C3 Tech/Performance V8 Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Basic Tech and Maintenance for the C3 Corvette
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Differential Noise when coasting

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Apr 2, 2015 | 05:18 PM
  #1  
Bigredwing's Avatar
Bigredwing
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Veteran: Navy
20 Year Member
Liked
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,143
Likes: 487
From: Leonardtown Maryland
Default Differential Noise when coasting

This is a question which probably has one answer -"none"; or depends upon what you are willing to put up with. I had my differential professionally rebuilt on my '82 CE and went from 2.82 gears to 3.56. Now when I let off the gas or am cruising/coasting between 40 to 60 mph I hear a gear whine. Is that adjustable or a bad gear set? Any point in pulling it and returning it for checkout/adjustment? I'm willing to do that but dang, good driving weather is here. Thanks for any opinions.
-Chris
Reply
Old Apr 2, 2015 | 06:36 PM
  #2  
jimvette999's Avatar
jimvette999
Melting Slicks
20 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,431
Likes: 52
From: Florida
Default

Sounds like it may not have been set up just right. Depending on how loud or how much it irritates you will dictate whether to pull it back out for a redo. There's no adjustment you can do perse', they need to set the gear mesh for the right wear pattern. It's possible the pinion is too deep. See the attached so you can consider what to do.
Jim

Last edited by jimvette999; Sep 22, 2016 at 09:03 AM.
Reply
Old Apr 2, 2015 | 10:04 PM
  #3  
doorgunner's Avatar
doorgunner
2026 Loser of the Year
Supporting Member
10 Year Member
Veteran: Army
Photogenic
Photoriffic
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 36,573
Likes: 7,015
From: New Or-leens Loo-z-anna
Default

Don't remove the differential if you don't absoulutely have to.

Drive the car for an hour.......then.....feel the housing near the pinion "nose" for excessive heat/also feel the areas of the housing where the side shaft bearings are for excessive heat......then........

Change/suction out the differential oil and check it to see if there are any metal particles in the oil.

Refill with new oil.

Let us know what you discover.
Reply
Old Apr 3, 2015 | 07:11 AM
  #4  
Bigredwing's Avatar
Bigredwing
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Veteran: Navy
20 Year Member
Liked
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,143
Likes: 487
From: Leonardtown Maryland
Default

Thank you for the installation info and suggestions. I'll see what I can do with it. The rebuild work is still under warranty so the major effort for me is to yank it out again and hope it is done right the second time. I'll definitively check for heat. I've only got about 20 miles on the rebuild so far. Cheers.
Reply
Old Apr 3, 2015 | 11:09 AM
  #5  
jimvette999's Avatar
jimvette999
Melting Slicks
20 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,431
Likes: 52
From: Florida
Default

Originally Posted by Bigredwing
Thank you for the installation info and suggestions. I'll see what I can do with it. The rebuild work is still under warranty so the major effort for me is to yank it out again and hope it is done right the second time. I'll definitively check for heat. I've only got about 20 miles on the rebuild so far. Cheers.
I've read, not sure if it's true, if you've driven it with a whine and it's because of the pinion depth to deep or shallow then you've created a permanent wear pattern that will always whine. My point?... don't expect them to be able to open it up, reset the lash then you'll be fine....if what I've read in more than one place is true. Some say Richmond gears are noisy.... I personally installed a set of 3:73's in my car and it's quiet as a mouse. One other word of caution, make sure the shop knows your changing out the oil or they may say you added the "wrong" type to get out of repairing it. Or they may come up with some "other" excuse.....may sure you have their blessing to A.) keep driving it. B.) Mess with the fluids. There is a break in procedure they should have told you about, at least there was with my gearset. A heat cycling, but I never had any whine to deal with. Good luck.
Jim
Reply
Old Apr 3, 2015 | 11:43 AM
  #6  
Solid LT1's Avatar
Solid LT1
Le Mans Master
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,727
Likes: 38
From: Fremont CA
Default

Someone screwed up the gear set-up, there is a Drive and Coast side to your gears......somethings not right!
Reply
Old Apr 3, 2015 | 12:19 PM
  #7  
doorgunner's Avatar
doorgunner
2026 Loser of the Year
Supporting Member
10 Year Member
Veteran: Army
Photogenic
Photoriffic
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 36,573
Likes: 7,015
From: New Or-leens Loo-z-anna
Default

Originally Posted by jimvette999
I've read, not sure if it's true, if you've driven it with a whine and it's because of the pinion depth to deep or shallow then you've created a permanent wear pattern that will always whine. My point?... don't expect them to be able to open it up, reset the lash then you'll be fine....if what I've read in more than one place is true. Some say Richmond gears are noisy.... I personally installed a set of 3:73's in my car and it's quiet as a mouse. One other word of caution, make sure the shop knows your changing out the oil or they may say you added the "wrong" type to get out of repairing it. Or they may come up with some "other" excuse.....may sure you have their blessing to A.) keep driving it. B.) Mess with the fluids. There is a break in procedure they should have told you about, at least there was with my gearset. A heat cycling, but I never had any whine to deal with. Good luck.
Jim
GOOD IDEA ABOUT TALKING TO THE REBUILDER BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING!

(Sorry....I didn't even think about possibly voiding the warranty....don't change the oil----just check the housing for excessive heat build-up after driving the car.....20 miles is not a lot--it could quieten down...stay in touch with the rebuilder)
Reply
Old Apr 4, 2015 | 08:57 AM
  #8  
Super6's Avatar
Super6
Burning Brakes
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 925
Likes: 7
Default

This is the break-in procedure from a well-known differential expert in Connecticut. Slowly drive the car for 20-30 minutes to get the oil and gears hot. Stop the car and let it cool for at least 60 minutes. Then repeat the procedure 3 to 5 times. Also, note that the oil should be changed at 500 miles.

I did the procedure 5 times and kept the rpm below 3000 on each run. I had an IR gun and the temperatures never went over 162F with ambient between 70 and 85F. After 300 miles, temperature was 185F, after a 60 mile drive with speeds at 80mph the majority of the time.

I now have about 8000 miles on the rear after 3 years and no noise or problems.
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-6

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-9

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
Old Apr 4, 2015 | 09:27 AM
  #9  
Bigredwing's Avatar
Bigredwing
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Veteran: Navy
20 Year Member
Liked
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,143
Likes: 487
From: Leonardtown Maryland
Default

Originally Posted by Super6
This is the break-in procedure from a well-known differential expert in Connecticut. Slowly drive the car for 20-30 minutes to get the oil and gears hot. Stop the car and let it cool for at least 60 minutes. Then repeat the procedure 3 to 5 times. Also, note that the oil should be changed at 500 miles
That sounds like more fun that pulling the gears right away. I think I'll give this a try and see if it quiets down. I wasn't given any break-in procedures when I picked it up or talked to the tech. Thanks!
Reply
Old Apr 20, 2015 | 08:56 PM
  #10  
Illegal Vette's Avatar
Illegal Vette
Racer
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 406
Likes: 22
From: Lyons Colorado
Default

Mine does it too, my rebuilder says that it will quiet down after about 10,000 miles or so, and it has gotten quieter by the 3300 or so miles I have on it now.
Reply
Old Apr 21, 2015 | 04:29 PM
  #11  
hugie82's Avatar
hugie82
Safety Car
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,652
Likes: 49
From: Bridgewater nj
Default

You said between 40-60 mph . Does it do it in both overdrive and 3rd gear? And does it get worse when shifting into 3rd? It might be the pinion bushing needing to be shimmed.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Differential Noise when coasting





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:59 AM.

story-0
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-1
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-8
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-9
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE