'82 rear axle really seems tight.

[Guest Simpson36]

This weekend, I went to adjust the parking brake on our .82 CE and in the process I was surprised at how friggin tight the differential is.

With the trans in neutral, the car on stands with the suspension all the way extended (down), wheels off, and each disk brake pad held OFF the rotor, I can just barely turn the axle by hand forward and I can't turn it backward at all.

When it does turn, there is a peculiar squeaking sound, that I can't really isolate to a specirfic component.

There is a very small amount of play in the rear gears so I can bump the axle forward and back and it doesn't seem like the tightness is there. More like in the pinion.

The rear is full of oil and had all of the seals replaced recently by the Vette shop, who said the rear was in good shape and that the posi was within spec.

This is my first Vette so I don't know if this is normal, but it sure doesn't seem right to me. I'm used to rears that turn smooth as silk with very little effort.

[BSeery]

It's very hard to turn the rear wheels when they are hanging down like you had them. People have damaged their cars in the past by running the car in drive with the rear wheels hanging down like that. It's a tight bind.

You may want to gently lift each spindle by jacking up from under the shock mount until each side is closer to normal position. DO NOT PUT THE WEIGHT OF THE CAR ON THE SHOCK MOUNTS, just lift them up close to driving position. Once you have the wheels raised try turning them again. Also remember that this is not an "open" differential, it is a Posi-traction setup so it has more resistance.

[Guest Simpson36]

Thanks for the tips.

I'm aware that the rear is posi, but I had both wheels off the ground so I don't think that would come into play.

I'll try putting stands under the strut rod mounts or perhaps the trailing arm to raise the hubs and see if that makes a difference.

If the pinion nut is overtightened, can that cause the pinion to bind?

It seems like the tightness is in the pinion, or maybe the drive shaft? I hate to just start unbolting things if this tighness is normal for a Vette rear, but I also don't want to just ignor something that could cause a lot of damage down the road.