Today I blew my second differential on my car, I'm working on getting my third. This time I'm considering just building one with different gearing in it. I still have the first pumpkin with the stripped gears and the second one is still on the car. But pumpkins are good not leaking oil or anything. Now my question. Generally when a diff on the s2000 goes out is it just the gears that get stripped or is it just all horrible from the inside? What does it usually cost to buy the new gears and have them installed? Also how hard is it to do it yourself is your mechanically incline but not a diff expert?

Thanks all

P.S I can't stand this car and it's diff anymore, the diff blew out on just a 1st gear pull with no launching and it's considered a "sports car"?

 

This might answer your problems with you destroying your diff. Also will answer you question on rebuilding your diff yourself.

http://robrobinette.com/S2000Differential.htm

 

PM S2KPUDDYDAD and he will give you all the answers.

 

Are you boosted or something? Have you been buying used diffs?

I've never heard of our diffs going out from doing rolling starts... Only hard launching.

 

What were you exactly doing when the diff blew?
I got 193k miles on the original and it's still doing fine. I have launched it here and there and drive pretty hard.
You must be doing something wrong....

 

Have you inspected your diff mounts closely? When you take this diff out, be sure to look them over to see if they are cracked/torn/degraded. Bad diff mounts can lead to broken diffs.

 

I'm not boosted, I'm n/a. Well I have nitrous but I never spray. I was in first gear, I floored it and and as soon as I shifted into 2nd BOOM! And yes I've been buying used differentials, I don't plan on going to the dealer for a new one for what they're listed at. Could be the mounts I guess, I haven't checked them out. I'm just frustrated with the car now, the first diff went out with a launch so I got a new diff and got paranoid with launching and never did it again. Now this second diff went out just by simply doing a pull, now I'm going to fix it and be scared of even driving it like it was meant to be driven

 

It's gotta be the mounts or something. I have a friend that has done over 30 launches on semi slicks while boosted at 400hp, and didn't break his diff. Actually, his driveline popped out before the diff let go. he replaced the diff with something beefier then.

 

Im now thinking it can be something else? I called a few places around town and heard everything from the diff to an axle to the drive shaft to the transmission. Yesterday when I heard the pop I threw the car in neutral and it was rolling at 40mph in neutral and it wasn't making any noise, and as soon as I put it in gear and gave it gas it started cluncking again. And just now I put it up on a jack and when the wheels are in the air and I give it some gas in 1st gear the wheels will just spin smoothly no noise what so ever, and as soon as I put the car down on its own weight and move it a little it's starts clunking again in any gear. Does it still sound like my diff? I would think if it was the diff it would also clunk when I'm giving it has in the air and it would have clunked rolling in neutral at 40 mph?

 

I drained my differential fluid and it's clean there's no metal chunks just some metal shavings/oil sludge on the magnetic bolt. I also noticed my driver side axle boot is twisted on the driver side pretty bad I don't know if it's just the rubber boot that twisted or the axle took a dump on me. I took a video of the wheels spinning in the air and one of it on the ground so you can hear the clunking sound. Also if it makes a difference I'm pretty lowered, I've heard that being that low causes premature wear on the axles. I'll post the videos shortly I just have to upload them to YouTube first.

Driver side axle


Passenger side