Rear Diff replacment

[mooreyoder]

Looking for some insight, I have a 2018 JL Jeep wrangler sport 2 door. 23,000 miles well taken care of and maintained (no oftermarket mods). In 10/20 I had to replace the rear differential at 20,000 miles. After that i constantly heard a low grinding noise when driving, took it back to the dealer 2 times for this. First time had oil change and they checked and said nothing sounds wrong, second time took it back again a few weeks later and told them still hearing noise. This time a sales rep rode around the lot in the jeep and said he does not hear anything unusual. So took it as Im just crazy and there is nothing wrong its just supposed to sound like that. Took it to have another oil change, this time decided to try another dealer, the dealer called and said we heard the low grind as soon as we pushed the gas peddle. And we have removed the (cap?-not very savey on vehicle's) of the rear diff and it is bad. He started asking and I informed him of the above info, He stated so it was replaced 4 months ago and has made this noise since then. I informed him it has, and i was basically told its normal. The service manager said no, your rear diff was either done incorrectly, and or the new rear diff parts have gone bad already. So where I am concerned is there anything else that could be causing a rear differential to go bad in less then 4000 miles? Other then a faulty diff part or being fixed wrong? Could anything else in the jeep frame or structure cause this, that i should ask them to look at as well. I am concerned that the original warranty is going to expire and it will happen again. Any info or help is greatly appreciated as i have had nothing but issues with this jeep since i purchased it.

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[Arterius2]

Looking for some insight, I have a 2018 JL Jeep wrangler sport 2 door. 23,000 miles well taken care of and maintained (no oftermarket mods). In 10/20 I had to replace the rear differential at 20,000 miles. After that i constantly heard a low grinding noise when driving, took it back to the dealer 2 times for this. First time had oil change and they checked and said nothing sounds wrong, second time took it back again a few weeks later and told them still hearing noise. This time a sales rep rode around the lot in the jeep and said he does not hear anything unusual. So took it as Im just crazy and there is nothing wrong its just supposed to sound like that. Took it to have another oil change, this time decided to try another dealer, the dealer called and said we heard the low grind as soon as we pushed the gas peddle. And we have removed the (cap?-not very savey on vehicle's) of the rear diff and it is bad. He started asking and I informed him of the above info, He stated so it was replaced 4 months ago and has made this noise since then. I informed him it has, and i was basically told its normal. The service manager said no, your rear diff was either done incorrectly, and or the new rear diff parts have gone bad already. So where I am concerned is there anything else that could be causing a rear differential to go bad in less then 4000 miles? Other then a faulty diff part or being fixed wrong? Could anything else in the jeep frame or structure cause this, that i should ask them to look at as well. I am concerned that the original warranty is going to expire and it will happen again. Any info or help is greatly appreciated as i have had nothing but issues with this jeep since i purchased it.

Is it a manual? Do you have a D44 rear diff?
The D44 diffs, especially the LSD version are known to go bad..
Here is a long ass thread on it:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/knock-in-rear-with-dana-44.16921/

 

[mooreyoder]

Is it a manual? Do you have a D44 rear diff?
The D44 diffs, especially the LSD version are known to go bad..
Here is a long ass thread on it:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/knock-in-rear-with-dana-44.16921/

It is automatic, i know it is a LSD not sure on the D44.

 

[Arterius2]

It is automatic, i know it is a LSD not sure on the D44.

Yep, all LSDs are D44s, so I think we know what's causing it now. (People report knocking/grinding/scraping noises)
If you read through the link I sent you, you can see that you are not alone in this particular problem.

 

[mooreyoder]

From what Im reading in the link, it looks like an option i need to ask about is replacing it with a locker type. Just deal away with the whole LSD from factory.

 

[mwilk012]

It was likely not installed correctly. Differentials require special skills, like being able to follow directions.

 

[DavidArmen]

Differential installation is a very very delicate business. The pinion depth, the position and play in the ring gear, the science of tooth contact on the hypoid gears, etc.

All of this delicacy calls for the installation to be performed in almost exacting specifications by a very well trained and experienced technician, usually with only a few thousandths of an inch of play or movement allowed/required.

All this to say that my money would be on incorrect installation rather than premature wear.

 

[mooreyoder]

Differential installation is a very very delicate business. The pinion depth, the position and play in the ring gear, the science of tooth contact on the hypoid gears, etc.

All of this delicacy calls for the installation to be performed in almost exacting specifications by a very well trained and experienced technician, usually with only a few thousandths of an inch of play or movement allowed/required.

All this to say that my money would be on incorrect installation rather than premature wear.

I'm patiently waiting to find out, My concern is if it was done incorrectly, the shop it is currently at said for warranty to cover it. It may have to be sent back to the original shop that did it incorrectly the first time, who then informed me at 2 return visits due to me hearing the grinding noise that nothing was wrong and they heard no unusual sounds it was all normal for a jeep.

 

[DavidArmen]

I'm patiently waiting to find out, My concern is if it was done incorrectly, the shop it is currently at said for warranty to cover it. It may have to be sent back to the original shop that did it incorrectly the first time, who then informed me at 2 return visits due to me hearing the grinding noise that nothing was wrong and they heard no unusual sounds it was all normal for a jeep.

They sound extremely incompetent.
Why is it that the new place immediately heard what was wrong when the old place couldn’t hear a thing and kept saying it was normal? That sounds fishy to me. Either the workers at the old place know they messed up and are now acting deaf, or they really are too dumb to be allowed to work on vehicles, let alone complicated components of vehicles.
I sympathize with your concern, I wouldn’t want to take my jeep back there either.

 

[mooreyoder]

They sound extremely incompetent.
Why is it that the new place immediately heard what was wrong when the old place couldn’t hear a thing and kept saying it was normal? That sounds fishy to me. Either the workers at the old place know they messed up and are now acting deaf, or they really are too dumb to be allowed to work on vehicles, let alone complicated components of vehicles.
I sympathize with your concern, I wouldn’t want to take my jeep back there either.

Dealership called back today, They were able to replace the entire rear axle, due to the prior issues and this being the 3rd time I have had this jeep in the shop for the rear differential replacement. He said it was approved to just drop out the old axle and replace it with a brand new one. As well he said it is all covered under warranty. Should be completed this afternoon and ready for pick up. So hopefully some good years to come out of all this trouble I have had since purchasing the jeep.

 

[DavidArmen]

Dealership called back today, They were able to replace the entire rear axle, due to the prior issues and this being the 3rd time I have had this jeep in the shop for the rear differential replacement. He said it was approved to just drop out the old axle and replace it with a brand new one. As well he said it is all covered under warranty. Should be completed this afternoon and ready for pick up. So hopefully some good years to come out of all this trouble I have had since purchasing the jeep.

That’s great news! I’m happy to see this issue was resolved with satisfaction.

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