Gear Whine
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,841
Likes: 3
From: Halifax, NS, Canada
Gear Whine
I had my car out today for the first time since I installed the new Richmond gear set. I am getting some whine at lower speeds (10 to 30) and then it starts to disappear above that. I have not had the car above 50 nor have I pushed it hard. Is the noise I am hearing something that is going to go away? I am thoroughly convinced they were set up properly to Richmond's specs that came with them.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
Binnie,
I have heard from several members that Richmond gears have a tendancy to whine. This being said, I talked to Mike dyer (tracdogg2) the other day, and he told me that he hasn't had any of the richmond gears that he has setup whine before - it all depends on whether or not they were prperly setup when installed. I'll PM Gary and Mike and refer them to this thread right now
I have heard from several members that Richmond gears have a tendancy to whine. This being said, I talked to Mike dyer (tracdogg2) the other day, and he told me that he hasn't had any of the richmond gears that he has setup whine before - it all depends on whether or not they were prperly setup when installed. I'll PM Gary and Mike and refer them to this thread right now
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,116
From: Crossville TN
If you set up the pattern with the gears "unloaded" [no significant resistance on the output when you check mesh], your engagement pattern may be misleading. My guess is that your gear mesh is not quite centered on the tooth under load.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,841
Likes: 3
From: Halifax, NS, Canada
Richmond had .011 lash stamped right on the ring gear. We got readings of .011, .011 and .012 on the final assembly.
Anytime I have ever noticed whine in a rear end was always at higher speeds and more so on deceleration. I have never encountered it at such slow speeds and then have it disappear at higher speeds.
I was trying to think what else might create the sound I am hearing and it just occurred to me that I installed a VBP smart strut kit and before I installed that kit I always had plenty of positive camber and now I am pretty close to 0 degrees. Is it possible to put too much pressure on the side yokes? I can't see that you could as the yokes will butt up against the pin in the carrier.
Maybe I am just paranoid because it was so quiet before.
Anytime I have ever noticed whine in a rear end was always at higher speeds and more so on deceleration. I have never encountered it at such slow speeds and then have it disappear at higher speeds.
I was trying to think what else might create the sound I am hearing and it just occurred to me that I installed a VBP smart strut kit and before I installed that kit I always had plenty of positive camber and now I am pretty close to 0 degrees. Is it possible to put too much pressure on the side yokes? I can't see that you could as the yokes will butt up against the pin in the carrier.
Maybe I am just paranoid because it was so quiet before.
Last edited by Binnie77; Apr 4, 2008 at 03:47 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
Notice the first five backlash readings, they were all 0.007. Then look at readings 10-15. They are at 0.006. Checking in three places may not have been enough - and 0.001'' under there recommendation might cause gear whine. The bare minimum you wanted for setup was what richmond had stated in their instructions.
Last edited by stinger12; Apr 4, 2008 at 04:42 PM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,841
Likes: 3
From: Halifax, NS, Canada
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
Hmmm, beats me. Is it really all that annoying? The reason I ask is because I don't think you'll be able to do anything to it unless you pull everything apart again and that would take a lot of time, not to mention that there may not be anything wrong with them in the first place.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,841
Likes: 3
From: Halifax, NS, Canada
Hmmm, beats me. Is it really all that annoying? The reason I ask is because I don't think you'll be able to do anything to it unless you pull everything apart again and that would take a lot of time, not to mention that there may not be anything wrong with them in the first place.
Right now they are calling for snow tonight so I will not get the car out again for a few days.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 57
From: Mundelein Illinois
I was told when mine were whinnig not to drive it to much because if you set a pattern in the gear set. You'll have no chance of getting the noise out once a pattern is set. I switched to different gears, since you have to pull it apart all over again and sound is gone. I didn't mess with changing shimming and pulling and installing diff.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,841
Likes: 3
From: Halifax, NS, Canada
I had the car out again today. The whine is more prominent at slower speeds. It probably is loudest under 10 mph. At 65 it is hardly noticeable. I am going to live with it for the summer and then in the fall I will buy another differential and have it professionally rebuilt. I will talk to our two differential experts here on the forum to see who I can get to rebuild one for me.
I did make an audio today but it is difficult to pick out the whine until towards the end where I start to slow down.
http://corvettec3.ca/forum/noise.avi
I did make an audio today but it is difficult to pick out the whine until towards the end where I start to slow down.
http://corvettec3.ca/forum/noise.avi
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 15,164
Likes: 3,966
From: Connecticut, USA
If you set them up per the normal procedures and got a good pattern then it may just be the gears. Do you have any pictures of the patterns?
oil or additives are not going to solve the problem. What you have is what you're going to end up with.
I did my own car with new 308s a couple of years ago, spent a lot of time doing them and they had a whine at 60-65 mph. Pattern was perfect, gears were Tom's, after 800 miles I pulled them to check and everything was spot on, it was the gear set. I placed them in the recycling bin and installed 336's instead. Same procedures and Tom's gears. night and day difference. If I listen close I'll hear a whine but that is in the gear cut and I'm the only one who hears it. There is a certain amount of whine in performance cuts vs the GM sets. The GM sets are good sets, your lash is open but if that's what they called for and you have a centered pattern in the face and flank that's about where you're going to be. Use the Lucas 85-140,try their additve but those alone probably won't make much of a difference.
oil or additives are not going to solve the problem. What you have is what you're going to end up with.
I did my own car with new 308s a couple of years ago, spent a lot of time doing them and they had a whine at 60-65 mph. Pattern was perfect, gears were Tom's, after 800 miles I pulled them to check and everything was spot on, it was the gear set. I placed them in the recycling bin and installed 336's instead. Same procedures and Tom's gears. night and day difference. If I listen close I'll hear a whine but that is in the gear cut and I'm the only one who hears it. There is a certain amount of whine in performance cuts vs the GM sets. The GM sets are good sets, your lash is open but if that's what they called for and you have a centered pattern in the face and flank that's about where you're going to be. Use the Lucas 85-140,try their additve but those alone probably won't make much of a difference.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,841
Likes: 3
From: Halifax, NS, Canada
Gary, we followed Richmond's installation instructions to a tee. We compared our gear pattern with their diagram and it looked good. I did not take any pictures, in hindsight, I probably should have. I guess, because my original gears were so quiet, I really notice it. Richmond's backlash setting for this set of gears was minimum .011 and maximum was .015 We set it up with their minimum. I will drive it over the summer Gary and if I am still not happy with it, you will no doubt hear from me in the fall.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,841
Likes: 3
From: Halifax, NS, Canada
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,116
From: Crossville TN
Sounds like the ring gear is "tip" loaded with no engine load on it; when you put some load on it, the mesh moves back into the tooth better. I doubt that you will have any mechanical problem with it...just gear whine at low loading (nuisance).