[C2] Suppression of Diff Whine
#2
Race Director
If you are getting differential gear whine, your gears are either worn out, or they are wearing themselves out.
Doug
Doug
#3
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Roger that -- but was wondering if anyone had determined what's the main transmission path of the noise and whether it can be quieted down until it's corrected.
Last edited by Mike Geary; 10-21-2018 at 12:10 PM.
#4
Race Director
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The entire underside of the car and transmission tunnel are like the body of a guitar and will act as a sound board. The cure for the whine is to repair the cause of the whine. If you don't want to fix it, wear ear plugs. Everybody OUTSIDE the car is going to hear it coming from miles away.
#5
Team Owner
I don't know how you define "whine" - my 63 coupe is perfectly healthy but you can hear a lot going on back in the rear with just some fiberglass and carpet between the moving bits and your ears.....I found these additions "dumbed down" a lot of the mechanical sounds, an acoustical liner covered by a cargo mat:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1597901209
You can read farther down in that thread to see the items installed in my car...you just lay them in - no cutting or glue.
Of course, if you really do have a "whiny in the hiny" from mechanical issues; they need fixed.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1597901209
You can read farther down in that thread to see the items installed in my car...you just lay them in - no cutting or glue.
Of course, if you really do have a "whiny in the hiny" from mechanical issues; they need fixed.
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 10-21-2018 at 12:31 PM.
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Mike Geary (10-21-2018)
#6
Race Director
I had friend with a '64 T-Bird whose gears were wearing out, you could hear him about 3-4 blocks away, it was easy to tell if he was coming, or going, or just passing by on some arterial street. The gears finally broke and the car didn't move anymore after that.
Doug
#7
Race Director
Where did you get those, Frank?
Thanks,
Doug
Thanks,
Doug
I don't know how you define "whine" - my 63 coupe is perfectly healthy but you can hear a lot going on back in the rear with just some fiberglass and carpet between the moving bits and your ears.....I found these additions "dumbed down" a lot of the mechanical sounds, an acoustical liner covered by a cargo mat:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1597901209
You can read farther down in that thread to see the items installed in my car...you just lay them in - no cutting or glue.
Of course, if you really do have a "whiny in the hiny" from mechanical issues; they need fixed.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1597901209
You can read farther down in that thread to see the items installed in my car...you just lay them in - no cutting or glue.
Of course, if you really do have a "whiny in the hiny" from mechanical issues; they need fixed.
#8
Team Owner
Both items are from Mid America Motorworks...
#9
Burning Brakes
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Back in 1963 I rebuilt a 3:36 in my 59 pass car for a trip to CA from IL. I didn't space the pinyon to the ring exact. It whined all the way there and back. It never failed in the 5 years I drove it But if one starts whining it's a differen't story.
This may be horse pucky but the GM rep told me after approving a warrantee job I did, he asked me what the spacing was between the ring & pinyon. There was a shim pack and a range of spacing. This is what he said! Station wagons got the best at the factory because there wasn't a trunk and back seat to muffle a possible whine. I do know that a whine noise can travel thru the drive shaft. That guy fixed it with a screw driver. He punched holes in his muffler.
Dom
This may be horse pucky but the GM rep told me after approving a warrantee job I did, he asked me what the spacing was between the ring & pinyon. There was a shim pack and a range of spacing. This is what he said! Station wagons got the best at the factory because there wasn't a trunk and back seat to muffle a possible whine. I do know that a whine noise can travel thru the drive shaft. That guy fixed it with a screw driver. He punched holes in his muffler.
Dom
#10
Team Owner
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I can hear a light whine in the differential of my '63 convertible with the hardtop on. With the top off you can't hear it. Either way, I'm not gonna' get too excited about fixing something that likely will still be working way past my time with the car.
I'd think sound deadener would help some or even a lot, depending...............................
Maybe even a pint of 90W gear oil.
I'd think sound deadener would help some or even a lot, depending...............................
Maybe even a pint of 90W gear oil.
#11
Burning Brakes
I had my diff rebuilt back in 2008 after I backed out of the garage and it simply locked up. I took the diff out myself and took it to a well known diff-drive line specialist. He rebuilt it and we went with the original 3.70 gearing. Since then, I've always had a very,very, faint whistle sort of sound coming from the diff but seems to disappear somewhat as the it warms up. Sometimes you can't hear it at all. I ain't going to do nothing because I don't think its worth the work and agony of removing it and having it diagnosed. I'm sure the diff will last longer than me. Just saying. Sometimes its better to let sleeping dogs lay.
#12
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Same here -- just took it for a cruise with the top down, and I wasn't bothered.
Beautiful day for a drive through the wine country of Temecula. All was well until I remarked to the wife how much smoother the car rode with her in the passenger seat.....
Beautiful day for a drive through the wine country of Temecula. All was well until I remarked to the wife how much smoother the car rode with her in the passenger seat.....
#13
Team Owner
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That oughta' do it!
#14
Safety Car
My Faked GTO whines. I've had it apart 5 times trying to fix it. I moved the pinion depth far enough on both sides of right to try and eliminate the noise. It happens at 40-50 mph. I put Yukon gears in it. They are now kind enough to NOT enclude any recommendation as to pinion depth. There's nothing in the box or on the gear. You are just supposed to go by the pattern. I have maybe 6-8000 miles on it. There is no wear whatsoever. The gear teeth are mirror smooth. I've tried different preloads on the pinion, different backlashes, different pinion bearings, and pinion depths no luck. After I bought this set I started reading about 3 cut gears vs the original GM 5 cut gears and some say now there's is just pinion noise. I'll get his name wrong but I think it's Gary, GTX1999, has told me to send him a picture of the water pattern bu after 5 times of tearing it apart I haven't even wanted to pull the cover. The majority of my miles are put on on the road at highway speed. But it's not all bad a lot of time people move over thinking an ambulance is coming through!
