[d-dash]

So i spent all last night trying to find out where this grinding/whirring sound is coming from in the front end. I bought 2 new wheel bearings at 160 bucks a pop, and thought i was going to take care of my issue. So when we got the wheel assembly all taken apart the bearings that were in there seemed fine. We swapped them out anyways and took it for a drive and still heard the sound. It is not a whine and my mechanic friend said he was pretty positive that it wasn't the actual diff going out. Anyone have any ideas? Had this same issue before? The only other thing I can think of is the bearing coming directly off the diff. I am bringing it in next week to a tranny shop that I have been told does a good job with diffs to see if they can figure out what it is. In the mean time i am just curious. So if anyone can shine some light on this for me i would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

 

[Rolex]

I'll wager it is your diff. If not maybe it's a CV joint? :hmm:

 

[d-dash]

I heard that the cv joints in this thing are supposed to be really good, but i don't know. The sound is just weird. It isn't a normal diff whine. It sounds just like a bearing grind, but we put in new bearings and still sounds the same. I am just baffled

 

[KrazyKeith]

+1 with rolex.

its all to common of an issue.

front diff carrier bearings!

 

[pcguy760]

I gotta agree that I also think it's the carrier bearing. This is a very odd problem to correctly diagnose for some reason because some people have had success with just changing the wheel bearings and others with just the diff. oil change so it gets confusing. I changed oil in mine and the noise suprisingly went away (mostly) for a few days and then came back! I changed wheel bearings still same thing so I believe that I have the same carrier bearing issue as well sadly...

No to thread jack or anything but will driving with this noise affect anything or will it leave you stranded eventually?? I hope not...

 

[ewill3rd]

The case side bearing retainer has a high rate of failure on some years.
If the retainer fails the preload comes off the case and without the proper preload and backlash the front diff starts killing itself.

From how ever many miles away, not having seen the vehicle, based on what you wrote, I'd be voting for the diff too.

 

[Povich]

The case side bearing retainer has a high rate of failure on some years.

What years are most prone?:hmm:

 

[ewill3rd]

I don't do many of those repairs, I can try to find out but if I were to guess I'd say '02-'04

I think they redesigned the side bearing retainers after that.

 

[pcguy760]

I don't do many of those repairs, I can try to find out but if I were to guess I'd say '02-'04

I think they redesigned the side bearing retainers after that.

What! I wish I new this before I bought mine, I would just saved up more and waited and got an 06 or something! Oh well, can't give up or chicken out now - soooo, I have a question for you Ewill3rd - will it finally crap out on me and leave me stranded with that noise? I know the usual thing when a bearing COMPLETELY craps out is lot of vibrations, etc...

Also, would a 06 front diff be a direct replacement or would it be the same as gettin the old one fixed? Did they improve the design of the "new" carrier bearing now?

This is really BS because Caddy should have had a recall on this and we should have not had to pay for it considering sooo many people have this issue. :mad2:

 

[ewill3rd]

Some of them failing is no guarantee that they will all fail.
Recalls are regulated by the government. Anything that goes wrong with more than 1 car in a particular carline doesn't warrant a recall. A flaw is a flaw and all carmakers have them. That doesn't mean they should fix your car forever for free.

I don't know if an '06 would fit, and I am not sure when they changed the retainer, I just know they did.
Usually they drive just fine when they start to go, it just makes a lot of noise.

I try to stay away from driveline work, but I have been trained on those, in class is where I learned about this issue but again I am not sure about the specifics.

 

[KamronZX6R]

I've had that whine/grind sound for some time now. I dreaded taking it in to get fixed since the differential have been a big issue with our trucks.
I don't know but my symptoms have led me directly to believe it was the differential but when i took it to a friend, he added power steering fluid to my truck then the sound went away. Maybe my fluid was just low all along but the sond that everyone described was exactly how mine was. Lucky me i guess. Just saying you should check the power steering fluid. I've had a lot of issues that seemed like a huge deal but it's been simple fixes so far with this truck.

