i have a howl in the rear. i think its a pinion bearing.its a 11.5 rear end ,from what i can tell its a gm axle, my question is does the axles have the clips on the inside on is it like a ford 9 inch and unbolt from out side and ill need a axle puller? going to pull it down tommorrow the new bearings will be here mon. oh im going to replace the carrior bearings while im there. anyone done this? thanks matt

 

It should be an American Axle Manufacturer or AAM axle. All the newer Dodges have that axle. It is not a GM axle unless some one has done major surgury on it at some time in the past.

 

The Gm trucks also use a AAM axle that looks very similar, may even interchange parts, not sure. I do know the pinion bearing pre-load is very critical. You will need some shims to get it right. And it takes a few tries. The axles simply unbolt from the brake rotor and slide out just like the older Dana's. Be sure to check backlash before and after the new bearings and re-set it the same. But if your gears are howling you will have to be a very lucky person to ever get it to quit howling with just a bearing swap. You will most likely need a new ring and pinion gear set. Just in case your backlash is out of spec before disassambly reset it to around .010". And adjust the side carrier nuts tight enough so it takes a grip tighter than 2 fingers on the ring gear to rotate it for checking backlash -- that is the carrier bearing pre-load. And be sure to have a small amount of oil on each bearing/race so they are not dry as you set the pre-load on the pinion and carrier. Good luck

 

i was told the pinion nut gets torqued to 450 -500 ft lbs.? havent check specs yet but sounds like alot to me.when i say it howls it only does it at 70 mph and a little vib. at 58 to 63 mph under power let off gas and goes away.i looked at the ring and pinion the other day no sharp edges on ring gear but did not put a indcator on it. going to tear down this afternoon look closer thanks matt