[Jim/GA]

Sorry to hear that, Terry.

It is possible that you put too much preload on the pinion bearings. It really does not need to be much, just enough to take all the slack out of the system.

If that's what it is, you are lucky you caught it. I know a guy who drove it like that and he totally smoked the pinion bearings.

A guy near me replaced his pinion bearings, ring and pinion gears a few months ago. He was not paying attention and accidentally installed the ring gear in the housing on the wrong side of the pinion gear. Only after he got it all together and "driving" did he discover that the car went forward when the transmission was in reverse, and all 3 forward gears propelled him backwards. He had to take it all apart to reverse the ring gear carrier...