Rear Differential

swan734 · December 16, 2014

My rear differential went on my 02 silverado 1500 today. Is it better to rebuild it, or replace the whole axle assembly and would it be better doing it my self or take it to the shop?

gmtech4 · December 17, 2014

The way it's done on expensive parts is :

Take it to a shop that can do it , they tear it apart and inspect everything and compile a quote for repair..... If that quote is higher than an assembly meaning pumpkin , not an axle housing with pumpkin then that estimate will be provided to you for authorization ,

That's it , no wild guessing bud , it to expensive to guess

02suburbanZ71 · December 17, 2014

Try a 4x4 or trans shop. It might be cheaper to swap the axle than to repair. Like govtech said. If you know a bit about axles you can remove the diff cover

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · December 17, 2014

Well you have 2 options really.

1: Cheaper - Just get a full axle form a junkyard and replace the whole thing. Bad thing is you don't really know the overall condition of the axle so you're taking some chances.

2: Best way is as others have said to just take it to a good shop and have them replace what needs to be replacing.

If you don't think you'll keep the truck much longer then do option 1. If you plan on keeping the truck until you have to junk it or until it doesn't make sense to keep then do option 2. You have to make sure they know what they're doing for option 2 since the tolerance between the ring and pinion gear has to be just right.

I had to replace the full axle in my 98 Silverado 2 separate times. It was my fault though from the way I treated it. Once I drove like I had some sense that last axle actually lasted pretty good until I sold it.

02suburbanZ71 · December 17, 2014

I learned the hard way by blowing 3 axles. Now i take it easy... Sometimes

wilsonz71 · December 17, 2014

I learned the hard way by blowing 3 axles. Now i take it easy... Sometimes

You're just like my brother haha. He's on used diff #4. They're getting hard to find around here.

02suburbanZ71 · December 17, 2014

You're just like my brother haha. He's on used diff #4. They're getting hard to find around here.

Each time i replaced the whole axle with very low milage escalade ones

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · December 17, 2014

I learned the hard way by blowing 3 axles. Now i take it easy... Sometimes

Each time i replaced the whole axle with very low milage escalade ones

Ya when I sold my 98 Silverado it was on it's 3rd axle. I said in another thread that I hope they've beefed up the G80 lol. When I finally started to drive like I had some sense I didn't have to replace anymore.

To put in prospective how hard I drove that truck (on and off road) It was on it's 3rd rear axle, had the trans rebuilt and was on the 2nd engine until it seized up which is when I finally got rid of it and bought the '14. I saw the truck around town once and I thought to myself "good luck" lol.

02suburbanZ71 · December 17, 2014

Ya when I sold my 98 Silverado it was on it's 3rd axle. I said in another thread that I hope they've beefed up the G80 lol. When I finally started to drive like I had some sense I didn't have to replace anymore.

To put in prospective how hard I drove that truck (on and off road) It was on it's 3rd rear axle, had the trans rebuilt and was on the 2nd engine until it seized up which is when I finally got rid of it and bought the '14. I saw the truck around town once and I thought to myself "good luck" lol.

These 8.625's just cant get the job done. Burnouts and donuts on concrete were what got mine

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · December 17, 2014

These 8.625's just cant get the job done. Burnouts and donuts on concrete were what got mine

I went mudding hard in the 98. I did bornouts, donuts and raced every once in awhile. I'm surprised I didn't lose my license lol. All of that, that I listed was in a 10 year span from Feb 2004 until this past March. Mudding was what blew the 1st engine and then driving it like I did is what killed everything else.

Chris · December 17, 2014

These 8.625's just cant get the job done. Burnouts and donuts on concrete were what got mine

They can, the G80 can't take abuse. There are Gen 4 F-bodies putting way more power down to way stickier tires and surviving. That is more abuse than burnouts and donuts. At least with burnouts the power has somewhere to go because the tires can spin. Replace the G80 with something stronger and the next thing to go is an axle shaft but it is harder to break than the carrier.