Rearend took a dump, Viper needs a Diaper:( - SRT Forums

Noredline · 06-13-2005, 10:51 AM

I got my new SRT/10 Viper Friday after work, what a blast! But, when taking one of my neighbors for a ride that evening, I did a U-turn to the left and heard a "clunk" from the rearend. Thought nothing of it, maybe that is the posi-LSD clunk that some of the guys have on their MB's. Anyway, Saturday was great, wife and I cruised around most of the day (150 miles and a tank of gas

Well, I didnt buy it for eficiency so no biggie.

Then yesterday, I was helping my friend organize the garage space he is letting me use to store the beast, and I gave his son a ride, and got that same "clunk" on a normal left turn, only this time it was really loud, sounded like a glass bottle shifted from one side of the trunk to the other. Then it was fine. We got the garage done and were heading back to my house to get my other car and then back to his house to store the Viper. We never got to my house! We were cruising around 100mph or so, 4th gear then all of a sudden BANG boom boom boom! It sounded like a Jake-Brake on a big rig, and scared the crap out of us! Put it in neutral, same noise, K it is the rearend for sure. My buddy thought it might have been a flat the way it clunked with the wheel rotations, I knew better, damn, the differential took a dump!

WTF this car's got 350 miles on it and this happens? Anyway, I am releived that it seemed isolated to that one part of the car. Called roadside assistance, and they got there in 25 minutes, great service. The driver asked me will this beat the new C6's and I said "not today" with a smile, he chuckled. Then my buddy took me to my house and we opened a bottle of Cabernet, ahhhhhhh, it's not so bad

Stopped at the dealer this morning and my SA got in and put it in first and moved a couple of feet and felt it immediately. He said this has never happened before, and guessed that for some reason maybe there was no fluid in the differential. He told me he would call me mid-day to let me know what is up.

Anyone ever have something like this happen to them?

Anyway, I still love the car and will upload some recent pics online and give you guys a link so you can check it out. Wish me luck

SyVoL · 06-13-2005, 10:58 AM

Well that's a pain in the arse.. At least that's what the warrenty is there for though.. I've never heard of this happening especially to a brand new one, but I don't have that much expereince w/ Vipers(Unfortunately!) ... leave it to the factory or the dealership to screw it up for you before you even get it... Keep us posted on how things unfold..

Noredline · 06-13-2005, 12:05 PM

Thanks for the reply, one of the guys on ViperNation.com posted some links to other threads where this has happened. Apparently it is somewhat common.

If my new sig doesnt work, here is a link to my pics;

http://www.pbuzz.com/showalbum.php?s...=2213&aid=2355

29 OUTLAW · 06-13-2005, 12:59 PM

Apparently, it's common on modded cars - not so much on stock cars. Also on VCA there were reports that factory rears are on back-order. You might want to call your tech to find out what the backlog is.

Noredline · 06-13-2005, 01:12 PM

OUCH, hope not a huge wait. I should hear from him here in the next hour or so.

teenwlf28 · 06-13-2005, 01:27 PM

Kind of reminds me of back in '86 when my Dad went and bought a brand new Jeep CJ-7. We got 4 blocks from the dealer and the drive shaft fell off.

29 OUTLAW · 06-13-2005, 01:58 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Noredline

OUCH, hope not a huge wait. I should hear from him here in the next hour or so.

Cool - let us know what he says in case I drop mine in a few days.

skipdogg · 06-14-2005, 12:35 AM

Dude, whatever you're doing, I need to learn how to do.

Fade621 · 06-14-2005, 12:39 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by skipdogg

Dude, whatever you're doing, I need to learn how to do.

i agree, i like my lil turbo neon, but i cant wait to step up to a pimp ride like a viper.

Noredline · 06-14-2005, 11:23 AM

Thanks guys, well the prognosis so far is.....there are four dealerships accross the country that shows in the computer that they stock the diffs. Whether or not they acutally have them, and or if they would sell to my dealer at warranty cost is another story. They have classified my car as VOR (vehicle off road) which means it is a priority. The estimated timeframe is indefinite, and quite irritating. I hope they can pull a differential out of thier hats. I will be very dissapointed if it takes longer than a week

They will give me an update later today......

29 OUTLAW · 06-14-2005, 06:54 PM

Ouch - that's not good.

I've decided that if mine goes, I would talk to the dealer about possibly upgrading to a 3.55 at the same time. I pay for parts, warranty pays for labor.

Noredline · 06-15-2005, 10:38 AM

Hopefully yours will be fine 29 Outlaw

I am being told that a new diff is on the way, should get here today or tomorrow, and be installed and ready to roll by Friday

I'll start holding my breath when it actually arrives at the dealer.

Bill Pemberton · 06-15-2005, 12:15 PM

Sorry to hear the news , but we have not had this happen with any Vipers ( Gen IIIs ) we have sold,yet. For those of you reading this thread, though, I would heartily advise you to follow the proper break-in procedure , as obviously this gentleman was given no info at all ( Dealers responsibility in my view ). Keep the car under 4,000 rpms for the first 500 miles, no wide open throttle or severe braking. Change the oil at 500 miles and then go have fun. I would not recommend running the car at 100 mph with miles this low, as things are way too tight on the new ones. Hopefully this is an isolated incidence, as it was correctly stated most of these issues are with modded cars. You might have your Dealer call us, as we may have a rear end in stock, since we do alot of gear changes. Ask for Nancy Shanno at 1-800-889-1893

Noredline · 06-15-2005, 12:24 PM

Thanks for the input Bill. Strange, I was told there is no break-in requirements whatsoever on two different occasions. Apparently I was missinformed? That is irritating, though I have not read the manual so if there is something there, I was not aware, and shame on me too. Should I just have them change the oil while it is there with 350 miles?

Bill Pemberton · 06-15-2005, 12:32 PM

Most Dealerships sell one or two a year, and they seldom know as much as the gearheads on Boards like this. It is pretty much common knowledge from those that peruse the Viper Club Forum , along with this one, that it is good to break in most performance cars different than may be expressed in the past. Hang in there and hopefully you will get taken care of. Lots of good info here and feel free to call me anytime if I can answer any questions or concerns. You could change the oil now , if you want , or just wait until the 500 or so mile mark. Ask what they charge first , as some charges for oil changes are off scale. Somewhere around $100 is reasonable for 11 quarts of Mobil 1 ,new filter, and a Viper Tech to do the work ( no lube tech, please ). Make sure they use the 0-40W Mobil 1, and not the 10-30W that was recommended before 2005.