Rebuild Gov-lok or spring for Eaton?

[SUX2BU99]

Drove it just for a little bit last night and when the fluid gets warmed up, it gets the most noisy on very light throttle application. Like when you are driving on flat ground and holding steady speed. On accel it quiets a little bit, but then my exhaust sound level picks up quite a bit so it might be being drowned out.

[campcrf]

wow... I really hope you find out your problem (and the shop doesnt screw you). I have learned alot of information with this thread as I am trying to make a decision on my diff (thanks)... still wondering what to do.  Do you have a thread on the specs of your truck?... I was leaning towards the eaton way aswell. The good ol "lincoln" posi just wont cut it anymore...lol

[SUX2BU99]

Glad to be of help! Specs for my truck are pretty much listed in my signature. From what I've seen and learned, for my power level the Auburn or the Eaton are 50/50 as good. Auburn's seem to be at least $100 cheaper. I was told that Eaton went through 2 price increases over the past year or so for the same product. There are still some cheap, new ones on Ebay to be had. I talked to a shop in Savannah, Georgia about one. The ones they had were from when they bought them at the old prices and have since lost their dealership for Eaton since they cannot sell enough yearly volume to keep selling them. So, they are blowing them out at their cost.

[campcrf]

it looks like we are running close to the same set up.. minus the diff... how do you like the 3.80?  I have 3.73 right now and was thinking of 4.11. I am have traction problems and ordered a comp. engineering slide-a-link to see if it will help...  383 stroker, 562 lift comp cam, dart pro heads, aprox 490+hp with a reverse manual valve body t350, 3000 stall.
  So when do you take your truck in?.... There was a truck that looks just like yours at street machine weekend last week in Lethbridge alberta....

[campcrf]

sorry, I meant "how do you like the 3.40?"
  Let us know how the results go for your diff.

[SUX2BU99]

I like the 3.40's over the 2.76's I had before, that's for sure lol  I think alot about wanting 3.73's but that's such a small jump over 3.40 it wouldn't do a whole lot. I go through the traps under 4500 RPM and that sucks because I'm leaving speed on the table. 3.73 and a 700R4 would be great, or eve 4.10s but it will be a rather long time before I can pony up $2500+ for a 700R4 I can trust.

I take the truck in next Friday. I started a new job this past Monday (after 13 years at my 1st career job and then being told to pack yer stuff n' go, but I got a severance) and I would feel weird to take a day off so soon, and I have to get the truck there myself. So it's either take it slow on the backroads or rent a pickup and wheel dolly from U-haul and tow it there. They weren't willing to help me get it there, which totally blows.

There's a twin to my truck I occasionally see on the highway. Trips me out. Only difference is he doesn't have the stainless band on the tailgate.

[SUX2BU99]

So, a day taken off from a new job, a flatbed tow from BCAA that cost me $150 to join (which I know cost at least 1/2 of what it would cost to just tow it to the shop), my wife and daughter getting up early to take dad down to the shop, and I'm back on the road. But now I'm back on the road with a set of Yukon 3.73 gears

Basically to run it down, this is how it went:

- drop off truck at 9am, describe problem. Probably R&P they say. OKay, we go for breakfast.
- get call while at breakfast, "Can't find anything wrong. You sure it isn't your tranny that's the problem?" Me: "No, tranny is just fine. I'll be there shortly."
- arrive and yep, they find that the R&P is wiped out
- me: "You told me the R&P was just fine, had fine wear pattern and said nothing about possibly replacing it"
- them: "Well, they are old gears which have never been removed and sometimes this can happen"
- wife: "But you didn't warn him of that at all. You didn't say anything other than they were in fine shape"
- them: "I know. $&*% happens but I'll cut  you a great deal on labor to replace them. We dont' have any in stock and can't find them anywhere. All of our suppliers are always out of 3.08 and 3.40/3.42 gears. I can call you though when we get some"
- me: "So I can drive this thing home?"
- them: "Oh sure, it will just be noisy and you could have driven it here."
- wife: "How long is this thing going to last the way it is?"
- them: "Maybe a month"
- me (mentally preparing to have to come back or go somewhere else and pay more money): "Ya know it really sucks that GM made the posi carrier fit only up to 3.42 gears. I'd go with a 3.73 if I could."
- them: "Really? You'd go with a 3.73? We can do that. We just use a 'thick' gear set. I'll see if I have one.....yep, I have one."
- me and wife, pondering why this wasn't suggested much earlier on: "Uh yeah, let's do it!"

So after free labor for the change and $360 after tax for the 3.73 R&P I'm back on the road. I'm driving under 50 MPH, off the freeway and gently for 300 miles to break the gears in as required by the shop.

I'm not happy I've sunk over $1500 into my rear diff but having 3.73s and a fully rebuilt diff now is alright for drag purposes and around-town driving.

[team39763]

Wow, seems like a nightmare.  I don't have a good rearend shop within a few hundred miles, so I think I'm just gonna grab a few how-to books/videos and do it myself.  Glad everything worked out for you in the end though.

