Bugs in the rear end:
Possibly sounds like you popped a tooth on a spider gear. This might be the
reason that the clunk is not predictible. As the drive shaft tries to turn, it
could take up the "blank" or missing tooth and them move to a good tooth. When
it hits the good tooth, therefore you hear a clunk, or heavy metal to metal
noise. The reason I tore up the spider gear on my old car is that I tried to
play like Don Prudome off the line. The problem might mask itself by going
around a corner. and not show up until you make another corner, and happen to
run up upon the :blank " tooth space again. The only time the spider gears turn
is when one wheel moves at a different speed than the other wheel. Drain the
grease and see if there is a tooth laying in the botton of the rear end case.
You might be lucky and just have to replace a single spider gear! Good
luck...Bob Fentress
Do this SOON! You do not want to have the tooth pop up into the ring and pinion
at any speed over a bump. It could lock up a rear end.
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Rob Jacobs" <rjj0msj@ix.netcom.com>
Reply-To: "Rob Jacobs" <rjj0msj@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 13:48:43 -0700
>Is it possible to identify ANY rearend if all you know is that it came out
of a GM vehicle? I know the rearend is not original in one of my vehicles,
and it has developed a decided "KLUNK" (VERY LOUD, not at all subtle, nor is
it consistent. Sometimes nothing, then all of a sudden, KLUNK), and
although I suspected something in the brake arena, it is not. Anyway, I
plan to pull both axles and look at bearings, and if that is not the source
(doesn't sound like it will be), then pull the diff. cover and look inside.
However, if I DO discover the cause, how do I go about searching for
replacement parts until I know what the rearend originally came out of,
hence my original question.
Rob
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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