General Drive Axles Troubleshooting Guide

NOTE - This is a general trouble shooting guide. When using this guide, locate the condition in column one that corresponds to your problem and determine the possible causes in column two. Match the number of the possible cause with the same number in column three, and you will have the suggested correction.

CONDITION	POSSIBLE CAUSE	CORRECTION
Rear wheel noise	1) Wheel loose 2) Faulty, worn wheel bearings	1) Tighten lug nuts 2) Replace bearings
Axle Shaft noise	1) Misaligned axle housing 2) Bent or sprung axle 3) Pinion bearing end lay 4) Excessive ring gear backlash 5) Incorrect pinion bearing adjustment 6) Loose companion flange nut 7) Incorrect wheel bearing adjustment 8) Scuffed tooth contact surfaces	1) Check alignment and correct 2) Replace axle shaft 3) Check pinion bearing preload 4) Check backlash and adjust 5) Adjust pinion bearings 6) Tighten nut to specification 7) Adjust wheel bearings 8) Adjust or replace gears
Rear axle breakage	1) Incorrect wheel bearing adjustment 2) Misaligned axle housing 3) Vehicle overloaded 4) Clutch grabs	1) Replace axle, adjust bearing 2) Replace shaft and correct alignment 3)Replace axle, reduce vehicle load 4) Replace axle, repair clutch
Differential case breakage	1) Incorrect differential bearing adjustment 2) Excessive ring gear clearance 3) Vehicle overloaded 4) Erratic clutch operation	1) Check gears and bearings for damage, reassemble and adjust bearings 2) Check gears and bearings for damage, reassemble and adjust bearings 3) Check gears and bearings for damage, reduce vehicle load 4) Check gears and bearings for damage, avoid erratic clutch use
Differential gears scored	1) Insufficient lubricant 2) Incorrect lubricant 3) One wheel spins escessively	1) Replace scored gears 2) Replace scored gears, clean housing and fill rear axle to capacity with correct lubricant 3) Replace scored gears and service as necessary
Broke differential side gear	1) Excessive housing deflection 2) Worn thrust washers 3) Misaligned axle housing	1) Replace damaged gears, check other gears for damage and check axle housing alignment 2) Replace damaged gears, check other gears for damage and replace worn thrust washers 3) Replace damaged gears, check other gears for damage and check axle housing alignment
Ring Gear and pinion tooth breakage	1) Vehicle overloaded 2) Erratic clutch operation 3) Ice spotted pavement 4) Normal fatigue 5) Incorrect adjustment	1) Replace gears, reduce vehicle load 2) Replace gears and avoid erratic clutch operation 3) Replace gears 4) Replace gears and examine other components for fatigue 5) Replace gears and examine other components for wear. Make sure ring gear backlash is correct

Rear axle noise	1) Insufficient lubricant 2) Incorrect ring gear and pinion adjustment 3) Worn ring gear or pinion teeth 4) Loose pinion bearings 5) Loose differential gear bearings 6) Misaligned ring gear 7) Loose carrier bolts	1) Fill rear axle capacity with correct lubricant 2) Check tooth contact pattern 3) Check tooth contact pattern and replace ring gear and pinion if necessary 4) Adjust pinion bearings 5) Adjust differential gear bearings 6) Check ring gear runout 7) Tighten to specification
Loss of lubricant	1) Lubricant level to high 2) Worn axle shaft seals 3) Cracked housing 4) Worn drive pinion seals 3) Cracked housing 4) Worn drive pinion seal 5) Scored or worn companion flange	1) Drain to correct level 2) Replace seals  3) Replace or repair housing 4) Replace seal 5) Replace flange and seal
Unit overheats	1) Lubricant level low 2) Incorrect lubricant 3) Bearings adjusted too tight 4) Insufficient ring gearto pinion clearance	1) Fill axle to capacity with correct lubricant 2) Drain axle and refill to capacity with correct lubricant 3) Readjust bearings 4) Readjust ring gear and pinion backlash and check ring and pinion for wear or scoring