Warranty Coverage Denied on rear differential "whining"

minnisp · **Posted:** Tue Aug 02, 2011 7:50 pm

HI Gang,

So i've had my jeep at Ray Brandt Chrysler in Harahan Louisiana for almost a month. They've been denying a warranty claim saying the parts in the rear end look suspicious. WTF? I bought the jeep second hand and transferred the drivetrain warranty correctly.

there's a gear-whine from 60-65, let off of throttle it's silent, apply throttle it whines.

I belive DOC said it sound like a pinion bearing.

How much to get fixed out of warranty? Any ideas?

Pierre

warp2diesel · **Posted:** Tue Aug 02, 2011 8:22 pm

minnisp wrote:

HI Gang,

So i've had my jeep at Ray Brandt Chrysler in Harahan Louisiana for almost a month. They've been denying a warranty claim saying the parts in the rear end look suspicious. WTF? I bought the jeep second hand and transferred the drivetrain warranty correctly.

there's a gear-whine from 60-65, let off of throttle it's silent, apply throttle it whines.

I belive DOC said it sound like a pinion bearing.

How much to get fixed out of warranty? Any ideas?

Pierre

Might be tire noise. Pop the back cover and check for metal deposits in the bottom of the differential housing.

DOC4444 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 02, 2011 10:21 pm

Well, it's either incorrect pinion depth or a bad pinion bearing. In any case, it's life is rapidly coming to an end. I assume you did not have a leak and run it out of hypoid oil. Before you push the dealer to be more "specific" about the "suspicious" rear end parts and get them to make notations that will kill any chance you might have of ever getting another dealer to fix it under warranty, I would get it out of there and try another dealer.

If the diff really has non-factory parts, you can forget about a warranty repair. If that is out, I would pull the center section and take it to a good 4WD drive shop that rebuilds diffs all day long for evaluation. If you need a new R&P, a good used center section is probably the way to go. This is also the time to consider a Detroit TruTrac.

We had our rear diff recently totally rebuilt twice in the past three months under warranty. (The Nashville Jeep dealer screwed up the pinion depth.) Dealer pricing is about $1200 for all the parts (R&P, bearings, seals shims, etc, everything except LS clutch pack) and about $800 for labor.

If your R&P is OK, bearings, seals, etc., and labor should be under $600 at a local 4WD drive shop if you bring them the center section so they are only doing bench work.

DOC

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 02, 2011 11:00 pm

DOC4444 wrote:

Well, it's either incorrect pinion depth or a bad pinion bearing. In any case, it's life is rapidly coming to an end. I assume you did not have a leak and run it out of hypoid oil. Before you push the dealer to be more "specific" about the "suspicious" rear end parts and get them to make notations that will kill any chance you might have of ever getting another dealer to fix it under warranty, I would get it out of there and try another dealer.

If the diff really has non-factory parts, you can forget about a warranty repair. If that is out, I would pull the center section and take it to a good 4WD drive shop that rebuilds diffs all day long for evaluation. If you need a new R&P, a good used center section is probably the way to go. This is also the time to consider a Detroit TruTrac.

We had our rear diff recently totally rebuilt twice in the past three months under warranty. (The Nashville Jeep dealer screwed up the pinion depth.) Dealer pricing is about $1200 for all the parts (R&P, bearings, seals shims, etc, everything except LS clutch pack) and about $800 for labor.

If your R&P is OK, bearings, seals, etc., and labor should be under $600 at a local 4WD drive shop if you bring them the center section so they are only doing bench work.

DOC

You either have to pull the whole diff out or just bring the whole vehicle in,the 8.25 has no center section to pull out like a Ford 9" does(3rd member).Cost is the same for the rear axle either way you bring it in,it's the front axle that cost goes way up in a KJ due to being IFS.

minnisp · **Posted:** Tue Aug 02, 2011 11:23 pm

Chrysler Customer Relations (CCR) people told me to try another dealer so that's my next step. This dealer i'm working with was ITCHING to deny the warranty coverage. When they saw the RTV i used (permatex ultra-grey) when i changed the fluid (just bought the jeep) they tried to deny the warranty claim because i used the wrong sealant. When i explained that i JUST changed it they decided they couldn't blame the RTV for the noise since it was only on there for a week!

Thanks for the pricing information and advice it's a huge help knowing what i'm up against.

I was looking at these rear diff prices

http://www.moparonlineparts.com/partloc ... atalogid=0

How do i tell which ratio my rig came with?

For $2k it's worth kissing some arse and trying some of the better rated dealers in my state.

minnisp · **Posted:** Tue Aug 02, 2011 11:26 pm

DOC the diff lube was clean and the case seemed to have the proper amount. I don't see any signs of leakage.

DOC4444 · **Posted:** Wed Aug 03, 2011 12:03 am

So, it was making the same noise before you changed the diff lube? What did you replace it with? (Make sure you have the MOPAR approved gear oil and OEM cover seal in place BEFORE taking it to the next dealer.

