HELP - Need help troubleshooting rear end

[lostagain]

Sean, sounds like it is all in your head, hopefully!

But if need be, the shop in Kalispell is North West Truck Repair. The owner is Willy. Recommended to me over the CB when I got into town a few years ago with a bad wheel bearing on the Courier 96. They took care of me like an old friend. Let me sleep in the bus overnight in their yard while we waited for a bearing to come up from Missoula. Then again with the same bus a few years later after I sold it to someone else. Burnt out clutch that time. Small family business. I remember him telling me a couple years ago how he barely scraped by after the '08 recession because he didn't want to lay any of his guys off because they had families to feed... Anyway, call him if you need: 406-755-9762.

JC

[Scott & Heather]

Sean, what's the latest on this? It was great seeing you guys for just a bit....but I was hoping you'd be on the road again by now. I have on thing to say though, if it turns out your diff went bad......well, our Land Cruiser diff went bad...and you know how we are Corsican brothers...

[TomC]

Sound to me to be the spider gears-which is normal when you spin just one side of the differential. If you have ANY question about your rear end, pull it apart and have it looked at. Any good gear man will be able to tell right away what it needs. If you don't have the right gearing (1800rpm at 65rpm is a good one), this would be a good time to change it. A bit pricey, but you'll be pleased in the long run.
I had my bus changed from the 5.57 (55mph top speed) to 4.56 where I'm turning 1700 at 55mph. I changed it when I first started the bus project 20 years and 40,000 miles ago. Still quiet. Good Luck, TomC

[Seangie]

As of 8pm tonight (Tuesday the 5th) this is where we stand -

We have taken apart both of the rear wheels and hubs.  Spindles and bearings look good on both sides and we are reusing the bearings.  The inside bearing lock/jam nut on the drivers side was very loose.  That is also the side where the seal was leaking.  It made a pretty good mess that has now been cleaned up.

New brake pads and seals are in hand along with a five gallon bucket of 80w/90 oil.  We will put everything together tomorrow and drive the bus around and see where we end up.  I'll post again tomorrow and let you know what we have found.  I'm hoping its nothing or if it is something then something we can easily figure out. 

Tom H - Thank you so much for the information.  It is so helpful and good to know.  So thankful that you took good care of this bus before handing it off to us

JC - Thanks for the info, first call we make if we find something we can't fix.

Scott - Check your hub seals my brutha from anutha mutha

Van - Thanks for the call today. Its always great to hear your voice.  My morale went up 10 notches knowing that the Vegas bus Mafia has my back.
-Sean

PS - If you ever do happen to be rolling through Ronan MT and need some work done on your bus call Lou's Garage.  One great guy and while he is not bus specific he is an excellent mechanic and totally let me help with all the work and get some other stuff done on my own.  75$ an hour and you bring your own parts.  He's got 14 foot bays and all the tools.  Couldn't have landed in a better spot for this one.

Somewhere in Montana.....

[Oonrahnjay]

As of 8pm tonight (Tuesday the 5th) this is where we stand - ... 

     Sounds good, Sean.  Are you thinking that you *don't* have drop box or rear diff problems?  (hope not!)

BH  NC   USA

[Seangie]

     Sounds good, Sean.  Are you thinking that you *don't* have drop box or rear diff problems?  (hope not!)

BH  NC   USA

Bruce - Not sure...the shop we are at doesn't have lifts or a tray(?) to safely get the differential out and he is uncomfortable doing it especially cause we dont know for sure if there is an issue in the differential.  So we are going to put it back together and drive it and see if the noise and heat has gone away.  If it ends up being the differential then we will deal with that when we figure it out.

-Sean

[Oonrahnjay]

Bruce - Not sure...the shop we are at doesn't have lifts or a tray(?) to safely get the differential out and he is uncomfortable doing it especially cause we dont know for sure if there is an issue in the differential.  So we are going to put it back together and drive it and see if the noise and heat has gone away.  If it ends up being the differential then we will deal with that when we figure it out. 
-Sean

     Best wishes for a good turn-out.   

[Scott & Heather]

......


It's August 7.


.....

[Seangie]

......


It's August 7.


.....

Geesh...  give a guy a break  

So here is the long awaited update.  We pulled both wheels, cleaned up all the leaky oil, cleaned up and repainted the hubs and axle caps, replaced the seals, drained the diff oil, oiled up the bearings and put the wheels back together, adjusted the rear suspension, hit every zerk we could find, changed the engine oil, replaced fuel filters, fixed a broken drainline (slobber tube?) that goes from the airbox blowby valve to an oil catch, refilled the diff, put the tires back on and replaced studs, thimbles and nuts as needed.

It took 4 days because Lou the mechanic is also a full time wrecker driver and was out on calls all day on Tuesday and Wednesday.  He let me use his shop and tools to work on the bus while he was gone so I was able to clean up and fix some stuff.

Today I've driven about 20 miles and everything seems back to normal.  No issues with heat and all the hubs are back to normal temps.  Ill post again here if I have issues with anything else as we head back to washington.  It seems so far that all the noise from the hubs and possibly differential were from low oil.  The bearings were all in very good shape and there were no marks in the cones or on the spindle. 

Thanks all for the encouragement and feedback. 

And Van -  to get those Torsion bar nuts to move I just put someone a little younger on the job -


Here he is wanting to help out -


And here is a pic of the garage -


Lous Garage in Ronan MT.  75$ an hour.  You bring the parts (Napa and Carquest down the street) And he let us stay in the garage. 406-824-5896

-Sean

Driving a 1984 Eagle 10S
Somewhere in Big Sky
www.herdofturtles.org

[Van]

My God that wrench is bigger than him    Give him an atta boy from me and give yourself one also for a job well done! Now go West young man! 

  All our best to the family from us @ the VBM 

  Me

[zubzub]

This thread reminds me of something I have done a few too many times...specifically thinking there is a problem with a system that is partially disassembled or not under load e.g. some wheel bearings  feel lumpy without weight on them.  Hopefully this rear end issue is the same...keeping it simple remains a challenge.

[bevans6]

All I can think of is that I was carrying a wrench like that two weeks ago, wearing heavy leather shoes, and the socket dropped off on my foot, hit my arch.  I was limping, taking painkillers and almost off my feet for three days, just about went in for X-rays.  He'd be in a cast with broken bones.  Gotta think all the time, because kids don't think at all about what might happen...   

Brian

[Seangie]

Brian -  Totally...that sucker weighs about 30 lbs.  I let him hold it for 2 seconds to get the shot and told him how to drop it if he had to.  I feel bad for you.  Those tools love no man.

-Sean

[gus]

I find nothing here to show you ever found the source of the clacking noise?

If not you may want to take a look at the drive shaft slip joint, these grooves wear and make just the sound you described. It is mostly obvious at very low speed in a quiet location. Happened to me.

[Seangie]

Gus -  I think the noise was normal (gears turning) with no fluid in the differential.  Once we put it all back together and refilled the diff the noise was no longer there.  There may be wear but for now its not overheating at all and I can't tell anythings wrong when I drive it.

-Sean