Major rear-end clunking after gear change
 

Hi all.

I recently had 3.73s put into my '96 Cobra, and now there's a boatload of noise coming from the rear end. Not only does it clunk on shifts, but often when going around turns it sounds like I have a trunk full of golf balls. Seriously.

It sounds like something is shifting significantly when the drivetrain is engaged or disengaged.

Some people have suggested that the installer forgot to add friction modifier. Is that likely to account for such a panoply of noises? And what's the procedure for adding modifier (including removing some gear oil to make room, and where is the filling location)?

Thanks!

Gavin

Re: Major rear-end clunking after gear change
 

Poor setup most likely. Friction modifier wouldn't cause what you're describing. There are a number of things that it could be; inadequate pinion bearing preload, inadequate carrier bearing preload, too much backlash, or pinion depth not correct. I'd have a qualified shop take it back apart for inspection and proper assembly.

Re: Major rear-end clunking after gear change
 

Wow you got screwed.

I would say that they didn't crush the crush sleeve and the pinion is dancing around like a little ballet dancer. Just a guess though. I would yank it out immediately if not sooner and get that thing fixed, before you are out a gear. That sucks to hear. Hope it works out for you.

Ho hum
 

Thanks for the responses, guys.

Man, you can do research, ask around, and try to verify the quality of shops, and you still wind up with crappy work. To top it off, I had a bunch of suspension upgrades that wound up lowering the car too much.

But that's a topic for another thread, which I'll start now...

Gavin