WTF? Ring gear bolts came loose and went threw Diff cover!

93CobraR · 11-06-2001, 08:11 PM

Well, I get a call from the guy that bought my car last night and he said that something was wrong with the rearend and it was making all this noise. So I go out and look at it, when I get under the car I see that there is 80w90 all over the gas tank and theres a hole in the diff. cover. So I pull it off and see two ring gear bolts laying in the housing all chewed up. I rotate the wheels and notice that everyone of the bolts had backed out and the ring gear was moving in place. First thing I want to say is I put the rearend together when I was like 14 so it's held up for awhile, I also know for a fact that I torqued the ring gear bolts to around 90 ft. lbs. and used lock tite. So what I'm wanting to to know is what the hell caused this to happen? I only put around 100 miles on the thing in 4 years and that was all really track passes. He has had the car for about a month and put around 6,000 miles on it or so. Could him running it pretty hard, as far as burnouts and tail whips cause this? Defective ring gear bolts? I know I put them to specs when tightening them, but was it not enough? So what do you guys think?

------------------
87 GT, Cobra R's,GT-40 heads,Crane 2031,1.7's, Edelbrock intake, long tubes,BBK cold air, Mass air,pulleys,Pro 5.0, King Cobra,Lakewood Lift Bars,50/50's,subframes, 4.10's.
Best time 12.759
Best MPH 106.79
Best 60' 1.695

Visit my site at:
http://www.geocities.com/cobrar93_2000/MyPage.html

Unit 5302 · 11-06-2001, 08:19 PM

He's had it for a month and 6000mi, which is well past any point at which you should feel responsible. You didn't know it was bad, and I have my doubts about all of them coming out at once? It raises a red flag to me anytime more than one bolt pops out at one time.

Regardless, 6,000 miles is 6,0000 miles. I'd tell him what is wrong, that you've never seen anything like that, and you have no idea what would have caused all of them to do that at once. Probably just some freak event. If you want, point him in the right direction for the least expensive fix you know of.

PKRWUD · 11-06-2001, 08:56 PM

I agree. 6000 miles is well beyond any implied waranty on a modified vehicle. All the bolts coming loose sounds fishy to me, too. Is he the kind of person who might attempt to take it apart for any reason? Or maybe one of his buddies? I would follow Units advice to the T.

Take care,
-Chris

------------------
Retired Moderator
MustangNet

My site: Peckerwoods Pit Stop

My teams site: Jim Porter Racing

RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR

HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN.

93CobraR · 11-06-2001, 09:40 PM

Thanks for the help. It's a guy that I work with, and he wouldn't try and do it on purpose. He isn't mad or anything and is paying me to get the parts and fix it because I told him I would. I'm just wondering how it happen? Two of them were lying in the housing, one went threw the cover, and the others were all backed off and the ring gear was shaking back and forth of course. I had him pick up a new diff. cover and all new botls that I'm going to install tomarrow. What are the chances that it burnt up the new bearings that are in there? I had Mobil 1 in it and there was only like 1 ounce in it when I took the cover off and it was black. Thanks agian

Unit 5302 · 11-07-2001, 12:35 AM

I'd be more worried about shavings from bolts in there. They can take out a bearing easy. Rear ends need to be kept very clean when they are in operation.

The bearing is unlikely to be shot from a very short time being run low on fluid, but I think the guy should have noticed it when the bolt blew through the cover. So only 1 bolt was all the way out? If that's the case, they were improperly torqued. Whether that was the result of a bad torquewrench, or improper torquing proceedures, or wrong torque specs, that is was caused the problem. Also, there had to be some serious pressure to blow a bolt through the cover. I'd be looking really close for a chipped tooth on a gear, and checking them out.

topless tire fryer · 11-07-2001, 12:57 PM

Replace the bearings while your in there. You can be sure that some kind of shavings are in there, and it'll save you pulling it apart again. Also like unit said check the entire rest of the rearend, thats a lot of force to put that bolt thru the casting.

------------------
'95 Chrome Yellow GT ragtop, KN filter charger, Dynomax cat back, Accel plugs and wires, Chromed '95 Cobra R's (bought for $19.95, now 2 are warped!
Our baby <a href="http://www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?1883">

93CobraR · 11-07-2001, 07:23 PM

Heres an UPDATE, I went out and looked at it agian tonight, and found that the pinion is loose in the front. I didn't have time to drop the drive shaft. From my reasoning, I think that the crush coller, crushed all the way from the hard driving, then the pinion was loose and shook the ring gear bolts loose. I think it possible wiped out the fromt pinion bearing b/c the new seal that I put on when I did the rear is gushing gear oil. Tomarrow, I will go out and pull the driveshaft, take the seal out and the old crush coller and bearing and see whats up. Thanks for the help!

