I have a delima concerning a differential carrier and gears. Both are recently replaced and are aftermarket replacements. I had the rear gear ratio changed and at the same time the carrier. The carrier is of the Torsen type design. The first set of gears were replaced under warranty twice. The carrier manf. says to NOT use a synthetic fluid but the installer says he has used it. Would using an application of AutoRx possibly help? I think I'm hearing the same noise I heard before when a gear set went bad.
If friction is the reason for the noise Auto-Rx would help add 2 ounces of Auto-Rx to the unit and drive. Give it a few hundred miles to work. I would listen to the manufacture regarding oil to use.
I don,t see any reason to go into a cleaning, if noise stops drain unit and add 1 ounce of Auto-Rx and drive.
I've got an '03 Ranger Level II, which has a pre-loaded T-2R (or is it just T-2, not sure) Torsen in it. I'd e-mail Torsen a while back and asked which is the best fluid to run in it, and they said that, as far as the operation of the Torsen goes, it could care less what fluid it has in it.
Personally, I'd run a quality dino (non-syn) for the first 1000 miles and change that out, then run the same dino with auto-rx for the specified milage, change that out.
Here's where I'd depart from the go synthetic route:
When I did an Auto-RX run on my rear diff, I went from dino to true synthetic. Basically immediately, the pinion seal start leaking all over. Now, there is no way of knowing if it was the Auto-RX or the synthetic, but, it was at least one of those two. My advice, since diff's are expensive and dino oil is relatively cheap, is before putting in a quality true synthetic, run a quality dino after your Auto-RX run for 3000 miles or so.
It's not going to hurt anything, it's not going to cost anymore real amount of $$$, and it may prevent what happened to me from happening to you.
Once you've done the 3000 run, then go to a nice synthetic, something like an Amsoil 75W-140 Severe Gear or something like that. So, you'd have:
1. Do rearend work. 2. Run just quality dino, proper weight, for 1000 miles. 3. Drain, add Auto-RX, quality dino, run for proper miles. 4. Drain, run just quality dino for say 2-3k miles. 5. Drain, put in true synthetic of proper weight, be happy for the next 50k miles (hopefully).
It sounds interesting not to mention logical. I have to yet add ARx. I want to get the thing to quiet down. With the gear change and diff I had new seals and bearings put in and when it was replaced new bearings were used at the repair shop's expense. He knows how it is being used as he modified the trans also.
As far as the synthetic vs dino gear oil, after running each, you will be able to tell which runs quieter, then you can make a better decision. I feel better about synthetic in my diffs when running extremely hot or towing heavily loaded or in extreme cold, which we don't have much of here in Spartanburg, SC. Another gear lube to consider is Schaeffers blend, but it is a 75W-90. Nothing but good to report from it in everything we have used it in so far. We use it and Amsoil almost excusively nowadays.
Are the Torsen units really that prone to such a short life if installed properly?
The Tornsen unit is strong. It hasn't given me any trouble and is so superior to the clutch typr stock one. It was the gears that have been a problem. This is the 3rd set that has been put in. They found trouble with the first 2 sets as they lost their temper.
I take it you mean the ring and pinion gears. That's unusual. who made thes gears or supplied them to your builder/installer? First two sets same brand? We've been dealing almost excusively with Randy's Ring and Pinion for years with nary a quality problem.
The shop's supplier switched to a different brand from what they used to get with the trouble I experienced. The temper came out of the ring and pinion on 2 sets of the same make.
I've got an '03 Ranger Level II, which has a pre-loaded T-2R (or is it just T-2, not sure) Torsen in it. I'd e-mail Torsen a while back and asked which is the best fluid to run in it, and they said that, as far as the operation of the Torsen goes, it could care less what fluid it has in it.
Personally, I'd run a quality dino (non-syn) for the first 1000 miles and change that out, then run the same dino with auto-rx for the specified milage, change that out.
Here's where I'd depart from the go synthetic route:
When I did an Auto-RX run on my rear diff, I went from dino to true synthetic. Basically immediately, the pinion seal start leaking all over. Now, there is no way of knowing if it was the Auto-RX or the synthetic, but, it was at least one of those two. My advice, since diff's are expensive and dino oil is relatively cheap, is before putting in a quality true synthetic, run a quality dino after your Auto-RX run for 3000 miles or so.
It's not going to hurt anything, it's not going to cost anymore real amount of $$$, and it may prevent what happened to me from happening to you.
Once you've done the 3000 run, then go to a nice synthetic, something like an Amsoil 75W-140 Severe Gear or something like that. So, you'd have:
1. Do rearend work. 2. Run just quality dino, proper weight, for 1000 miles. 3. Drain, add Auto-RX, quality dino, run for proper miles. 4. Drain, run just quality dino for say 2-3k miles. 5. Drain, put in true synthetic of proper weight, be happy for the next 50k miles (hopefully).
Just my opinions, obviously not Auto-RX's...
Chuck
-- Edited by chucky2 at 15:05, 2008-11-13
I've got no appreciable change in the noise after several hundred miles and 2oz. of ARX. Maybe add 4 more oz. and run 3000 miles?
Sorry, never signed up to be notified and forgot about this thread.
My advice wasn't about the noise, rather, it was about letting the seal that was softened by Auto-RX during the cleaning return to it's normal...hardness I guess...before adding synthetic.
What are you running in your diff right now? Dino? Synthetic? What's the refill capacity on it?
Well I hate to say it but the noise is getting worse. I'm running non synthetic in there now. It's the same stuff that the repair/installation shop has been using each time I went in for warranty work. It holds 2.2 quarts.
IF YOU HAVE A LEAK IN YOUR TRANSMISSION DON'T USE ANY SYNTHETIC-SEMI -OR OTHER MODIFIED FLUID (THE SYNTHETIC ADDITIVE PACKAGE IS TO HARSH ON THE SEAL AND CLUTCH PACK) ONE OTHER THING THAT POPS UP IS HOW SOME WILL MODIFY THE APPLICATION DEVELOPED BY AUTO-RX GUARANTEED BY AUTO-RX THAN COMPLAIN AUTO-RX DID NOT WORK.
SYNTHETICS ARE USED TO KEEP HEAT DOWN. AUTO-RX AND REGULAR TRANSMISSION FLUID WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS ALSO.
ONCE YOU HAVE CLEANED THE CLUTCH PACKS AND THE TORQUE CONVERTER REGULAR TRANSMISSION FLUID WILL WORK FINE.
I was talking about the tornsen carrier and gear set but I appreciate the advice on the trans as that is the next project. I have an aftermarket cooler installed now that makes getting up to a low operating temp in this weather hard.
