan of that gromet, like you said was hard to remove

thanks for the info

IDK, the 5th Gen has two hex plugs as far as I've seen. The only good thing about the grommet is that it made refills easy

 

[fitz7]

Update: had it towed to a local dealer.
They say that roughly 2 litres of oil were missing in the rear dif.
Picked it up today, still hear the sound but no locked rear wheels.

I have got the feeling that this issue has not been solved, but the expensive solution postponed to later...

Maybe it was not a good idea to buy a new Ram. All cars have issues, but this is a pretty severe one for still under 3K km.

My vehicle was accelerating slowly with high rpm buy no noise. But i only drove 10km to work each day. When i did a long drive finally, 2hrs into my drive i heard a whirring sound and resistance as if my calipers seized. Checked all the hubs for heat and got nothing. Crawled under the truck to look for heat and saw nothing so opted to go to a mechanic and i was about 5km from the next town. Mechanic got permission from ram to check my rear diff and it was black oil with no metal bits. Patched it up and send me on my way. No noise or heat for about 8 hrs and i checked it at every gas station. By 9th hour i heard noise and had to find a safe place in the snowy mountains to pull over safely. As i proceddd to do so bang and fluid spraying all over the back of my truck. Rear diff failed and cap somehow fell off or was ejected when it blew so they tried to void my warranty. I asked the mechanic to sign on my receipt that he contacted dodge regarding the repair and got permission to do the work. When i threatened legal action and the receipt stating he was authorized tp inspect my diff they paid for the repair. 2 months waiting for a part later and having to have my vehicle towed 350km to me later... 3 days after recieving my fixed truck the rear diff made noise as i left my local dodge dealer (must have been similar to what you heard after your repair). I drove back 10 minutes latet and said it is not fixed and the mechanic said it was my cupped tires and i needed to break it in for a week. By day 3 i heard grinding and sent it back to the dealership. Their mechanic called and said there is no noise. I went to dodge and teat drove it with him and it had noise which he said was cupped tires. I said you open up the rear diff and if im wrong i will pay for the inspection. He openes it up and the bearing snf pinion had went again. Fixed it and then mu vehicle drove stiff and had a slight noise but barely noticable. Mechanic said he would not look at my truck again until i changed my tires as he sais it was probably caused by cupped tires (2nd time he said this). So i let my truck sit 2 months (beaidea driving it so the battery didn't die) and drove my other vehcile until i could put my summer tires on. Same noise but worse after putting 400 km on it. Booked an appointment. I am going to argue for a new axle as this is probably the third bearing and pinion failure in a year. My truck is a 2019 1500 warlock 5.7l slt w/ 48,200 km on it and another 12k remaining in warranty or 1 year. So if i was you and you hear the noise after the repair i guarantee you something is shot in your axle. How can bearings get destroyed and not also deatroy the housing they fit into when you replace the bearings?

 

[BowDown]

Bearings go bad, rarely does a bearing go bad damaging the housing.
You could drive with no gear oil in the rear end and it would seize up before damaging the housing.

The diff, pinion and axle bearings all ride in a race that is pressed/driven into the housing. The bearing will go bad 1st then in extreme cases damage the race.

 

[Rick3478]

Bearings go bad, rarely does a bearing go bad damaging the housing.
You could drive with no gear oil in the rear end and it would seize up before damaging the housing.

The diff, pinion and axle bearings all ride in a race that is pressed/driven into the housing. The bearing will go bad 1st then in extreme cases damage the race.

I wonder about the possibility of confusing cause and effect. The pinion gear has two bearings that must be nearly perfectly concentric in order to properly distribute load. If the bearing bores in the housing were not properly machined, that can cause premature bearing failure. And the problems could be compounded if the pinion shaft warps a bit, like might happen if it gets extremely hot due to bearing failure. Or if a bearing spins, it will probably gall the housing it was in. In any case, if you don't get to the root cause, the problem will keep coming back.

 

[BowDown]

I wonder about the possibility of confusing cause and effect. The pinion gear has two bearings that must be nearly perfectly concentric in order to properly distribute load. If the bearing bores in the housing were not properly machined, that can cause premature bearing failure. And the problems could be compounded if the pinion shaft warps a bit, like might happen if it gets extremely hot due to bearing failure. Or if a bearing spins, it will probably gall the housing it was in. In any case, if you don't get to the root cause, the problem will keep coming back.

That's possible however I'd think that that would reveal itself far sooner than 46,000km (28,000 miles). Differentials wont last if there's anything wrong in the setup and if there's anything wrong in the setup, you usually know right away, not 26k miles later.
This sounds more like something went wrong and the warning signs were missed or ignored.