#15
Safety Car
if that didn't eliminate the whine it at least moved it for a while!
#16
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I lived right on a major US highway when I was a kid. I spent a lot of time on the front porch tallying how many of which brand of car/truck would go by. It didn't take long to see a pattern and it also didn't take long to recognize repeat sounds.
Every day at the same time, this early '50's Chevy would come by. Differential howling with a very loud, high pitched whine. Not on coast but on drive side. Same car went by, making the same noise for at least three years. Never seemed any better or any worse.
Every day at the same time, this early '50's Chevy would come by. Differential howling with a very loud, high pitched whine. Not on coast but on drive side. Same car went by, making the same noise for at least three years. Never seemed any better or any worse.
#17
Team Owner
My Faked GTO whines. I've had it apart 5 times trying to fix it. I moved the pinion depth far enough on both sides of right to try and eliminate the noise. It happens at 40-50 mph. I put Yukon gears in it. They are now kind enough to NOT enclude any recommendation as to pinion depth. There's nothing in the box or on the gear. You are just supposed to go by the pattern. I have maybe 6-8000 miles on it. There is no wear whatsoever. The gear teeth are mirror smooth. I've tried different preloads on the pinion, different backlashes, different pinion bearings, and pinion depths no luck. After I bought this set I started reading about 3 cut gears vs the original GM 5 cut gears and some say now there's is just pinion noise. I'll get his name wrong but I think it's Gary, GTX1999, has told me to send him a picture of the water pattern bu after 5 times of tearing it apart I haven't even wanted to pull the cover. The majority of my miles are put on on the road at highway speed. But it's not all bad a lot of time people move over thinking an ambulance is coming through!
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 10-21-2018 at 04:24 PM.
#18
Safety Car
I knew he wasn't a Dodge!
#19
Tech Contributor
No the last Dodge I had was a '70 Dart "swinger" 6 cly automatic.
Gear whine, to a degree, can be expected with any gear set. In fact the best set made today and last in the USA for Tom's has a spec sheet mentioning gear whine is to be expected. Now with a vette you're sitting behind the diff BUT even so GM gears were not noisy and Tom's gears are not typically but it all comes down to setup.
Other then Tom's gears, (US Gear) the others are imported. Suppliers rebox gears so you won't know what you get until you look at them out of the box. Tom's always has a "G" inside a shield logo on the side of the ring gear. Yukon don't have anything, Richmond had Double Diamonds, and I don't know about Motive. I only use Tom's, his wife is still running the business and has new USA made gears in stock now BUT you have to know how to set them up or you will get whine with any of them.
Example of why I only use Toms. 6-7 years ago I built a 79 diff for a local guy using new usa made Richmonds, dialed in perfectly. They were terrible, whined badly. I broke down the diff to see if there was anything I did wrong the first time and found nothing I would have changed. The lash, preload, and the pattern were PREFECT. I replace the Richmonds with Tom's and installed all new bearings, did the same setup and they also dialed in PERFECT- only no noise in use. I stopped using any other gear set since. I just got in a new set of Tom's 373's, they are still 5 cut gears. NOTE- Toms are 373 not 370, the only new 370 ratios are imported gears now.
Robert - if you took it apart several times now and still have a whine I would not bother anymore, get Tom's gears, a new master kit with USA Timkens, and setup the posi correctly. The pinion shim should be about 024-026 and the lash 5-7, total preload 10 in/lb over the final pinion preload.
Gear whine, to a degree, can be expected with any gear set. In fact the best set made today and last in the USA for Tom's has a spec sheet mentioning gear whine is to be expected. Now with a vette you're sitting behind the diff BUT even so GM gears were not noisy and Tom's gears are not typically but it all comes down to setup.
Other then Tom's gears, (US Gear) the others are imported. Suppliers rebox gears so you won't know what you get until you look at them out of the box. Tom's always has a "G" inside a shield logo on the side of the ring gear. Yukon don't have anything, Richmond had Double Diamonds, and I don't know about Motive. I only use Tom's, his wife is still running the business and has new USA made gears in stock now BUT you have to know how to set them up or you will get whine with any of them.
Example of why I only use Toms. 6-7 years ago I built a 79 diff for a local guy using new usa made Richmonds, dialed in perfectly. They were terrible, whined badly. I broke down the diff to see if there was anything I did wrong the first time and found nothing I would have changed. The lash, preload, and the pattern were PREFECT. I replace the Richmonds with Tom's and installed all new bearings, did the same setup and they also dialed in PERFECT- only no noise in use. I stopped using any other gear set since. I just got in a new set of Tom's 373's, they are still 5 cut gears. NOTE- Toms are 373 not 370, the only new 370 ratios are imported gears now.
Robert - if you took it apart several times now and still have a whine I would not bother anymore, get Tom's gears, a new master kit with USA Timkens, and setup the posi correctly. The pinion shim should be about 024-026 and the lash 5-7, total preload 10 in/lb over the final pinion preload.
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Robert61 (10-21-2018)
#20
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Get the rear end fixed and you will sleep better.
Dan