Is it better to set the backlash tighter or looser, according to the limits as specified by the gear. Does one cause more whine than another?
Reason I ask is that I installed my gears ago 550 miles ago and they are starting to whine a little bit more than at first. They are Strange's, and I had originally set them up at .011" (.008-.012 specified), but I think they have loosened up.

Or am I just way of base, and the pinion depth may be causing the whine. I am going to take the cover off Monday to check everything, so any imput would be appriciated.

 

Is the whine on acceleration (on the gas) or deceleration (off the gas)?

 

on the gas only.

 

anyone have any ideas, I really need to know by tomorrow.

 

On my own understanding of the backlash whine (from my car anyway) is that it will mainly happen on when you are off the gas. I would check the pinion depth. What weight of oil are you using?

 

I used the original pinion shim which was a .036" and I'm using 75w90 regular oil, not synthetic. Pattern also looked good when I set it up.

 

Not to try and hijack this thread, but my 4.11 Motive gears whine ... no, they HOWL, when I'm off the gas. They guy that did the install told me that they were set at 4/1000's, which seems a little "off" to me, but what do I know? I'm not a mechanic.

I've got about 2K miles on them, but can I reset the backlash and get rid of the howl, or am I stuck buying new gears?

 

Usually US gear and Richmond engrave the ring gear with the Backlash number they used to run the gears in. In my Strange rear I put the pinion depth right on the money and the backlask to .008- right on the money with what was engraved on the ring gear. Pattern looked textbook perfect. Rear still made more noise than my OEM 10 bolt did. I've redone my rear about 8 times. I've had better luck (noise wise) with Richmonds than US-Gear R&P's. This is contrary to what most people experience. I'm getting ready to redo the rear again. I'm going to try Superior gears this time. No matter what the gears or setup, 1/2 dozen good hard launches at the track and they'll all whine like a sick dog.