But i only drove 10km to work each day. When i did a long drive finally, 2hrs into my drive i heard a whirring sound and resistance as if my calipers seized....Crawled under the truck to look for heat and saw nothing so opted to go to a mechanic and i was about 5km from the next town. Mechanic got permission from ram to check my rear diff and it was black oil with no metal bits. Patched it up and send me on my way. No noise or heat for about 8 hrs and i checked it at every gas station. By 9th hour i heard noise and had to find a safe place in the snowy mountains to pull over safely. As i proceddd to do so bang and fluid spraying all over the back of my truck

I realize that some people make not be mechanically inclined and mis describe things but this makes no mechanical sense.
A, the diff isn't pressurized so its not spraying oil anywhere
B, You don't need Ram authorization for non dealer service unless you're trying to get them to pay for it

Rear diff failed and cap somehow fell off or was ejected when it blew so they tried to void my warranty. I asked the mechanic to sign on my receipt that he contacted dodge regarding the repair and got permission to do the work. When i threatened legal action and the receipt stating he was authorized tp inspect my diff they paid for the repair. 2 months waiting for a part later and having to have my vehicle towed 350km to me later... 3 days after recieving my fixed truck the rear diff made noise as i left my local dodge dealer (must have been similar to what you heard after your repair).

Then this, what happened after the rear "banged", what did the mechanic repair? What part did he wait 2 months for? No mention of what the repair was or the part.
Theres a lot of missing info and the person has posted this twice for some reason, somethings not right with this story, like his trans blowing up as a result of the diff issue

 

[fitz7]

That's possible however I'd think that that would reveal itself far sooner than 46,000km (28,000 miles). Differentials wont last if there's anything wrong in the setup and if there's anything wrong in the setup, you usually know right away, not 26k miles later.
This sounds more like something went wrong and the warning signs were missed or ignored.


I realize that some people make not be mechanically inclined and mis describe things but this makes no mechanical sense.
A, the diff isn't pressurized so its not spraying oil anywhere
B, You don't need Ram authorization for non dealer service unless you're trying to get them to pay for it



Then this, what happened after the rear "banged", what did the mechanic repair? What part did he wait 2 months for? No mention of what the repair was or the part.
Theres a lot of missing info and the person has posted this twice for some reason, somethings not right with this story, like his trans blowing up as a result of the diff issue

I believe it was the rear pinion seal and bearings that was replaced the first time. I would have to go track down the repair form but am not near my truck while reading this. My vehicle made no g

Bearings go bad, rarely does a bearing go bad damaging the housing.
You could drive with no gear oil in the rear end and it would seize up before damaging the housing.

The diff, pinion and axle bearings all ride in a race that is pressed/driven into the housing. The bearing will go bad 1st then in extreme cases damage the race.

Good to know about how the internal components of the axle can and can not wear down the housing as i am not a mechanic.

It turned out that my latest problem according to the dealership was that my rear right wheel bearing went bad about 500km's after the 2nd rear diff fix. I just got it back after one day in the shop and i hear no noise atm but i drive with the blower off and windows up to listen for any kind of sound because i am parinoid now after having so many rear end issues with my truck. They replaced both rear wheel bearings to play it safe and it appears to have no issues for now.

Some other poster said it was weird for my truck to spray fluids out the back and i may have missed early warning signs. The only reason this issue literally blew up was because i never drove the truck long enough distances to hear any noises. I lived in a ski town so driving 10km to work in powder it was hard to differentiate 4 x 4 drive train noise on gravel and snow from faint noises that may be wrong going on under my truck. i had my truck in 4 x 4 essentially the entire winter unless i needed to disengage to parallel park outside my house or in parking lots.

All i noticed was resistance on acceleration 2 or so hrs into my long move so assumed it was from braking hard in the mountains causing a caliper to seize. What may have ended up blowing my diff is while there was no metal bits when the mechanic inspected my diff, the burned oil should have been a tell tale sign heat was being generated more than normal. After the new fluid change i noticed no more resiatance until the 8th or 9th hour (was supposed to be a 16 hr drive). Then i heard extreme grinding and couldn't pull over immediately as i was in remote northern bc. It took me 10 minutes to find a safe place to pull over where i wouldnt be taken out by a semi in the snow.

How the rear diff cap came off is news to me as when the fluid sprayed out i assumed it came from the overflow tube. (The mechanic who looked at my truck explained all about the rear diff when he drained and refilled it). The only person to see/ state the cap was missing was the dealership mechanic after the 2.5 hr tow to them.