11-06-2001, 08:11 PM	#1
93CobraR Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 1,575	WTF? Ring gear bolts came loose and went threw Diff cover! Well, I get a call from the guy that bought my car last night and he said that something was wrong with the rearend and it was making all this noise. So I go out and look at it, when I get under the car I see that there is 80w90 all over the gas tank and theres a hole in the diff. cover. So I pull it off and see two ring gear bolts laying in the housing all chewed up. I rotate the wheels and notice that everyone of the bolts had backed out and the ring gear was moving in place. First thing I want to say is I put the rearend together when I was like 14 so it's held up for awhile, I also know for a fact that I torqued the ring gear bolts to around 90 ft. lbs. and used lock tite. So what I'm wanting to to know is what the hell caused this to happen? I only put around 100 miles on the thing in 4 years and that was all really track passes. He has had the car for about a month and put around 6,000 miles on it or so. Could him running it pretty hard, as far as burnouts and tail whips cause this? Defective ring gear bolts? I know I put them to specs when tightening them, but was it not enough? So what do you guys think? ------------------ 87 GT, Cobra R's,GT-40 heads,Crane 2031,1.7's, Edelbrock intake, long tubes,BBK cold air, Mass air,pulleys,Pro 5.0, King Cobra,Lakewood Lift Bars,50/50's,subframes, 4.10's. Best time 12.759 Best MPH 106.79 Best 60' 1.695 Visit my site at: http://www.geocities.com/cobrar93_2000/MyPage.html

11-06-2001, 08:19 PM	#2
Unit 5302 Registered Member Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 5,246	He's had it for a month and 6000mi, which is well past any point at which you should feel responsible. You didn't know it was bad, and I have my doubts about all of them coming out at once? It raises a red flag to me anytime more than one bolt pops out at one time. Regardless, 6,000 miles is 6,0000 miles. I'd tell him what is wrong, that you've never seen anything like that, and you have no idea what would have caused all of them to do that at once. Probably just some freak event. If you want, point him in the right direction for the least expensive fix you know of.

11-06-2001, 08:56 PM	#3
PKRWUD Junior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Ventura, California Posts: 8,981	I agree. 6000 miles is well beyond any implied waranty on a modified vehicle. All the bolts coming loose sounds fishy to me, too. Is he the kind of person who might attempt to take it apart for any reason? Or maybe one of his buddies? I would follow Units advice to the T. Take care, -Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: Peckerwoods Pit Stop My teams site: Jim Porter Racing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN.

11-06-2001, 09:40 PM	#4
93CobraR Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 1,575	Thanks for the help. It's a guy that I work with, and he wouldn't try and do it on purpose. He isn't mad or anything and is paying me to get the parts and fix it because I told him I would. I'm just wondering how it happen? Two of them were lying in the housing, one went threw the cover, and the others were all backed off and the ring gear was shaking back and forth of course. I had him pick up a new diff. cover and all new botls that I'm going to install tomarrow. What are the chances that it burnt up the new bearings that are in there? I had Mobil 1 in it and there was only like 1 ounce in it when I took the cover off and it was black. Thanks agian

11-07-2001, 12:35 AM	#5
Unit 5302 Registered Member Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 5,246	I'd be more worried about shavings from bolts in there. They can take out a bearing easy. Rear ends need to be kept very clean when they are in operation. The bearing is unlikely to be shot from a very short time being run low on fluid, but I think the guy should have noticed it when the bolt blew through the cover. So only 1 bolt was all the way out? If that's the case, they were improperly torqued. Whether that was the result of a bad torquewrench, or improper torquing proceedures, or wrong torque specs, that is was caused the problem. Also, there had to be some serious pressure to blow a bolt through the cover. I'd be looking really close for a chipped tooth on a gear, and checking them out.

11-07-2001, 12:57 PM	#6
topless tire fryer All show, some go 4 now! Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Franklin, NH Posts: 175	Replace the bearings while your in there. You can be sure that some kind of shavings are in there, and it'll save you pulling it apart again. Also like unit said check the entire rest of the rearend, thats a lot of force to put that bolt thru the casting. ------------------ '95 Chrome Yellow GT ragtop, KN filter charger, Dynomax cat back, Accel plugs and wires, Chromed '95 Cobra R's (bought for $19.95, now 2 are warped! Our baby <a href="http://www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?1883">

11-07-2001, 07:23 PM	#7
93CobraR Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 1,575	Heres an UPDATE, I went out and looked at it agian tonight, and found that the pinion is loose in the front. I didn't have time to drop the drive shaft. From my reasoning, I think that the crush coller, crushed all the way from the hard driving, then the pinion was loose and shook the ring gear bolts loose. I think it possible wiped out the fromt pinion bearing b/c the new seal that I put on when I did the rear is gushing gear oil. Tomarrow, I will go out and pull the driveshaft, take the seal out and the old crush coller and bearing and see whats up. Thanks for the help!