Sure grip...clutch type

[5.7 hemi]

About 4 years ago I bought the aggressive style clutches for my sure grip, along with new 3.91 gears, bearings, and seals, everything needed to completely have a new center section. I have put about 300 miles on it so far and when doing a tight turn, left or right, the tires chirp like a flock of birds. I did use synthetic fluid with the ferd friction modifier. The chirping around corners has gotten better but still annoying as hell.

Should I take the sure grip apart and put back the original clutches (nothing wrong with them) and use regular 80-90w along with the friction modifier, or just drain out the synthetic stuff and put in 80-90w with friction modifier? Or is this something I should just live with and not worry about it?

Remember this only happens on TIGHT turns, sweeping turns it acts normal.

 

[Cranky]

How does it act when making a tight turn with your foot off the pedal? Other words, just coast around the turn...

 

[5.7 hemi]

Not hardly noticeable, but you can hear the tires grabbing the street.

 

[crossram 426]

It's just acting like a detroit locker on a 9", my old car had a spool and it did the same, got used to it....made people look as I drove it around a round about.

seems like they're acting as they should.....(aggresive clutches)
as you put more miles on they may get quieter (worn)
if it ain't broke don't fix it...don't worry about it...have fun with it!

 

[Polara426]

Synthetic is a no no in clutch type sure grips

 

[Cranky]

It's just acting like a detroit locker on a 9", my old car had a spool and it did the same, got used to it....made people look as I drove it around a round about.

seems like they're acting as they should.....(aggresive clutches)
as you put more miles on they may get quieter (worn)
if it ain't broke don't fix it...don't worry about it...have fun with it!

They are not designed to act that way and the chance of breakage is higher when they are locked up all the time.

Synthetic is a no no in clutch type sure grips

I would try it without the synthetic. I have a Track Lock (junk) in a 9 1/4 that was chattering and raising hell when it only had 25k miles on it and 2 bottles of additive didn't help so I tried a half bottle of STP on the next oil change at 26K miles and it's still quiet at 80K and still works like it should. Never tried doing that in a clutch type SureGrip but it might work. Did you lube all the plates/clutches during assembly?

 

[5.7 hemi]

I got a hand held pump to get the symthetic fluid out. I just smeared the clutches with lube, didn't let them soak. I'm gonna put in 80-90w and the ferd additive. We'll see how it acts with the new fluid, and if I have the same problem, I still have the original clutches and will swap them back and try again.

 

[Cranky]

What do you have on it for a gasket? RTV or a gasket. I've drained them before by loosening the nuts and then raise the nose a bit. Drawback is if you mess up the gasket but generally, they don't stick and tear. If it's RTV, forget that

 

[5.7 hemi]

Well I got lucky getting the synthetic fluid out. I couldn't get the fluid out thru the fill hole, so I pulled the drivers side axle out and was able to get the siphon tube down the housing and into the bottom and sucked out all the fluid. Popped the axle back in and refilled it with the ferd additive and some 80-90w dino oil.

On a side note, my better half said the garage stank to high heaven, blah blah blah, when I pulled the axle out. The flip side, the fluid looked really clean, but stinky as hell!! I'll test drive it after I fix some heater hose leaks.

 

[duster731]

When I did my clutch type s.g I used synthetic and the more you drive it the better it gets it was bad but now its not noticeable at all..... Some one once told me to go into a wide open space and do figure 8 turns at about 10 mph or so it helps the clutches break in do it about 3-4 times.... It should help

 

[5.7 hemi]

I've done the figure 8 thing alot, and I have read numerous articles that the clutches do not like synthetic fluid. I make no decision one way or another about the synthetic fluid, just want to try and the "old dino stuff" before I tear it apart and put back the original clutches and use the agressivie style clutches on the street.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Went for a little drive, around the block and the dino fluid has seemed to have made the rear more quite. Didn't have the time to find an empty parking lot and do some figure 8's. Maybe turkey day I can sneek out for awhile and check it out.

 

[TheGodfather]

Sure Grip Clutches

I had that exact same thing happen to me 3 years ago when mine was rebuilt with new ring & pinion clutches, bearings etc... I did dozens of figure 8's in an empty parking lot to no avail.. It drove me crazy and I never did get used to it as people around me would wonder "What the hell was that"? I didn't use any synthetic fluid...just the standard 80-90w. LSS...I ended up putting the old clutches back in and set the clutch tension as loose as I could get it. It was quiet as a church mouse after that. BTW-The easiest way to drain the fluid from the pumpkin is to drill a hole in the bottom and wait for the fluid to drain. Then run a tap up through the hole and screw a pipe plug into it. I've done that many times and makes changing that stinky oil much easier hastle free w/o pulling axles and all the fuss I've read about. Hopefully you get that noise figured out.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

 

[5.7 hemi]

Holy **** what a difference the 80-90w and ferd additive made. The howling is almost totally gone and going around tight corners is sooo much better.

I thought of drilling the housing for a drain, but haven't pulled the trigger on doing that mod.

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

I know this is an old thread, but I had my 8 3/4 Suregrip rebuilt by a local shop with a good rep and they swapped out my 3.91 for some 3.55 gears from U.S. Gear. Ever since then when cruising under 40mph there is a slight howl in the back and when I turn corners at a light or in a parking lot the rear tires hop and squeal like crazy. (by the way, I'm running 275/60/15 tires in back and keep thinking those tall tires are part of the issue?). I had the shop put in 1 bottle of the mopar friction additive and then I added 2 more bottles myself to top it off after driving the thing easy during the 500 mi break-in period. I did lots of figure 8's and have about 1500 miles on the gears now and I've still got the howl and the squeals and chirps around corners.

So should I drain it and replace with 80/90W non-synthetic + mopar friction modifier and my troubles will go away? 5.7 hemi - is yours still behaving trouble-free?

 

[5.7 hemi]

I guess I didn't update this thread, so here it goes. I got so tired of tires still chirping going around corners I pulled the center section out. I took the sure grip apart, installed new clutches (which I had soaking overnight) and wouldn't you know, I did install 2 of the clutches *** backwards. So I get it all put back together, put in the dino fluid, 1 bottle of the ferd additive, and buttoned it all up. As soon as I turned the wheel backing out of the driveway I knew I had finally fixed the chirping as it was like I was in the wifes magnum. So I dropped the hammer, smoked the tires, and pulled it back into the garage, problem solved. To date, still no chirping around corners. So if ya still having the chirping problem, I say replace the clutches and follow the instructions on how they go in, it worked for me.