To summarize,
First mechanic only inspected the rear diff for damage and refilled the rear diff to spec and sent me on my way after he test drove it. Dodge said this minor fix would not void my warranty so long as i booked an appoinement with them for when i arrived.

Secondly, the repair was pinion and internal bearings. it failed in 3 days, this time with metal bits in the oil. There is in fact an overflow tube to allow overheating oil to exit the rear diff in worst case scenarios. It is a tube that runs somewhere near the spare tire. Oil was everywhere so i did not even bother crawling under to pinpoint the leak.

Third fix, the mechanic said the people who repaired it must have had the tolerances wrong. He replaced the internal bearings and pinion again and the truck felt more stiff but appeared to have no issues. Then i heard a rubbing noise... which turned out to be a rear right wheel bearing.

4th repair, both rear wheel bearings were replaced.

I have tested the truck dricing about 50km after the repair and hear no noise atm.


Third

 

[fitz7]

I believe it was the rear pinion seal and bearings that was replaced the first time. I would have to go track down the repair form but am not near my truck while reading this. My vehicle made no g

Good to know about how the internal components of the axle can and can not wear down the housing as i am not a mechanic.

It turned out that my latest problem according to the dealership was that my rear right wheel bearing went bad about 500km's after the 2nd rear diff fix. I just got it back after one day in the shop and i hear no noise atm but i drive with the blower off and windows up to listen for any kind of sound because i am parinoid now after having so many rear end issues with my truck. They replaced both rear wheel bearings to play it safe and it appears to have no issues for now.

Some other poster said it was weird for my truck to spray fluids out the back and i may have missed early warning signs. The only reason this issue literally blew up was because i never drove the truck long enough distances to hear any noises. I lived in a ski town so driving 10km to work in powder it was hard to differentiate 4 x 4 drive train noise on gravel and snow from faint noises that may be wrong going on under my truck. i had my truck in 4 x 4 essentially the entire winter unless i needed to disengage to parallel park outside my house or in parking lots.

All i noticed was resistance on acceleration 2 or so hrs into my long move so assumed it was from braking hard in the mountains causing a caliper to seize. What may have ended up blowing my diff is while there was no metal bits when the mechanic inspected my diff, the burned oil should have been a tell tale sign heat was being generated more than normal. After the new fluid change i noticed no more resiatance until the 8th or 9th hour (was supposed to be a 16 hr drive). Then i heard extreme grinding and couldn't pull over immediately as i was in remote northern bc. It took me 10 minutes to find a safe place to pull over where i wouldnt be taken out by a semi in the snow.

How the rear diff cap came off is news to me as when the fluid sprayed out i assumed it came from the overflow tube. (The mechanic who looked at my truck explained all about the rear diff when he drained and refilled it). The only person to see/ state the cap was missing was the dealership mechanic after the 2.5 hr tow to them.

To summarize,
First mechanic only inspected the rear diff for damage and refilled the rear diff to spec and sent me on my way after he test drove it. Dodge said this minor fix would not void my warranty so long as i booked an appoinement with them for when i arrived.

Secondly, the repair was pinion and internal bearings. it failed in 3 days, this time with metal bits in the oil. There is in fact an overflow tube to allow overheating oil to exit the rear diff in worst case scenarios. It is a tube that runs somewhere near the spare tire. Oil was everywhere so i did not even bother crawling under to pinpoint the leak.

Third fix, the mechanic said the people who repaired it must have had the tolerances wrong. He replaced the internal bearings and pinion again and the truck felt more stiff but appeared to have no issues. Then i heard a rubbing noise... which turned out to be a rear right wheel bearing.

4th repair, both rear wheel bearings were replaced.

I have tested the truck dricing about 50km after the repair and hear no noise atm.


Third

I should add... several weeks after the rear diff was replaced for the last time i thought i heard noise but the dodge mechanic said my truck was fine and that it was probably a cupped tire and thst he would not further look at my truck until i got my summers on. When i switched tires i still heard the noise and they finally looked at it and diagnosed the rear wheel bearing was bad. Now im worried by him not agreeing with me on the noise issue thst driving on bad wheel bearings at the rear may have damaged my truck hance im now trying to liaten to every little noise my truck makes. So far i hear nothing bad though.

 

[NoelsRam]

I had rear diff issues. Made noise right from day one. After several trips and discussions with the dealer they finally opened the cover and found the gears were damaged and an adjuster was stripped. The whole rear end was replaced and issue was solved.

What kind of noise was coming out when it failed. I feel like a clink sound when slows down and shifting from 4th to 3rd.