There is noise pretty much all the time. Noise is different between drive/coast. Even at idle speed there's noise. I just finished my third drive since the work was done, noise is still there. All parts were brand new, bought Richmond Gears along with the Truetrac. I'll be getting ahold of the shop in the morning, it's just too noisy. I was charged an extra $50 labor because they "had a hard time" getting something installed properly....don't remember what it was. They didn't give me any of the parts that were removed from the car either.

 

Richmond gears are known for being noisy, just don't know how much "normal" noise you're hearing. It would be good to find out what they were having a hard time with too, and what the outcome was. Be sure they didn't half-ars anything. Also make sure they didn't leave the oil level too low.

 

Just wonder how hard it's going to be to get them to admit to anything even if there is something legitimately wrong with the install... I sure hope not, I've had my share of drama with this rearend project, but there is a lot of noise. I don't know what "normal" would sound like but if it's supposed to be getting better, I've got a lot more driving to do. I've probably driven 50 miles or more now with no change in noise.

 

If it's howling or whining, then the set up is not right. If it's throwing a perfect pattern with no more than .008 backlash, and is still noisy, then it's a gearset issue. I once went through three FoMoCo performance 4.10 gearsets in a customers Mustang before I got one that was quiet. If it's grinding, then they got a bearing or gear chewing up, they probably preloaded the carrier and pinion too tight. The bearings we have now have nearly half the amount of chromium in them and simply can't take the load the old ones could. You have to back off on the preload a little to help them last longer. The average life expectancy is about five years on today's bearings. The problem is, the shop is not liable for the parts you supplied. They can charge you to go back in and fix their mistakes, if they made any. We only warranty what we sell you.

 

If its just the gears, you kind of get used to it. My ST10 makes some noise. It lets me know things are working. I hear the old rock crushers had straight cut gears and were noisy as hell.

 

Called the shop, told them what I was hearing (and feeling) and let them know my concern. This is gonna get ugly I can tell.. Over the course of 30 seconds I heard probably 10 different reasons as to what it "could be." It takes at least a couple hundred miles to break in so I learned this morning. I'm bringing the car in anyway. After the drive last night, I noticed what I'll call a vibration thats and off as you drive. It's there all the time, faster when you go faster, slower when you slow down. If I travel at around 50 mph, it's vibrating the steering column! Sounds like a whine when driving, howl when coasting with intermittent vibrations.

I really appreciate the info about potential issues v8chvyguy, it's helpful to know what could possibly be going on. I'm not concerned about liability, I know the Michigan service repair facility laws inside and out. Really hoping I don't have to "go there." I know these guys aren't crooks, but I just spent way too much money to have the rearend "right" only to have it end up like it is now.

 

Hope it works out. Mine were a little noisy when I got it set up, and it took several hundred miles to quiet down, but they did get quiet enough that it's barely noticeable, or maybe I got used to them?

 

My guts telling me that it was not set up right. The fact that you now have a vibration supports that. Suspension and drivetrain is what we do, and I've dealt with your exact set of symptoms many times. I'd make them pull the cover with you standing there and have a peak inside. Watch the oil, if the oil comes out shiny, then you know there's damage. Shiny bits=bearing material, dull gray=gear material. Out of curiosity, did the gears have a black oxide coating on them when you pulled them out of the box? It's chalky black or dark gray in appearance.

 

I took the car to the shop and as expected, got treated like I was a ***** and wasting everybody's time. I left the car sit there all day because everyone was too busy to take it for a ride up the street and let me know what they thought. It's almost as if they knew I'd be back but hoped it wouldn't be so soon? I got there end of the day to see what was going on and ironically the two people that drove the car were gone for the day. I called yesterday morning like instructed and again, both of the guys were not there. I was promised a phone call back asap and of course, that didn't happen. So, I see where this is going... Now I'm enraged. So, the hard route we go...
Yes I believe there was a black oxide coating on the gears chvyguy.

 

Funny how attentive these guys became when I told them I was taking the car somewhere else to be "inspected" and then I would follow up with them with either a bill or court papers... "oh. he didn't get back to you?" the guy said. duh. "Think there's something up with the pinion." Nevertheless, the car is going back in on Friday to be re-shimmed.

The saga continues....