AAM 11.5" with bad bearings, advice and shop recommendation

shelby27604

shelby27604

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Location
Efland NC
I had a local shop do some work on my truck when I purchased it (including replacing leaking pinion seals on front and rear axles). I guess I should have gone in behind them, and checked everything. Was on a trip last week and heard the telltale whine from the rear axle. I pulled over, pulled the drain plug and found I was about a quart low and the plug was covered in "anti-seize". I was 1000 miles from home, so the rear got topped up and checked every couple hundred miles. At this point, the whine is quiet enough that if I didn't have AT tires or listened to the radio, I might not hear it.

What is the going rate for bearing swap in an AAM 11.5 (2006 Ram 2500)?

What is a good shop, local to the mebane area (willing to drive a bit for a great shop / support a board member).

Am I good to send it as is for a while until the noise gets worse? Was going to drain and fill just the same, to get eyes on the setup. The truck has the dodge "Anti-spin" which I think is a truetrac setup, not sure if that would have experienced damage as well. Would i be better off with a lower mileage swap from a wrecking yard?
 
Yep. They beat me to it. If it was a GM variety, I'd sell you a whole axle that's ready to go!
 
shelby27604 said:
I had a local shop do some work on my truck when I purchased it (including replacing leaking pinion seals on front and rear axles). I guess I should have gone in behind them, and checked everything. Was on a trip last week and heard the telltale whine from the rear axle. I pulled over, pulled the drain plug and found I was about a quart low and the plug was covered in "anti-seize". I was 1000 miles from home, so the rear got topped up and checked every couple hundred miles. At this point, the whine is quiet enough that if I didn't have AT tires or listened to the radio, I might not hear it.

What is the going rate for bearing swap in an AAM 11.5 (2006 Ram 2500)?

What is a good shop, local to the mebane area (willing to drive a bit for a great shop / support a board member).

Am I good to send it as is for a while until the noise gets worse? Was going to drain and fill just the same, to get eyes on the setup. The truck has the dodge "Anti-spin" which I think is a truetrac setup, not sure if that would have experienced damage as well. Would i be better off with a lower mileage swap from a wrecking yard?
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Retail on a quality bearing kit will be around $350. Another $100 for synthetic gear oil and misc gaskets. Labor is right at 5-6 hours.
Don't sweat the Track Rite, they're bulletproof.
A fair estimate not knowing your area could be $1000-$1300 for replacing pinion and carrier bearings with attention to detail.
 
Jody Treadway said:
Retail on a quality bearing kit will be around $350. Another $100 for synthetic gear oil and misc gaskets. Labor is right at 5-6 hours.
Don't sweat the Track Rite, they're bulletproof.
A fair estimate not knowing your area could be $1000-$1300 for replacing pinion and carrier bearings with attention to detail.
Click to expand...
I trust this man with my rear always! I drove from SC for him to fix the 60 in my XJ.
 
shelby27604 said:
Would i be better off with a lower mileage swap from a wrecking yard?
Click to expand...

A quick car-part.com search shows rear axles to be anywhere from $300 to $1000 for used axles, so potentially cheaper than Jody's estimate but still a used axle. Personally, I might would gamble on a lower cost unit provided it looked good when I pulled the cover, but I think I would rebuild one before replacing it if the cost comparison was close.

Duane
 
Are you sure it is just the bearings...? Was that metal particulate on the plug shavings from the gears? My 10.5 had a loose pinion when I bought it; I tightened it and have been driving it for three years now without issue (still makes a touch of noise, no idea how long it was driven like that). If they changed the pinion seal it the nut might be working itself loose and the low fluid just compounds the issue. Park it on a level surface, set the parking brake and put the transmission in neutral then try to manipulate the pinion. Should be no radial or axial movement. The pinion on mine could wiggle around somewhat.
 
OnlyOneDR said:
Are you sure it is just the bearings...? Was that metal particulate on the plug shavings from the gears? My 10.5 had a loose pinion when I bought it; I tightened it and have been driving it for three years now without issue (still makes a touch of noise, no idea how long it was driven like that). If they changed the pinion seal it the nut might be working itself loose and the low fluid just compounds the issue. Park it on a level surface, set the parking brake and put the transmission in neutral then try to manipulate the pinion. Should be no radial or axial movement. The pinion on mine could wiggle around somewhat.
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I will double check that, I appreciate the tip, I need to pull the cover and see what's what, the wife has me booked up this weekend, so that will be a next week project, I will pull the cover and check the pinion nut preload at the same time.

CLRracer said:
A quick car-part.com search shows rear axles to be anywhere from $300 to $1000 for used axles, so potentially cheaper than Jody's estimate but still a used axle. Personally, I might would gamble on a lower cost unit provided it looked good when I pulled the cover, but I think I would rebuild one before replacing it if the cost comparison was close.

Duane
Click to expand...
I did the same math in my head, at this point, it does seem financially smarter to stick with the devil I know vs the devil I don't know, all things being equal. This truck spent most of its life in Texas being used as a mini-van, so I am probably better off with what I have if the low fluid level didn't mess up the gears too much.
 
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