Noise of a s60...
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On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2017
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Noise of a s60... Have a 01 camaro with a strange s60 with a full spool and all rear suspension with heim ends. It had a 373 gear that was very loud! Varying degree of howling through accel, coast, decel...didn't matter. Switched it to a 4.10 gear and changed all bearings and races as well. The difference is alot in noise reduction...but still has some degree of noise during normal driving mostly when transitioning to decel..nowhere near like it was. Curious peoples thoughts with similar setups
TECH Resident
Joined: Oct 2014
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Have a 01 camaro with a strange s60 with a full spool and all rear suspension with heim ends. It had a 373 gear that was very loud! Varying degree of howling through accel, coast, decel...didn't matter. Switched it to a 4.10 gear and changed all bearings and races as well. The difference is alot in noise reduction...but still has some degree of noise during normal driving mostly when transitioning to decel..nowhere near like it was. Curious peoples thoughts with similar setups
I have a S60 with 4.10s and a posi. I get a little noise around 45 mph cruising. The manual from Strange said there would be some whine. I changed the oil after 500 miles as recommended and it did quiet it down some, but mine isn't bad at all. You really have to be listening to hear it.
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 90
Likes: 1
From: New York
I have the S60 with 4.10's and have no noise issue at all. Did you follow their break in instructions? Putting it through heat cycles will harden the gears and if you drive at varying speeds in varies gears it will ride the entire length of the gear and harden evenly. Usually a noise at a certain speed indicates the gear wasn't cycled correctly during the break in.
I think it should be noted weather the noise is coming from the gear set or something with the rear end itself. From what I've seen and read most noise usually has something to do with the gears
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My first set of gears was spicer 4.10's, the noise was so bad it was almost undrivable, the next set installed by a Dana spider factory installer made a ton less noise, but by no means quiet. Then 500 miles in on both go around the pinion seal started leaking. Come to find a giant gash or mark from what it appears a pinion gear was dropped in it on original assembly. Lastly 1500 mikes in when it started wearing out the inside of the drivers tire because the axle tube is welded in the center section crooked. I thought strange was the answer when I first ordered it, and I ended up with my POS60 and couldn't be any less impressed with it. and my car is a low 12 second car not some big HP drag car
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TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2015
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From: Fort Worth, Texas
My first set of gears was spicer 4.10's, the noise was so bad it was almost undrivable, the next set installed by a Dana spider factory installer made a ton less noise, but by no means quiet. Then 500 miles in on both go around the pinion seal started leaking. Come to find a giant gash or mark from what it appears a pinion gear was dropped in it on original assembly. Lastly 1500 mikes in when it started wearing out the inside of the drivers tire because the axle tube is welded in the center section crooked. I thought strange was the answer when I first ordered it, and I ended up with my POS60 and couldn't be any less impressed with it. and my car is a low 12 second car not some big HP drag car
I install USED gear sets! 3.54/3.55, 3.73, & 4.10 sets are prolific in 2500/3500 vans. I take a depth measurement.......013"-.020" total pinion shim will get you close on S60 housing compared to mid .050"s total on a Dana machined diff.
DO NOT attempt to run a shim under the pinion bearing with a S60 housing!
Strange Side Carrier Bearing pre-load specs are WAY off/light, Tighten real good using a 5-inch 3/16 punch as a handle where you want the backlash.
Tighten (passenger side first) each adjuster 1-1/2 to 2 holes.
I modified a Coil-Over tool to work on Dana 60 "Super" adjusters a long time ago & it works on S60's as well.
Check carrier "face" run-out & true it if needed with a lathe.
Check the ring gear for burrs & high spots. Circular motions on a good flat concrete floor works well.
NEVER draw the ring gear on the carrier with the bolts, Heat it with a MAPP if needed.
Dana 60's aren't known for being quiet, You don't really hear them in a truck because you aren't sitting right on top of the differential or have noise amplified though the body/torque arm like a F-Body.
The higher (numerically) you go in ratio.....The higher your odds are of having gear noise!
Noise issues in my experience boil down to three things. Fitment of diff/suspension/fittings/exh etc. If any metal component is touching/rubbing a part of the diff directly? It will whine. Even a typically quite diff will howl inside the passenger compartment like a church organ if metal is touching metal. This is the single worst culprit for diff noise. This is very easily done with aftermarket torque arms, you'd be surprised how many run a solid mount rear arm and a poly front that makes metal to metal contact and resonates that noise right up through the floor.
Second is gear set up and that goes without saying.
Third and really the only one nothing can be done about is if the housing isn't a good one ( NONE are perfect btw, notta one ) then you may have drawn short straw on the housing and no set up will eliminate the whine no matter what gear you use. Its not always a good pattern that will be silent and a bad pattern that makes noise either. You have to road test it and see.
