8.8 Rebuild - Is there a guaranteed whine-free gearset available?

[Mojo88]

I'm getting sick of all the whining so I'm gonna rebuild the rear end (2010 8.8 with 3.55).

EDIT: I found the cause of all the whining. Took cover off and saw metal particles in fluid, plus noticed chipped teeth on some spider gears. Soooo, time for complete rebuild..................

I have a lift in my garage, and most all tools needed. My main worry is spending all the time and energy setting this up and then still having a whine, as some gearsets appear to be whiners more than others.

So, assuming the install and setup is spot-on, is there a guaranteed whine-free gearset available?

And also, could someone recommend one of the better/best DIY 8.8 rebuild videos on YouTube or something (there are too many to choose from, LOL).

Thanks

 

[CobraSam]

Always preferred Ford Racing. Set it up correctly and you should have minimal whine.

 

[cidsamuth]

The whole whining thing is an enigma to me. When I had 4.10s installed by JPC, which obviously is a very reputable shop, it took them 3 times to get it to a whine level I could tolerate. Then, when I upped my power level and went back to 3.55s, the local guy who did it (also reputable) needed 3 attempts to get the whine to tolerable levels. Both times, I used nothing but Ford Racing gear sets.

I'm told the lower the gear ratio (i.e. 4.10s), the more likely to whine, but I don't know if it is true. I also grow tired of people posting that proper installs will always yield quiet gears, as I now know there are too many variables to say that conclusively.

The one thing I know to be true: The OEM suspension hides whine. Once you start replacing the rubber bushings with polyurethane, things get loud. When JPC finally got the 4.10s "right," it was with OEM suspension. Once I went to an all BMR rear suspension setup later, the rear end noise became very noticeable again. While the 3.55s I now have are much more quiet, I can still hear it if I listen hard enough.

 

[13COBRA]

^^^^ OEM suspension covers a lot of whine. When you start taking play out elsewhere, the rear end gets louder.

 

[Mojo88]

OP here........ I completely overhauled the 8.8 diff in question about a month ago. There were a number of significant issues that had to be addressed, so I simply replaced every moving part. I was as meticulous as possible with all the setup, using Ford Racing 3.55 gears. I installed a brand new carrier too. It came out mint, very quiet, even with poly suspension and 1-piece alum driveshaft.

 

[SLOWBRA]

The whole whining thing is an enigma to me. When I had 4.10s installed by JPC, which obviously is a very reputable shop, it took them 3 times to get it to a whine level I could tolerate. Then, when I upped my power level and went back to 3.55s, the local guy who did it (also reputable) needed 3 attempts to get the whine to tolerable levels. Both times, I used nothing but Ford Racing gear sets.

I'm told the lower the gear ratio (i.e. 4.10s), the more likely to whine, but I don't know if it is true. I also grow tired of people posting that proper installs will always yield quiet gears, as I now know there are too many variables to say that conclusively.

The one thing I know to be true: The OEM suspension hides whine. Once you start replacing the rubber bushings with polyurethane, things get loud. When JPC finally got the 4.10s "right," it was with OEM suspension. Once I went to an all BMR rear suspension setup later, the rear end noise became very noticeable again. While the 3.55s I now have are much more quiet, I can still hear it if I listen hard enough.

I also think some of these "installers" use the gears themselves as an excuse. I battled this ages ago with a shop. After being annoyed everytime I drove the car I finally took the time to learn and re-installed them myself. I was able to get them quite good even with modified suspension. It's worth noting that I dislike setting up gears though. Wish I could find someone who would do it right the first time and not use the gears as an excuse for not taking their time to do it right.

There was a guy named COOP in TX who I would send my diff to back in the day to setup properly, but I've lost touch with him. That guy would get it right the first time everytime.

 

[SnakeBitten07]

I also grow tired of people posting that proper installs will always yield quiet gears, as I now know there are too many variables to say that conclusively.

You shouldn’t, proper installs DO yield quiet gears. I’ve done about ten installs on Fox, SN95, and S197 8.8 axels with various ratios and diffs and none of them whined. I did follow the service manuals to a “T” using the proper tools. Only a couple of those cars where on OEM suspensions, and the ones there weren’t had a touch of sound come through the cabin, but it was very tolerable.

I have helped a couple of buddies with whining S197 axles and in both cases (they had local shops install the gears), the shop forgot to install the final preload shims after backlash and pattern were set. I think it’s well understood that leaving these shims out will result in whine, especially over time.

 

[Mojo88]

.....I have helped a couple of buddies with whining S197 axles and in both cases (they had local shops install the gears), the shop forgot to install the final preload shims after backlash and pattern were set. I think it’s well understood that leaving these shims out will result in whine, especially over time.

That's interesting. I watched a lot of videos and read up quite a bit before I did my 8.8 last month, but did not see that technique used at all. EVERYTHING I saw showed the carrier being tested for backlash and pattern with all shims in place. There is even a special tool, like a small hammer with a curved striking surface, specially designed to tap shims in.

Are you setting the carrier backlash/pattern to spec, loosely in place, then adding ~.005" shim to each side, or something like that? Then do final check?

 

[SnakeBitten07]

Are you setting the carrier backlash/pattern to spec, loosely in place, then adding ~.005" shim to each side, or something like that? Then do final check?

Yes, exactly. I can’t recall the size of the preload shim off the top of my head, but 0.005” sounds about right. All it does it load the diff in the housing to account for gear separation forces as torque is sent though the gears.

 

[Mojo88]

Yes, exactly. I can’t recall the size of the preload shim off the top of my head, but 0.005” sounds about right. All it does it load the diff in the housing to account for gear separation forces as torque is sent though the gears.

Maybe I did see someone do it your way. It seemed like most were tapping in the whole stack of shims, establishing the preload, and doing this every time, which makes it a PITA to keep taking the carrier in and out to adjust, LOL. I can see where your way might be a tad easier, especially if you had the thick factory shims which are much easier to tap in than a stack of thin shims. If I was doing this every day, I'd have every different thick shim right on hand...