Dana 44 Whine

I would jack it up and run it in gear.

 

I wouldn't call it as much drastic as prudent. If there's noise, start with the cover off, then take steps as needed. Maybe we have different ideas of a "lot of work".

 

If it is slinging oil out from the pinion seal, there is very likely an issue with the pinion bearings. Usually too loose, but too tight can overheat the bearings too.
Either tight or loose, they will likely cause a howl due to improper mesh of the ring and pinion gears.
-Donny

 

I did 2 things today. I torqued the pinion nut down to a lot. My torque wrench only goes to 140, so I did all of that plus some.

Then, due to changing the angle to match the transmission for vibration reduction I lost some volume by pointing the pinion up.

Put it on my jack and lifted the rear end as high as I could go, then I filled the rear diff to the fill line. Was rotating the tires and could actually see the low spot in the fluid when turning the tires by hand. So I rotated until the fluid was at its lowest.

Tightened it all back up, seems fine. Much quieter

 

Glad to hear it. I thought it had to do with the torque.