Whiteline UCA installed - some new noises

[Champale]

I recently installed a Whiteline UCA which comes with a bracket and I have questions about some new noises. I definitely notice a pronounced whine coming from the differential now, only in the 65-80mph range, no matter what gear I'm in. Also, I am noticing some additional noise coming from maybe the driveshaft/diff area on shifts, a sort of squawking sound.

I checked pinion angle twice (it's at -2 degrees) and I re-checked all the bolts. What am I missing? Or is this just a normal issue with a new UCA?

Thank you in advance!

John

 

[06mach1]

The whine is normal. Also, you might hear ring and pinion play. Almost like a clunking noise.

 

[Flyboygsxr]

The noise is normal and I actually like it...everything on the rear of my car is now poly or spherical and with the DSS Shaft I get the whine too but it makes me feel like I'm in a race car 8)

 

[Champale]

Thank you for the replies, guys - I love race car sounds, too, and the noises don't really bother me. I was just concerned that I had screwed something up during the installation!

 

[drano38]

How do you adjust the length of the Whiteline UCA? I see the mounting hole is eccentric, and the instructions don't show a pic of how its locked into place. Is it adjustable once on the car?
UCA may be my next mod, so I might as well learn from your install.
Thanks

 

[Champale]

Hey drano38 - The passenger side bolt is tightened down until it makes contact inside it's housing, then you continue to twist it which moves the eccentric. Once you hit your proper pinion angle, you tighten the nut that is on that bolt. Mine really didn't require any adjustment in terms of length to get the right angle.

As for the installation, I have a thread about it from last week that details my struggles. I am not a professional mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but I have done lots of different projects over the years and this one was a bear. Simply freeing up the bolt on top of the differential was unbelievably difficult to do with hand tools. Others have had no problems doing it.

Despite all of that, I would recommend a new UCA and bracket. I have only done maybe 50 miles in the car so far, most of which were intentionally hard miles with lots of acceleration in the lower gears and some, ahem, 'bigger' speeds and I am very impressed. It seems to have eliminated some vertical rear suspension slop that I always felt when going over bumps while accelerating that no amount of tweaking the shocks could fix. Just as an FYI, I also have P springs, LCAs, relos, panhard, and panhard brace. The UCA seems to have been the cure for that unwanted movement that I mentioned.

UPDATE 6/22/13 - removed it today following all of the reports of WL UCAs cracking in other threads. Mine had some bend in it and cracked the powdercoating (in less than 100 miles!. Replaced it with Steeda non-adjustable UCA (for lowered cars) and Steeda upper bracket. Noises seem to have been cut way down compared to the WL unit. Now I can sleep better.

 

[drano38]

So tightening the front mounting bolt literally clamps down the bracket onto the UCA, which holds the essentric in place.
Yea, I can see how UCA replacement is a tough job, especially without a lift.
I've replaced everything else--see my sig--but may leave this until next spring--for a dealer to do!