Station

I just drove my car to Yosemite, and I noticed a "whistling" sound coming from the rear of my car right at 55 mph under light throttle. It whistles regardless of what gear I'm in. As my trip progressed, I noticed a lower-pitched whistle at about 35 mph under the same part-throttle condition. I did a search as soon as I got home, and what little info I was able to find indicated that many here heard similar noises before the differential self-destructed. Is that likely what is happening with mine? Is there any other condition that may cause this sound?

I just recieved my 4.44 gearset from Rick's and will be installing it soon. If my diff is failing, are the "failing parts" going to be replaced by the gears I purchased, or will they need to replace the entire rear end?

I have a '02 with 14K miles. Thanks in advance.

Gernby

I would nurse it straight on over to the dealer. If you bring it to them in its current state, they may be less likely to classify it as abuse. I would definitely get it taken care of BEFORE modifying it. The warranty on your diff will be over once you install the gears.

If they replace your diff, you may want to put some miles on it to break it in before replacing the gears.

Station

Thanks for the quick reply, gernby. There is only one tech at the dealership who I trust with my car, and he is off until Friday. I scheduled an appointment with him on Friday morning. They told me not to drive it until then.

Actually, this same tech will be installing my 4.44, and they will still honor my warranty after the install. I am lucky to have such a cool dealership nearby.

Gernby

That's cool of them. Although, when it comes to expensive warranty repairs, the dealer doesn't have a say in it. Is the DSM cool too?

Station

The DSM is really cool, too. He is very supportive of the local S2K crowd, and he will be attending Sac2KDays II with Woodwork.

Having said that, I don't think I'll be taking any chances if they want to replace my differential. I'll wait a while before installing the gears just to be safe.

Gernby

I'm jealous...

xviper

Is the noise more evident on one side of the car than the other? Could be a wheel hub bearing.

Station

It is very difficult to tell from the driver's seat. I just know it's behind me, although it sounds like it's a little to my right (close to the center). The sound is more prominent from the driver's seat. It's audible, but less noticable from the passenger seat. I was thinking it might be the CV joint or something. I hope it's nothing major. I'll know soon.

RazorV3

keep us updated...thanks.

Station

Well, I did the "circle in a parking lot" test as well as the figure 8s. No clicks or pops. That gives me hope. Everything sounds normal. But I still have that whistle at certain speeds....it sounds like when you blow into a beer bottle. I guess I'll know tomorrow what the deal is.