What Are the Causes of Rear Axle Abnormal Noise?
1 Answers
Rear Axle Abnormal Noise?" /> The main causes of rear axle abnormal noise include: uneven tooth side clearance, excessive or insufficient tooth side clearance, improper positioning, damaged gear teeth, or bearing failure. The rear axle refers to the component of the vehicle's power transmission system that includes the rear drive shaft. It consists of two half-axles, enabling differential movement between them. Additionally, it serves as a support for the front wheels and a connection for the rear wheels. Here are the detailed causes: 1. Noise due to improper tooth side clearance. Under normal conditions of the main reducer bearing preload, a metallic clanking sound may occur at the rear axle shortly after the vehicle starts or during gear shifts. Once the speed stabilizes, the clanking sound turns into a continuous noise. When the throttle is abruptly changed, the rear axle produces irregular "clunk" or "click" sounds, which generally indicate excessive tooth side clearance. If the vehicle emits a "howling" sound at low speeds, similar to a fire truck siren, and produces "thudding" noises during acceleration or deceleration, accompanied by rear axle overheating, this usually indicates insufficient tooth side clearance. These abnormal noises are typically caused by severe wear of gears and splines, improper tooth side clearance (too large or too small), or insufficient lubrication. 2. Uneven tooth side clearance: When the vehicle starts or undergoes rapid speed changes, rhythmic "clunking" sounds may occur. Additionally, during turns, the rear of the vehicle may exhibit shaking, which is usually caused by uneven tooth side clearance. Loose differential housing screws or loosened ring gear bolts (or screws in some vehicles) can cause the gears to wobble or jump during operation, leading to inconsistent tooth side clearance, which is the direct cause of uneven clearance. 3. Bearing wear: During driving, if the noise increases with higher speeds but diminishes or disappears during coasting, it is generally due to bearing wear or abnormal gear clearance. If the noise occurs during abrupt speed changes or uphill driving, it is likely due to excessive gear meshing clearance.
