Rear end saga continues!!!

[Tx Bohemian]

About 5 weeks ago I heard a clicking in my rear end. 

After $280, a used (29K miles) rear diff, new O-rings (Thanks Blackdog), new brake pads, and 40 miles -
I have a clicking in my rear end!!

 WTF!!!!

The old diff had a wave washer give up and make a few trips around with the ringgear and ground up the inside of the housing. Oil full of nasty looking metal grit/shavings.

I was sooo happy to finally get this thing back together last week but I only had enough time to run it up and down the road about 5 miles to test it. It ran, and sounded, GREAT!!  I took it to work yesterday (20 miles one way) and on the way home I heard this noise. (slow rolling though Lowes parking lot)

I checked the oil and it looks good, compared to the oil in the old diff, and checked the torque on the axle, snugged it up a bit.

I was so PO'd by then I just shoved it in the shop thinking I'll come back to it when I'm in a different frame of mind.

Oh yeah, the clicking seems to be every revolution of the wheel and the brakes have absolutely no affect on the noise, just like the last time.  And I also made sure I lubed everything like your supposed to.

Any ideas??

[DFragn]

Did to check the wheel bearings when you had it off?

[Daniel Meyer]

Did to check the wheel bearings when you had it off?

Ditto on the wheelbearings.

[Chrisj CMA]

I helped a friend locate and eliminate a clicking like that in the rear area.  We found two noise makers and now his bike is right again.  The one was worn caliper pins so that caliper was floppy back there, the other thing was nicks in the axle right where the left bearing rides.......his bearing seat in the wheel was also wallowed out bad so the bearing wouldnt sit in there squarely.........just check all the components....bearings, axle brake pads, caliper......if its the same exact sound at least you know its not the pumkin

[Tx Bohemian]

......if its the same exact sound at least you know its not the pumkin

Unless the exact same problem occured with this one.  My luck runs this way so I'm not counting that out completely, but hopefully not.

I did check the bearings when I had it out, they seemed good. Maybe I should've changed them anyway, but at 17K miles... of course the old diff gave up at this milege too, so...

[fudgie]

Yea, jack it up and take the pads out. Spin the wheel. Does it still tick? The pads on mine cause mined to tick a year ago.

You sure its from the back?

[Tx Bohemian]

Yea, jack it up and take the pads out. Spin the wheel. Does it still tick? The pads on mine cause mined to tick a year ago.

You sure its from the back?

Not that I got the best hearing anymore but I'd say it's coming from the back but in a somewhat "noise controlled" area, like my shop, I do hear something coming from the front also but not as continuous and steady (every wheel revolution) as from the rear.

I'll try pulling out the pads and spinning the wheel, but when I killed the engine and engage the rear brake while still rolling in Lowes parking lot the noise didn't change in the least bit. You'd think it'd either get louder, go away, or change somehow.  But I've been fooled by this bike before.

[Valker]

Did you pull the drive shaft from the rear unit and check the pinion cup and rear shaft splines?

[Gryphon Rider]

A pebble stuck in a tire groove?

[Tx Bohemian]

Did you pull the drive shaft from the rear unit and check the pinion cup and rear shaft splines?

Yes, and lubed it up.

A pebble stuck in a tire groove?

Doesn't really sound like this but I'll check. 

I'd feel really stupid (but happy) if this is all it is!

[larryh0841]

I had this same sitiuation while on a trip out west a few years ago.  I had gone over the entire rear end before leaving and it started making the clicking at parking lot speeds after about 1000 miles.  I took it into a dealer and they checked it all out and could find nothing wrong.  We continued traveling west and had to take it into another dealer in Utah and they could find nothing.  We rode it home, about 2500 miles and experienced intermittent clicking at low speeds several times.  It went away as the speed picked up.  After checking everything again at home I could find nothing wrong.  Believe me I tried everything that has been suggested here.  I put the rim on my balancing stand and when I rotated slowly it made the noise.  As I spun it faster the noise went away.  It finally quit for good.  This is what I think was/is the problem.  The wheel is a casting.  When castings cool the outside cools or "freezes" first while the inside or core is still molten.  As the casting continues to cool and solidify void areas are formed on the inside when the material contracts.  I think a piece had broken off inside wheel and would fall from the top to the bottom on each slow revolution and then be held in place by centrifugal force as the rpms increased.  I think it finally became lodged in place and has not been a problem for several years.  Nothing else has been changed on the rear since except for tires.  Just routine maintenance.  I have no other explanation for the problem, but my experience drilling and machining castings supports the theory.  If all else fails take your wheel off and spin it on a balancer to check to see if the noise is coming from inside your wheel.
                                                            Larry

[Warlock]

About 5 weeks ago I heard a clicking in my rear end. 

After $280, a used (29K miles) rear diff, new O-rings (Thanks Blackdog), new brake pads, and 40 miles -
I have a clicking in my rear end!!

 WTF!!!!

The old diff had a wave washer give up and make a few trips around with the ringgear and ground up the inside of the housing. Oil full of nasty looking metal grit/shavings.

I was sooo happy to finally get this thing back together last week but I only had enough time to run it up and down the road about 5 miles to test it. It ran, and sounded, GREAT!!  I took it to work yesterday (20 miles one way) and on the way home I heard this noise. (slow rolling though Lowes parking lot)

I checked the oil and it looks good, compared to the oil in the old diff, and checked the torque on the axle, snugged it up a bit.

I was so PO'd by then I just shoved it in the shop thinking I'll come back to it when I'm in a different frame of mind.

Oh yeah, the clicking seems to be every revolution of the wheel and the brakes have absolutely no affect on the noise, just like the last time.  And I also made sure I lubed everything like your supposed to.

Any ideas??

Check your left rear bearing. Read my post about self taught lesson. The one I replaced seemed good as long as a side load was applied.
David

[Michvalk]

There is a plastic ring between the wheel and the differential. Mine was warped or not perfectly aligned after a tire change and it made a clicking sound with the speed of the tire. I found that by raising the rear of the bike and turning the tire by hand it was easy to see the wheel drag on the plastic. Took the tire off and realigned the plastic ring. Reinstalled the tire, and problem solved. Might not be your problem, but easy enough to check out.

[asfltdncr]

If it is indeed the rear wheel, disregard the following.
If you find it from the front, that clicking can be a front wheel installation that was not done to sequence and that can leave the wheel close enough to one side for the rivots on the rotor to come into contact with stationary parts on brake calipers.

[Tx Bohemian]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. 

Here's my plan:
I've checked it all and still can't find the cause but am confident enough that it is put together properly and I will continue to drive and monitor it. I'm thinking the noise will either get louder and therefore be easier to find, stay the same, or go away as larryh said his did.

The tires have  few more thousand miles left so when I decide to change tires I will replace the bearings then too, if not done before. Also at times the rear diff drips one or two drops of oil on the wheel so I need to change the seals which will be done then too. (unless this is just residual oil and will stop on it's own)

As I see it one good thing has come out of this, as the old saying goes:
God looks after small children and fools. 

Believe me, I'm no child.  If it wouldn't have been for the noise I was looking for I would have never found the problem with the original differential and that possibly could've lead to a catastrophic event (locked up bearing) as nasty as the oil looked.

Plus I learned a whole lot about this bike during the repairs though this site and "self taught lessons" as Warlock termed it.