Spider gears busted?

[EricGrind]

Hey guys, I'm new here as you can tell, I've been browsing the forums recently and this is a really cool place! Thanks for havin' me!

So here's the question:

Got a 95 YJ, and I think it's a spider gear problem.
After about 15 minutes of driving (I guess when things start heating up), and I make a left or right turn, I have a horrible, very loud clunking and a burst of vibration coming from the rear, a buddy of mine stuck his head out the window as I turned and he said the whole wheel was shifting (other than it's normal rotation of course).
But if I go around a corner with clutch in and coasting, the clunk never happens, only when clutch is out.
We think it's chipped spider gears, I haven't had time to actually get in the diff and check things out, but what else could it possibly be?

We're going to Gorman in two weeks for a camping trip and this coming weekend I'm getting my welding buddy to take out the spiders and weld them, think I'll try a lincoln locker set up, see how that works out.

But I wanted to see what you guys think it is?

Thanks for your time,

-Eric

95 YJ 6 cyl. 4.0L HO 5spd, w/ 2" springs, 32x11.5x15 BFG Muds.

 

[TwistedCU]

Can you be more specific as to the wheel shifting? Toward and away from the Jeep? Up/down? front to back?

Put the Jeep on a lift or jack up the rear and secure it. Look for broken hardware, ubolts, springs... It could be a bad axleshaft, or maybe the carrier is cracked? . I dunno, that doesn't sound like spider gears to me if it is making the wheel wobble or shift out of it's normal motion.

Personally, I wouldn't drive it like that. It's asking for tragedy.

 

[EricGrind]

I asked my buddy today and he said when I turn the back right wheel would shift outward (away from the Jeep) just slightly and stop it's rotation just for a split second, it wouldn't actually skid or drag but just, I guess hop for a second and not move in its normal motion.

What sucks is I have to drive this, everyday, it's been like this for 3 months now and I've wheeled the crap out of it. I've mudded hard twice, take it up to local hill climbs and go up the smooth fire roads rally style, 2wd..I mean fast up the hills. And I've jumped it no more than 2 feet high at the Pismo sand dunes. It hasn't gotten worse or anything but it's still there. And when I get the time, I will look at it. We all plan this weekend to look at all are Samurai's our Wranglers before the Gorman trip in two weeks.
I'll keep in mind to check those two things.

I wonder what it could be.

 

[TwistedCU]

broken c clip maybe, I don't know why it hasn't just slid all the way out. You're fortunate.

 

[EricGrind]

I'll get crackin' on it this weekend.
Think I'll go to the junkyard and get some shafts and replace everything and then weld up the gears, Lincoln style baby!

 

[TwistedCU]

I'd pull it apart before buying anything, but that's me.

It'll take you 5 minutes to take the cover off and have a look in there.

 

[redrooster]

You won't like a Lincoln locker in a daily driver. It will bind and chirp the tires every time you make a turn. Get a locker, posi or leave it open.
Definitley diagnose the problem before buying a pile of random parts. It's too easy to pull the cover and look. If there is no metal or anything obvious in the differential, then look toward the wheel bearing. Mud might have gotten to the bearing.

 

[EricGrind]

Yeah I understand everything about the Lincoln Locker, my friend did Lincoln Locker in rear and spool in the front of his Samurai, and he churps everywhere.
On top of that those monsters don't come with power steering so it's that much harder to drive on the streets. Personally I like the Lincoln setup, I know it will eat my tires up ten times faster as well, but my Jeep doesn't do so well on steep hill climbs, I just end up spinning one wheel and sliding back down, wanted to see if locking it would help me out. I wouldn't have the money for a locker right now anyway.

Thanks for the help RR, early saturday morning I will open the diff up and see what's going on, I'll let you guys know from there.

Thanks guys!

 

[lethaldose]

i'd go with a lock-right or aussie locker style usually 250 bucks shipped to the door and be alot easier for a daily driver ... but if the problem only occurs when the clutch is engauged ... if it was an axle problem wouldnt it persist even in motion weither or not the clutch was in or not ?????

 

[EricGrind]

Yeah, that's what I said.
So I have no clue what to look for or what to expect when I get down and dirty on saturday.
As long as the clutch is in, nothing slams or clunks in the rear, if it's out, all hell breaks loose.
It's funny though, every time I turn a corner, every person walking down the street turn their heads to see what the heck the noise is. Haha..

 

[lethaldose]

yeah its extremely odd ... before i did any wheeling or hell even any driving i'd throw it up on jack stands have a buddy spin the wheels and look and listen for any problem areas , then try actually starting it and putting it in motion under its own power while cycling the clutch in and out and see if you can reproduce the sound and narrow down the area .... then just pop your diff cover off check everything out in there , check your c-clips if you have em , your spiders , everything.. cause a few jugs of gear oil will only set ya back a few bones... check all your suspension just go over everything with a fine comb because the last thing you want is to be speeding down the road to the trail and have your axle shaft slide out and bury your housing in the pavement and do who knows what to you ... maybe somebody else can spread some better light on it thats just my nickels worth of ideas hahah urple:

 

[droopey]

Have you cheecked your leaf springs?

 

[EricGrind]

Yes I did, looked up and down on both rears, couldn't find anything. Friend said they may have cracked, causing the clunking noise, which would kinda make sense, if the drive shaft is wrenchin' on the rear end and a leafspring is cracked it may shift a little causing the wheel to move around.
Whatever it is, it really enjoys clutch in..

 

[droopey]

Yes I did, looked up and down on both rears, couldn't find anything. Friend said they may have cracked, causing the clunking noise, which would kinda make sense, if the drive shaft is wrenchin' on the rear end and a leafspring is cracked it may shift a little causing the wheel to move around.
Whatever it is, it really enjoys clutch in..

That is exactly what I was thinking. Had problems with another vehicle doing about the same thing and it was a broken main spring.

 

[EricGrind]

Well I figured out what it was,
opened up the diff, right away noticed two spider gears were missing three whole teeth on each, funny thing is..I searched around for the 6 teeth missing in the pumpkin,...never found 'em, HAHA! That was great.
I ended up having my buddy Eric weld the gears up, he did an excellent job. He's a professional welder and that's his job so I couldn't have asked for a better person to do it.
We cleaned the hell out of everything, and he did something with his welder before pre-heating it, and then did the actual welding.
He said the crap he was using was like seven thousand pounds every square inch and he did 8 welds in the gears.
I bought heat tempered washers to add into the gears for added strength and we just ended up not using them..by the time I got back with the washers and some food he said the gears were already starting to cool down so it's not worth it and just said the welds were perfect.
Anyway, threw everything back together, drives great and does donuts like a charm.
A little harder to turn of course so I gotta get used to the locker..and watch out for water puddles around corners..haha!

Thanks all for your help, I now have no more clunking. When I get the time I can post pictures of the broken gears if anyone was curious.


Thanks guys.

 

[Sparky-Watts]

Cool!

 

[TwistedCU]

That's great... an EZ and cheap fix. Glad to hear it.

I'm planning on welding my rear also. Maybe the front too. I have a family member who is willing to do it if I can find the time to get over there for a day.

 

[droopey]

Post some pics.