OK!!! Here is what happened. The week we had the big snow, I was sinning the wheels 2 or 3 times because of poor traction. One of those times I spun the wheels I had a 1600lb load on but did come out of it. Since this I put another 3000 miles on the van. It is a Chevy 3500 Ext. cargo van with a 5.7 (350). !0 days or so after that trip I smelt rear-end grease when standing in the back of the van. A gear-head buddy told me it was an axle seal or the pinion seal leaking. I didn’t do anything then. About a week later I was driving down the road doing about 65mph, and I heard a bang come from the back of the van. Only had about 500lbs on at the time. Stopped looked around, and took off again. When I got to 65 I took my foot off the gas and I would hear a humming. If I gave it gas it would quit. Was close to Youngstown so I had a shop check it and the guy told me the rear-end was empty. He filled it and wished me luck, for he didn’t have time to do anything else, but did tell me the pinion gear may be bad. I ran another 100 miles or so. I went to Erie Pa then to Mentor Ohio. About then I started to hear a grinding of metal on metal. I found a shop to work on the van. He tore it apart and sure as (you know what) I needed a new front pinion gear. It was shot. He replaced it. Told me the middle and rear gears looked and felt okay. There was still a humming noise, after he replaced the front gear. He said it may be one of the other gears, but those would be very costly to replace (shims and balancing and all that other good stuff). I ask if it could be the drive shaft, and he said that seamed to be okay. He did also replace the pinion seal, and dust cover. Time run short and I didn’t want to loose any time. He told me it should be okay to run the van, so I did. Now I have this humming noise driving me crazy and making me very nervous.
MARK! and anyone else that may have an answer or a suggestion. My questions are: When I drive the van and apply gas I don’t hear anything. When I use cruse control, I still don’t hear the humming noise. If I take my foot off the gas to coast or to apply the brake I hear the humming. If I am coasting and apply the gas I will sometimes hear a clunk, then nothing, until I start to coast again. Sometimes when I shift from park to drive and apply gas I will hear it clunk. Is it the U joints? I priced the new U joints and they will cost $115.00 just for the parts. Do I need to start looking for a rear axle, so I can replace mine? I may be able to get a used one with 10K for about $650.00. If I have a gear-head replace or rebuild the rear-end it will cost about $1200.00, or maybe more.
MARK! and anyone else that may have an answer or a suggestion. My questions are: When I drive the van and apply gas I don’t hear anything. When I use cruse control, I still don’t hear the humming noise. If I take my foot off the gas to coast or to apply the brake I hear the humming. If I am coasting and apply the gas I will sometimes hear a clunk, then nothing, until I start to coast again. Sometimes when I shift from park to drive and apply gas I will hear it clunk. Is it the U joints? I priced the new U joints and they will cost $115.00 just for the parts. Do I need to start looking for a rear axle, so I can replace mine? I may be able to get a used one with 10K for about $650.00. If I have a gear-head replace or rebuild the rear-end it will cost about $1200.00, or maybe more.