 

[obxdiver]

My 05 ESV Platinum had a pulsating noise coming from the front end.
It was very audible when driving 40-45 mph.
It was very noisy coming off of the interstate, and decelerating from 60-40mph to take an exit ramp. It could even slightly feel this pulsating in my steering wheel and pedalsl. Almost like a tickling feel. The sound would stop below 35mph.
So I bit the bullet and took it to my Caddy dealer.
They did a total rebuild of my front diff and replaced the axle seals.
They did not replace the ring/pinion. They said it looked fine.
The total was ~$1200.00
I can't believe the difference in sound. This truck is so quiet now that all I hear are the tires.
I got all of the old parts back.
Some of the old bearings are toast. The side carrier bearings are the worst.
They rotate but very rough feeling and they hang up at points.
Some of the bearings look and feel fine.
There are many many bearings in the front diff.
I have a bag full of various sizes and types that came out of the diff.
The truck had 68000 miles

 

[obxdiver]

In case anyone is interested, here is an exploded view of the front differential, with a parts listing.
I have circled all of the bearings that were replaced in my front diff.
After these bearing replacements, my truck sounds like a dream.
I also have all of the old parts. Believe it or not, all of the bearing cups are pitted and no longer smooth at all. Each bearing rotates in its own cup, and all of the cups are badly worn only in one spot.
Maybe that explains my pulsating sound.


Items in bold were replaced.


(1) Front Drive Axle Inner Shaft
(2) Front Drive Axle Inner Shaft Seal
(3) Front Drive Axle Inner Shaft Bearing
(4) Front Drive Axle Inner Shaft Housing
(5) Front Drive Axle Inner Shaft Retaining Ring
(6) Front Drive Axle Inner Shaft Bolt
(7) Front Differential Carrier Case Bolt
(8) Front Differential Carrier Case Half
(9) Front Differential Carrier Half Lock Pin
(10) Front Differential Bearing Adjuster Lock Pin
(11) Front Differential Case Half Lock Pin
(12) Front Drive Axle Clutch Shaft Bearing
(13) Front Differential Bearing Adjuster Nut
(14) Front Differential Bearing Adjuster Nut Sleeve
(15) Front Differential Case Side Bearing Cup
(16) Front Differential Case Side Bearing
(17) Front Differential Ring Gear Bolt
(18) Differential Pinion Gear Thrust Washer
(19) Differential Pinion Gear
(20) Differential Side Gear Thrust Washer
(21) Differential Side Gear
(22) Differential Pinion Gear
(23) Differential Pinion Gear Thrust Washer
(24) Front Differential Side Gear
(25) Differential Side Gear Retainer
(26) Front Differential Side Gear Thrust Washer
(27) Front Differential Pinion Gear Shaft
(28) Front Differential Case
(29) Differential Pinion Gear Shaft Lock Bolt
(30) Differential Case Side Bearing
(31) Differential Case Side Bearing Cup
(32) Front Differential Ring Gear
(33) Front Differential Bearing Adjuster Nut
(34) Front Differential Bearing Adjuster Nut Sleeve
(35) Front Differential Bearing Adjuster Nut Lock
(36) Front Differential Carrier Bushing
(37) Front Differential Carrier Case Half
(38) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear Outer Bearing
(39) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear Outer Bearing Cup
(40) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear Oil Seal
(41) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear Deflector
(42) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear Yoke
(43) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear Yoke Washer
(44) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear Yoke Nut
(45) Front Differential Carrier Bushing
(46) Front Differential Inner Shaft Bearing
(47) Front Drive Axle Inner Shaft
(48) Front Drive Axle Inner Shaft
(49) Front Axle Vent Hose
(50) Front Axle Vent
(51) Clamp
(52) Front Differential Carrier Vent Hose Connector
(53) Front Differential Carrier Oil Drain Plug
(54) Front Differential Carrier Oil Drain Plug Washer
(55) Front Differential Carrier Oil Fill Plug
(56) Front Differential Carrier Oil Fill Plug Washer
(57) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear Bearing Spacer
(58) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear Inner Bearing Cup
(59) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear Inner Bearing
(60) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear Inner Bearing Shim
(61) Front Differential Drive Pinion Gear

 

[mikracer]

I had a problem with my 03 EXT with front diff noise and it ended up being the tires. I could have sworn up and down it was the diff and the dealer even changed the bearings in the front diff. They put it up on the rack and couldnt hear any noise but when it was driven, you could hear it. The service manager then told them to switch out the rims/tires to a set they had lying around and sure enough, the sound went away.

 

[pcguy760]

Some of them failing is no guarantee that they will all fail.
Recalls are regulated by the government. Anything that goes wrong with more than 1 car in a particular carline doesn't warrant a recall. A flaw is a flaw and all carmakers have them. That doesn't mean they should fix your car forever for free.

I don't know if an '06 would fit, and I am not sure when they changed the retainer, I just know they did.
Usually they drive just fine when they start to go, it just makes a lot of noise.

I try to stay away from driveline work, but I have been trained on those, in class is where I learned about this issue but again I am not sure about the specifics.

Nm, it turned out to be the front wheel bearing(s). Funny cos they did not wobble when doing that "hold the wheel and shake" kinda check but yeah it was the wheel bearings cos the truck is dead silent now