D60 is a loaded case, so they tend to make noise due to issue 1 above. The last one we did turned out silent. In a mud truck of all things, go figure the one time we could care less about noise and its silent rolling around on the street radials when not in mud tire prep.
Remember too that gear whine often mellows out over time and abuse. If you have a 60? Beat on it some. It wont mind
Second is gear set up and that goes without saying.
Third and really the only one nothing can be done about is if the housing isn't a good one ( NONE are perfect btw, notta one ) then you may have drawn short straw on the housing and no set up will eliminate the whine no matter what gear you use. Its not always a good pattern that will be silent and a bad pattern that makes noise either. You have to road test it and see.
D60 is a loaded case, so they tend to make noise due to issue 1 above. The last one we did turned out silent. In a mud truck of all things, go figure the one time we could care less about noise and its silent rolling around on the street radials when not in mud tire prep.
Remember too that gear whine often mellows out over time and abuse. If you have a 60? Beat on it some. It wont mind
I too, have owned a couple of S60's with spool and have never experienced any kind of noise. And as mentioned, contact Strange Engineering if noise persist intolerably.
His noise is coming from the gears not being setup properly. If you work build rears then you know this is the problem. The pinion depth, backlash and gear pattern is what makes the noise if not done right. I have built a few Dana 60s for f bodies and not one has made noise. It’s all in how you set them up
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Joined: Mar 2014
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4:56 gears here. No whine at all. When you buy one new they are very insistent on you using Lucas gear oil so much so that they give you the oil when you purchase the rear end. They are also very insistent on breaking it in properly like already mentioned. I will always check and see if I can buy a product direct from the manufacturer if possible. Alleviates all the BS of a middle man if there is any problems. 3 things I would never buy used: Motor, Transmission. or a rear end. But that's me.
11 Second Club
Joined: Jan 2003
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I've bought several S60 housings from Strange & check EVERY one with machinist bar/4 pucks & found no issues. If the issue is on Strange.....Call them!!!
I install USED gear sets! 3.54/3.55, 3.73, & 4.10 sets are prolific in 2500/3500 vans. I take a depth measurement.......013"-.020" total pinion shim will get you close on S60 housing compared to mid .050"s total on a Dana machined diff.
DO NOT attempt to run a shim under the pinion bearing with a S60 housing!
Strange Side Carrier Bearing pre-load specs are WAY off/light, Tighten real good using a 5-inch 3/16 punch as a handle where you want the backlash.
Tighten (passenger side first) each adjuster 1-1/2 to 2 holes.
I modified a Coil-Over tool to work on Dana 60 "Super" adjusters a long time ago & it works on S60's as well.
Check carrier "face" run-out & true it if needed with a lathe.
Check the ring gear for burrs & high spots. Circular motions on a good flat concrete floor works well.
NEVER draw the ring gear on the carrier with the bolts, Heat it with a MAPP if needed.
Dana 60's aren't known for being quiet, You don't really hear them in a truck because you aren't sitting right on top of the differential or have noise amplified though the body/torque arm like a F-Body.
The higher (numerically) you go in ratio.....The higher your odds are of having gear noise!
I install USED gear sets! 3.54/3.55, 3.73, & 4.10 sets are prolific in 2500/3500 vans. I take a depth measurement.......013"-.020" total pinion shim will get you close on S60 housing compared to mid .050"s total on a Dana machined diff.
DO NOT attempt to run a shim under the pinion bearing with a S60 housing!
Strange Side Carrier Bearing pre-load specs are WAY off/light, Tighten real good using a 5-inch 3/16 punch as a handle where you want the backlash.
Tighten (passenger side first) each adjuster 1-1/2 to 2 holes.
I modified a Coil-Over tool to work on Dana 60 "Super" adjusters a long time ago & it works on S60's as well.
Check carrier "face" run-out & true it if needed with a lathe.
Check the ring gear for burrs & high spots. Circular motions on a good flat concrete floor works well.
NEVER draw the ring gear on the carrier with the bolts, Heat it with a MAPP if needed.
Dana 60's aren't known for being quiet, You don't really hear them in a truck because you aren't sitting right on top of the differential or have noise amplified though the body/torque arm like a F-Body.
The higher (numerically) you go in ratio.....The higher your odds are of having gear noise!
I used a shim under the large pinion bearing race. I built my S60 myself, so far so good. And yes on the side carrier bearings, they need to be tight. I just used the tool Strange sells, and locked them up tight, and haven't had an issue in the few thousand miles of street km's I've clocked up so far.
I have a slight whine at a certain speed around 50-55mph, not a big deal. It's dead quiet above and below that speed. have no back seat or carpet so that makes it worse than if I had the interior in.