[SUX2BU99]

The break-in process is still underway. I have 470kms on it so far and the shop said take it easy for 500kms, which is about 350 miles. I checked on Yukon's site last night and they said no heavy acceleration for first 100 miles, no towing for 500 miles, and drive lightly for the first 15-20 miles and stop to let cool. He also said don't just hop on the freeway and drive all the way home; the gears will be wiped out by the time you get there. Fair enough, I had to stop at a friends about 20 miles away and get a new windshield and I replaced my slider with a solid rear window and chilled for the evening.

Anyway, I've been a really good boy about break-in. No WOT acceleration, ripping it up thru the gears, nothing over 90 kmh (50 mph), I've been taking it to work which is about 20 miles 1 way. Nothing really for noise has been coming from back there. Slight howl at the typical 45 mph but I've had new trucks do that on me.

Last night I was just about home and these 2 guys pull up beside me and want me to light it up  I'm already rolling so I don't but I dropped it into 1st and romped on it through the 1-2 change and then back off. Then I hear some more howl  Kinda like I heated up the fluid a lot. I drive home and it quiets back down some. Today, I seem to hear a little more howl with the window open and the radio at a level below converstaion level in a truck with the windows open. This is at 45 mph. I don't think I'll worry too much about it. Shop dude said the Richmond gears he was going to put in originally were really noisy because of being such a hard metal but the Yukons were softer and quieter. Whisper quiet I don't know but a little howl isn't a huge deal is it?

I'm wondering if a lube change after the break-in period is over will do anything. I don't know what fluid they use but it's honey colored. I used the Castrol stuff in my diff all last year and beat on it and no issues.

[team39763]

Nobody told me any better when I got my gear swap...I made a 400mile trip right after my gears were installed and then did a few burnouts to show-off in front of my mom.    My gears howled for a few weeks after that then it went away.

[SUX2BU99]

^ That's interesting that your howl went away because everything I've heard about howl is once it's there, it isn't going away. That's great that yours did!

Mine is there for sure I think to stay at 80 KPH (50 MPH), which seems to be a magic number for rear end howl for some reason. I ripped on it this morning (440 miles on it now) and like I expected, some extra noise after I backed off which went away after a minute or so of normal driving. I'm going to drive like I normally do (cruising around with some occasional wide open blasts up to 3rd) and see how it shakes out over the next couple weeks. I hope to get at least one or two drag racing nights in there too and see how it does. I still think it's noisier than it should be. I should get a local 2nd opinion. Just sucks that the shop who did the work requires taking a day off work. Old job wasn't a problem, the new job I started is moreso 

[SUX2BU99]

 

 

 

So my R&P pooched itself last night. I had 500 miles on it finally and I figured "okay, I'm going to let this thing rip from a dead stop."  So I did that, got a little spin out of the hole and ran it up WOT to 3rd gear and backed off. Lots of noise was present after that, and it didn't go away. Very light throttle application, where the gear teeth are neither loaded on accel or coast, produces lots of gear gnash and noise and slowing to a stop makes a nice growl. It's not the trans either, as I hear it clearly out the side window and not from under the trans tunnel. Same sound as when my original R&P went out. I'm at a loss here and I'm worried even more about phoning the shop to let them know but this is all entirely under warranty. I really did follow the break-in procedure well. This just boggles me.

They said they put in Yukon gears although I didn't actually see them. They are a 3.73 'thick' gear set to use with my 3.42 and down carrier. They were going to put in a Richmond set but they found they were mis-boxed. I wonder if something is up with the same kind of thing. Or, they set the gears up to 12 bolt CAR specs and not truck? Does it make a difference?

[SUX2BU99]

Well so I had it out with them today on the phone, the manager and the business owner. I was trying to be very flexible to ensure I had my truck done by Friday afternoon and at no cost to me. I was even going to have it towed there Thursday so they had extra time. All they could say was "we'll do our best to get it done Friday".  That's not good enough in my opinion. I'm having it TOWED over 60 miles to get there! Anyway, after that we got into the warranty coverage and after a lot of back and forth and raised voices it came down to I pay the entire bill for new gears and labor (about $1000 or close to it), then they send the gears back to Yukon for inspection and if they determine the gears were faulty, THEN I get reimbursed. Gee, who do you think has the biggest chance of losing out on that one? The shop that does thousands of dollars a day in business, or the guy who works 2 jobs to keep a comfortable life and his wife at home with his daughter??? I said that to the owner when he asked me why he should take the risk of me not paying up front.

So long story short, I'm 90% sure I'd be out the money anyway through them so I think I'll just eat it and go to a local shop and pay AGAIN for gears and labor. Frick man, what a bloody gong show.

Be forewarned, if you are in the Lower Mainland of BC and are considering using IWE Rear Ends Only for rear end work, read this thread.

[VileZambonie]

That sucks. Go to your motor vehicle department and file a complaint against them. Contact the Better Business Bureau and consumer protection.

Try this, go on like Craigslist or something and put an ad for someone who does rear ends ( lol that doesn't sound good any which way think about it! )

If you were closer I'd hook you up. Sorry man

[campcrf]

sux...
sorry to hear that... wow... i cant beleive that, what a bunch of crooks.... to bad you didnt live closer to me (Brooks, Alberta). I could of hooked you up with a good shop that would actually stand behind their work. Well, hopefully you find a shop that will treat you right... let us know what you end up doing.