richmonds are noisy...every set I have ever set up is...nature of the beast unfortunately. as for the heat, the improper break in doomed that rear end, without the proper heat cycle it will wear quickly. you say your specs are good, what was the preload on the pinion bearings? did you check it with a rotational torque wrench? im assuming the carrier was out when you did so? what did your contact pattern look like? just because its in "spec" doesnt mean its right. they get the pinion depth and thats a place to start. Sometimes it looks good other times not so much. if your taking it apart again get new pinion bearings. id stay away from usa gear or value gear...ive had a lot of good luck with yukon gear. post some pics of what you got.