Topic: Odd noise coming from below the Jeep

[sharpxmen]

i zoomed in on that first picture and i'm sure that's the reason, the whole torque was applied to the very tip of the teeth so those just gave up under load, there's a reason for doing the contact pattern on the teeth centered and preferring the drive side for correct setup (although it looks like the coast side was not setup correctly either) and also do the breakin so it wears the gears to mesh properly and have enough contact to distribute the load. I bet that's exactly what ARB will tell them.

[jfrabat]

According to the shop, the contact is in the middle, though I don't see it that way...  I did request that I want to see the contact patch test this time around, though, or I was not paying a dime for anything.

[Jeffy]

looks like bad setup contact pattern on the drive side, can you take a contact picture of the teeth that are not broken (that's what it looks to be the problem to me from the first picture you posted)? looks like the coast is the one that the wear pattern is centered but the drive side only contacted on the tip of the teeth where it broke, so i absolutely doubt the locker is the issue - if this is the case and you can see the wear only on the tip of the teeth then that's your answer, they broke because the load was applied just there and it was not distributed along the whole length of the tooth. There is also a matter of having the load spread between consequent teeth and if only the tip engages then it's all on that little piece which will eventually give. The pinion broke after due to the missing tips it was stepping on top of the ring. I would also ask them to check if the pinion bearings have play (no preload)

EDIT: isn't this the axle where they grinded off from the pinion as it contacted the locker? if it's the same shop then they did the setup incorrectly, should do it for free this time but the right way, i would ask to see the contact pattern before they close it off and also have them show you that the pinion bearings preload is correct

That was the first thing I noticed as wll.  The pattern doesn't look right.

[sharpxmen]

According to the shop, the contact is in the middle, though I don't see it that way...  I did request that I want to see the contact patch test this time around, though, or I was not paying a dime for anything.

take closeup pics of the ring

... and tell them that the drive side matters most (i mean both are important but you always aim for drive side if you can't get both centered)

[sharpxmen]

also make sure the preload on the bearings is correct, if there is none the contact pattern by moving the ring would be different when under load (as in the pinion would ride up on the ring), if its too much it would bust your bearings and would result in a damaged R&P as well (will bust your bearings either way if not set correctly) - would have been good to check the play on the pinion before they took it apart.

[jfrabat]

Well, it's gonna be hard to get pictures now; I imagine they already took the whole thing apart by now!

[Jeffy]

Well, it's gonna be hard to get pictures now; I imagine they already took the whole thing apart by now!

Well, you should still be able to see the pattern on the gears with them out.  The shop should have been able to say either way if it was a poor setup or not.

[sharpxmen]

just ask to get the old parts back
you can see even in your phone camera pics that the ring is shiny on outside end of the tips on the drive side but would like to see some better ones

[jfrabat]

just ask to get the old parts back
you can see even in your phone camera pics that the ring is shiny on outside end of the tips on the drive side but would like to see some better ones

They SHOULD give me the old parts back, but yes, you can see them, so I can point that out...

[jfrabat]

I dropped by today, and they still had the old parts in; I talked to them, and made it clear that the install was wring the last time, so it seems they will not charge me this time for labor (although I still have to pay for parts).

[sharpxmen]

I dropped by today, and they still had the old parts in; I talked to them, and made it clear that the install was wring the last time, so it seems they will not charge me this time for labor (although I still have to pay for parts).

better than nothing, it's an ok compromise especially where you are.

[jfrabat]

better than nothing, it's an ok compromise especially where you are.

That's what I figured; and since I already had the R&P, it's not that bad really...