diff/rear axle problem

[muffin]

I have a 2003 terra on a p32 chassis,it has 32000 miles and I bought it new.I have had no problems until yesterday when I heard a noise when i gave it gas.It was a very slight sound when I pushed the gas pedal down.So I took it to my shop after they looked at it they said it was the differantial.I decided to get a second opinion(still waiting).My question is how can I tell if my diff.goes bad and how common is this with workhorse, this coach has been well taken care of.How do I prevent this from happening again?

[max49]

Welcome to the forum Muffin. I've been here for about 5 years and do not remember many, if any reports of differential problems. However there are many knowledgeable people here that will try to help you. I'm surprised they haven't already, but they will.
Either way, a 2nd opinion is good, but is this an expensive fix according to the first shop? What part of the differential went bad ? A bearing?

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by max49 Either way, a 2nd opinion is good, but is this an expensive fix according to the first shop? What part of the differential went bad ? A bearing?

Max, I thought that a response from a P-Series owner like yourself would help.

[JonBrazel]

What did they base their assumptions off of? Did they drain the fluid and find a lot of metal chunks in it? Did they run it on a dyno to verify noise while wheels are turning?

We've had quite a few rigs that the customer thought was a rear end noise and all it ended up being was a broken weld on a heat shield or something else much less severe.

[max49]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriVer Max, I thought that a response from a P-Series owner like yourself would help.

Driver, I would help if I could but nothing is supposed to go wrong with a pumpkin full of big gears. I never said I was mechanic and luckily I have no experience with a bad rear end, just nice ones.

[speed racer]

A slight whine from the differential at light throttle is common on all truck chassis. The clerances are a lot greater than on a car. I would sugjest changing the gesr oil and inspecting for leaks or loose pinion bearing. I wouldn't panic if it is just a slight noise.

[muffin]

Thanks for all replies! It's a big help, I am in the early stages of finding the problem,you gave me some things to look out for.I don't know how they came up with the problem except there is a small amount fluid on the out side and I heard a very slight sound when depressing the gas.
M