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BJ7 Crown Wheel

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Tassiedave

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Many thanks to the answers on my post re Diff ratios. I rang to order a new crown wheel and pinion but after talking to the Healey parts outlet, they will not recommend any of the crown wheel and pinions on the market at the moment as they all have a tendon to be noisy. The only reason that I was going to replace the diff parts is because of the whining noise that I get while cruising. Dose anyone have experience with a new crown wheel being noisy or are there any other solutions for a very whining diff that will probably last for many years to come.

David
 
Yes I can say from experience that some of the aftermarket crown wheels/pinions available do whine. I won't mention names but i bought a new set up from a supplier in England and it made so much noise that i had to remove it. Just couldn't live with that noise. It also was set up by a very reputable builder. He was a retired shop crew member from a NASCAR team and his of his specific skills was setting up rear gears. He told me after two attempts that the crown wheel & pinion I bought would never be quite. The supplier of the set I bought would not take it back because I had it on the shelf for about 1-1/2 years before I used it. I then bought a set from Mike Lempert of Lempert Wheels fame here in the States. He had had a batch made from time to time and long story but I finally got one of his. It still is not as quite as an original factory set. If your gears are original factory set up and they whine then I believe they are failing because the original factory gears were very quite. I might suggest two options, you can buy a set from the aftermarket and insure that they will guarantee satisfaction, if the change out is done in a reasonable time. Also I will suggest that maybe to buy an original set from e-bay. If they are stated as good and never been touched you could buy them much cheaper then have them inspected BUT NOT REAJUSTED OR MOVED in which case they should last a long, long time.
 
I have a Lempert set in my BJ8. It whines some when coasting, but I have to listen for it to notice (it's much more noticeable with the hood up, but it has to be pretty miserable out--heavy rain--for me to put the hood up). It was set up by my father and I and I think we got it right. Dad was a factory rep for Ford and said early Mustang diffs whined and, lo and behold, the diff on my 2008 Mustang whines too (on deceleration)! I've wondered if certain ratios were more prone to whining; the Lemperts* are 3.9:1 but my Mustang is 3.7:1 (a pretty short gear for a modern car; it was part of the Bullitt package). I put a heavier gear oil in the diff--Redline 75W-110--and it lessened the noise a little.

* AFAIK, Mike only had one batch of gears made (mine was $200). I've heard his son was going to make another batch, but have not heard of any being delivered).
 
I had my Lempert 3.54 gear set installed by Allen Hendrix (Hendrix Wire Wheels) a number of years and miles ago. There has never been any whining on the part of either the differential or the owner since install and a properly set up rear end should not whined either under load or on the overrun, though a bit of it is not harmful.

BTW I recommend regular care and feeding of the differential with a high-quality GL5 lubricant. I have recently switched to Amsoil Severe Gear 75-90 for the diffs in all of my cars as well as the dog box transmission in my Ginetta G4.
 
Michael Oritt said:
I had my Lempert 3.54 gear set installed by Allen Hendrix (Hendrix Wire Wheels) a number of years and miles ago. There has never been any whining on the part of either the differential or the owner since install and a properly set up rear end should not whined either under load or on the overrun, though a bit of it is not harmful.

BTW I recommend regular care and feeding of the differential with a high-quality GL5 lubricant. I have recently switched to Amsoil Severe Gear 75-90 for the diffs in all of my cars as well as the dog box transmission in my Ginetta G4.
Click to expand...
Quote of the day!

:cheers:
 
Purchase the 3.54 ratio Crown and Pinion Set from Moss (they sell the SC Parts, UK item) late last year. Pulled the diff and had them installed by a rear end shop who were familiar with British cars. There's no wby hining or other noises from the rebuilt diff. With original OD trans the speedo is off by -7MPH checked by old Gamin NUVI navigation.

Be prepared to budget for this.
 
I purchased a 3.54 ring and pinion from SC Parts in the UK at reasonable price. I spent something over $200 having these gears installed by Gear Works in Clearwater, FL, in a donor differential supplied by a Healey Club member. We subsequently installed the rear end in my BN7 at a Healey club tech session. No noise whatsoever from this unit which is now paired with a Toyota five-speed installed by the car's previous owner. Like so many things life, you pay your money and hope for a good outcome. In this case I was rewarded. I should add that this differential, which brought with it a substantial reduction in rpm across the board, greatly improved the roadability of my car.
 
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