elemental79

I'm trying to find a good backlash setting for the 4.57 final drive gear. It seems the stock settings might be to tight because it is making clicking noises when I rotate the axle by hand. I can only imagine the noise being amplified and more intense at a high speed. I've read you can set the backlash as loose as .01

currently my backlash is about .003

what kind of backlash are the rest of you running on you upgraded final drives? Specifically the 4.57. And what kind of results have you had as far as noise, or even gear life?

Stratocaster

The 4.57 gear is like no other gear that is is install in the S2000.

The lash setting should be .006 on a new set of 4.57. It will then increase to .008 as the top of the coating wares off during break-in. the primary issue with noise is commpounded by the depth of the pinion contact pattern with the Ring gear. The OEM parttern is deeper (IMHO) then the Richmond pattern.

See http://www.ricks2k.com/info/install.php for a copy of the Richmond installation doc. Note: It is a generic doc, written for US diffs. but the general info is great and it shows the contact pattern in color.

elemental79

I've put the backlash at .006 and finished installing the diff. There is a noise which becomes a whine at high rpms. The noise is loudest as I decel at any speed, and not as loud, but very noticeable, when accelerating (in gear or in neutral, turning or going straight). I'm not sure what is causing it. I've upgraded my housing, final drive, LSD (with an ATS LSD), and drivers side axle since the last time I drove it 2 months ago. It's got to either be the final drive or LSD. I haven't seen many people complain about noise with the 4.57's (and this noise is loud enough to complain about), so I'm thinking it might be the LSD. Does anyone know if the ATS LSD or even the 4.57 gear are supposed to be noisy until broken in?

Greenlight

The whine noise is most likely caused by incorrect pinion depth, not the backlash. If the pinion depth is correct you can run the backlash anywhere from 0.003" to 0.010" without the whine noise. The preferred backlash setting is 0.005" to 0.008".

Regarding the free play in the axle shaft, there is clearance in the splined shafts that add to the free play. Don't worry so much about this.


Greenlight

Spoolin

I had the 4.57's professionally installed along with the Comptech Reinforced diff about 3000 miles ago. If I remember right, the backlash was set around .006 or .008 and the gears really aren't that much noisier than the stock 4.10's. I've actually been real happy with the setup. It only cost me $350 for the full install and I suggest having a knowledgeable professional do the work.