DOC

minnisp · **Posted:** Wed Aug 03, 2011 12:35 am

yes i noticed the whining before i changed the lube. I used synth 75-90 with the friction additive for the trac-lok. Since the dealer opened the case, i'm sure they'll refill it and use the right sealant and i'm sure they'll charge me for that.

DOC4444 · **Posted:** Wed Aug 03, 2011 7:35 am

At 55K, the clutch pack in your Trac-Loc is undoubtedly worn out and should be replaced. Our's started groaning on full lock turns around that mileage and our dealer replaced it without a wimper under warranty. If yours is not making this (different than your other problem) noise under those conditions, check the FSM procedure for "testing" the LSD. If the diff is going to come apart apart again, you really want a new clutch pack installed because no matter how "mild" your driving has been, this type of LSD just does not last much longer the 50K miles.

Hopefully, the whole thing will not cost you more than $100, out of pocket.

DOC

minnisp · **Posted:** Wed Aug 17, 2011 7:12 pm

another intersting twist to this saga. I brought my jeep to another dealer to get a second opinion about the "whining" noise coming from the rear end.

This mechanic says "it's the pinion gear in the front differential" !!!!

SO WE WENT FROM:

Dealer 1 (Mcmullen's in mississippi) : whining caused by a defective turbocharger, put the vehicle off-road
Dealer 2 (Ray Brandt in New Orleans) : whining caused by problem with rear end warranty denied due to tampering
Dealer 3 (salsbury dodge in Baton Rouge): whining caused by pinion gear in front differential

Waiting to hear if they will fix it ... they said "i will run it through and see if it's covered"

I'm really starting to thing this powertrain warranty isn't worth much.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Wed Aug 17, 2011 7:51 pm

well... I expect cluelessness on the Diesel.... but I thought a Jeep dealership should be able to diagnose drive-line problems..... so much for that idea.

minnisp · **Posted:** Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:44 pm

now that i read my own post, it's completely clear to me.

They are hearing what they hear, not what i hear.

I have to actually ride with the mechanic and reproduce the sound or this is pointless.

P

Turbo Tim · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:37 am

Quote:

I'm really starting to thing this powertrain warranty isn't worth much.

That is EXACTLY why I did not buy the warrantee. They (Chrysler) would not put in writing what the "Powertrain" is.
I figured it would be pretty hard to enforce a warrantee if they will not define what it is.

Good luck and I hope they come through for you.

minnisp · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 8:19 pm

dealers make me :dizzy:

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 9:59 pm

Quote:

let off of throttle it's silent, apply throttle it whines

remind the tards that it's not a AWD vehicle and although the front drivetrain is moving there's no TORQUE being applied to it thus no reason for the whining to stop when you back off

which should make them retract whining coming from the front diff then they'll tell you it must be the pinion on the rear diff

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:34 pm

JeepinJarhead03 wrote:

Quote:

let off of throttle it's silent, apply throttle it whines

remind the tards that it's not a AWD vehicle and although the front drivetrain is moving there's no TORQUE being applied to it thus no reason for the whining to stop when you back off

which should make them retract whining coming from the front diff then they'll tell you it must be the pinion on the rear diff

Well if he's in fulltime 4wd it's AWD,and yes all US CRD's have the select trac standard.

minnisp · **Posted:** Fri Aug 19, 2011 5:23 pm

The previous douche-bag dealer didn't put the friction additive in when they put the rear end back together. So the thing was shuddering on stop-turns.

This dealer said they put the friction additive in and then drove it in figure 8s to work the additive into the clutch packs. Now the thing drives fine.

I'm over the whine. it's a small noise in a big world. I bought a stereo and some new speakers that's more likely to get rid of the noise than any dealer.

Thanks for the advise and help. Hope you all have a nice weekend.

P

DOC4444 · **Posted:** Fri Aug 19, 2011 7:34 pm

Yeah, except if true, the clutch pack is toast or close to it. If the most recent dealer added extra friction modifier it can stop the noise on turns, but also keep the trac-lok diff from limiting slip.

DOC

minnisp · **Posted:** Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:32 pm

doc, they actually drained it and refilled it and added the additive. at least that's what the receipt says... but that's also what the last receipt said from the previous dealer

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Sat Aug 20, 2011 5:43 am

tjkj2002 wrote:

JeepinJarhead03 wrote:

Quote:

let off of throttle it's silent, apply throttle it whines

remind the tards that it's not a AWD vehicle and although the front drivetrain is moving there's no TORQUE being applied to it thus no reason for the whining to stop when you back off

which should make them retract whining coming from the front diff then they'll tell you it must be the pinion on the rear diff

Well if he's in fulltime 4wd it's AWD,and yes all US CRD's have the select trac standard.

yeah, i get ya.. i'll rephrase.. when I said AWD.. I refer to an AWD system typical of say.. a honda CRV that has no 2wd mode
technical versus adjective in common use

step 1 of isolating differential torque whine.. place selector in 2WD

Glad everyone feels better now

I figured his tires had enough traction to be driven on typical pavement without riding around everyday with 4w-full time engaged

Warranty Coverage Denied on rear differential "whining"

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