1Fast99Si

I was with my friend matt on wensday in his sebring 02 with the 4.77 gears from rick, anyway we were coming off an exit ramp and he down shifted into second and heard a strange noise. When we were coming to the traffic light (we were just rolling) we heard a strange nosie coming from the rear, so we pulled over and had the car towed to RPM (who installed the rear) here in new york (Didn't think it would be good to drive might make something worse). Well they opened up the rear and found 4 missing teeth on the ring gear! Which now that there is metal in the rear and it needs to be completely rebuilt! This rear only has 5,000 miles/9 months on it. I sure hope rick has some sort of warranty on these? And just so you know the car does not have a supercharger or NOS or anything like that! Just an intake, and I know he doesn't dump the clutch because of his 19" wheels (rear tires $315 each!). Has this happened to anyone else?

trich1687

I have had Rick's 4:77s for 6,000 miles and one year. The miles are hard, I launch this car every chance I get, Clutch dumps at 7K are routine. Tire spin has so far minimized the shock and no problems. Usually the pinion will fail, not the ring gear. What gear lube were you using? did you do a proper heat cycle break in?

xviper

Was the first fluid change done early? Like around 1000 miles or so? Was the outer pinion bearing replaced with a new one at the time of installation? I've been told this was also a weak link. It's entirely possible that this gear set was not up to par but I'm suspecting that it's more likely a bad calibration or inadequate maintenance. We also can't rule out driving habits. You don't have to do clutch dumps to blow a rear end.

Tenblade has had his for quite a while and I think he really "drives" his.

1Fast99Si

The rear was broken in correctly, with 500 miles of easy driving and different speeds. I don't know what kind of fuild they put in the rear (redline?). the guys who installed the rear (RPM Racing) are unbelivable, they may be one of the best! After the car had 500 miles on it, it was back at there shop for a check up. Don't get me wrong, I love the gears and up untill now I've had no problems or complants! I just wanted to get some feed back on the topic

oshp515

there is no such thing as a break in for the rear end...either it is done right or not..if it is ed up something will fail sooner or later....i did my own install 8000 miles ago and drove it hard from day one...but understand something, I am not one of the many idiots on here that drag race this circuit car, I do not do clutch drops...clutch drops will blow any rear end eventually.....bottomline, rear end break in is a myth just like not switching to synthetic oil early in a car's life....the latter had substance in the very early days of car construction but not today....my 2 cents

CrazyPhuD

actually I'm fairly certain this is wrong. There is a break-in cycle for the ring and pinion gear to 'wear' into each other. One of the reasons you need to replace both gears in the event that one fails.

Also was the gear cryo treated, etc? Did you get it within a year if so it may be warrentable. Even the best parts fail every now and then. It happens....

xviper

Ya gotta remember that it was only worth 2 cents.

oshp515

believe what you want viper but I know there is no "wear in" of the rear end....ya through time a little metal may wear off where they meet but it is very marginal if they are installed correctly.....they do not have to "break in" before they can accept high loads....i mean think about it, you come off as a smart guy, what would have to break in before they could handle stress....assuming all is aligned properly and lubricated sufficiently there is nothing to break it...and if i remember correctly, you had a mechanic do your ring and pinion change out, so don't make replies that indicate I don't know what I am saying; I've been building engines and modifying cars for years at the family business...and I did my own ring and pinion change out....

xviper

Let's see ................... CrazyPhuD gave a pretty lengthy reply to you and I came back with "Ya gotta remember that it was only worth 2 cents." So, from my 10 word statement, you can conclude what I believe? You pick on me instead of Crazy? You have no idea what I believe based on my statement and you get pissed off with me? With your vast engine building background, I can see that you are not a person to be trifled with.

msm_s2k

Sorry to hear about the problem with the gears.

I've had my Rick's 4.77 for a bit over a year. 9k fairly hard miles and no issues. The garage that did the install for me gave me break in instructions. There was a fair bit of additional heat in the diff for the first few hundred miles. We did an fluid change after about 500 miles.