diff is messed up, any suggestions?
 

I have an 00 S2K, 50k miles, Im not the first owner and my diff seems to be done, but Im not sure.


I was at my friends apartments, and as I pull out onto the street as I usually do theres always a nasty dip, I would never bottom out or anything it was just annoying. Well tonight as I was pulling out, clutch was not fully engaged yet, I hit the dip and as I pull out more almost to the point of my clutch released I heard a nasty GRIND.


So I try moving forward again, I can get up to about 1-2MPH, but when I start to let go of the clutch a little bit more I hear even a bigger grind. Reverse, I can get a little fast but it will still grind. The grind sounds really bad, it sounds like if you were trying to stick a metal rod onto a spinning flywheel.

We try pushing the car, and its fine when we push it, no grinds, nothing. So I get my friend to tow my car to my house to get it jacked up.

I jack the rear up, and I try and get the wheels spinning. Wheels spin fine as if nothing was wrong. So the grind happens when there is a load, I tried putting my handbrake on to simiulate a road surface and sure enough it grinds. Im not sure if its a blown diff or not because it made the grind noise with a very little load on it, it seems to me something was knocked loose but Im not sure. Ive only launched this car one time or so at 6k for the 3 months Ive had and, I changed the trans/diff fluid the first day I got it.


Any suggestions or help? Im gonna consult a few more people I know before I drop the diff and go deeper.


Thanks

With both rear wheels off the ground you could do the Torsen diff check:
-Both rear wheels off the ground
-Transmission in 1st gear
-No parking brake ;)
-Turn one wheel => the other wheel should turn opposite (from YOUR point of view!)
-Test it in both directions.
-Do the test with the other wheel too.
Wheels should turn without mecahnical noise.

Now you have not turned the ring & pinion.
What you could do is leave the rear up, no gear selected, keep one wheel stationairy and turn the other wheel, that should turn the propshaft (and the ring and pinion)
Listen carefully.

Are you sure there is nothing wedged in between the rear brakes?
A little stone or something?
Something caught by the pads?
Are you lowered?
Have you checked the car underneath for damage?

Succes!
let us know what you find :hello:

If the brakes induce the grind, I'd probably look at the brakes first. Then maybe wheel bearings.

I checked under there again today where there is a lot more light, and I noticed the inner boot on my drivers side driveshaft seems to be twisted, and messed up, could my spider gear on the axle be screwed?

Also tried the torsen diff check, it seemed fine, I turned both wheels and the other wheel always turned in the other direction.

Did you do it with the gear disengaged as well, as SpitfireS instructed to check the pinion and ring?

brimstone Posted on Sep 23 2006, 11:43 PM
[QUOTE]...

stock suspension

drained the diff today, looked normal, no unusual things or excessive metal shavings....

Tried to spin the wheel while holding the other, nothing unusual sounding....