My S2k has developed a growl in the diff. To the best of my knowledge it could be cv axles or lsd or bearings... So looking for a used rear diff or recommendation on who to take it to who knows s2000's well. Thanks a bunch Rich

 

Can you feel it or just hear it?

 

would a U-joint howl or would it just vibrate alot?

 

Just hear it, no vibration... mostly 35mph and under is the loudest.

 

I'd be thinking bearing before going after the diff. Try jacking up the rear so both tires are free, release the parking brake but put it in gear (any gear) and spin each tire backward and forward. The opposite side should spin the opposite direction smoothly (like an open diff). If it's crunchy, then chunks of that have probably messed up the ring and pinion or vise versa. If it's smooth then it could be any number of bearings in the diff, tranny or wheel hubs.

 

I did jack it up yesterday but didn't have it in gear. I will have to do it again. I did try to listen to where to sound may be coming from. Hard to tell exactly where the sound is coming from. The good thing is I have checked, drained and refilled my diff fluid. No metal chunks came out. The fluid was still fairly clear which is not bad considering I've never checked it since I've owned the car. There was very fine metal particles, but that was probably normal wear and tear.

 

Did what you suggested Ray...jacked up the rear again. In gear I spun a rear tire on one side and the other turned the opposite direction with no clunking noises. Everything seemed good there.

 

Hey Rich,

Pull off the shift boot and the foam (6 and 12). Take it for a spin. If it’s the secondary transmission bearings, you should hear a big difference.
If it’s not, after the drive, jack the rear and test for temperature changes between the rear bearings. The warm one may be the culprit.
I can’t help you much with the diff. It’s either good or very bad.
CV joints?

Good Luck!

 

Thanks for the input Mark..Most of the noise is at low speed up to about 40mph..then changes from a howl to very low volumn whine. That's coasting in neutral or with it in any gear with slight throttle. So I'm leaning towards a pinion bearing. Gonna take it to West Hills Honda in Bremerton this week since this is where the car's original owner purchased it from. They have all the records on the car. I mentioned to the service guy that I didn't trust the Tacoma area dealerships so I'm taking it to you.. after an oil change they said I needed a new clutch at 50k miles. Needless to say I'm still on the same clutch and still going strong.

 

So what did West Hills come up with?