I am in dispute with Honda over the wear on my rear differential and I need some technical advice.

A little while ago my rear differential started whining. When the garage dismantled it they found grooves, visible to the naked eye, in the bearing and bearing surfaces and metallic bits in the oil (the source of these is unknown at the moment).

My question is fairly straightforward - what is the expected life of a rear differential assuming that the oil is changed in line with the service schedule and I haven't tracked it.

The car is a little over 3 years old, has done 37500 miles and has a full service history.

 

I've got the original Differential. The original EVERYTHING except the spark plugs, fluids and rear tires. I expect the diff to last the life of the car.

 

Expected life cycle should = Life of the car

 

if you dont abuse it, it *should* last the life of the car. the part isn't even made by honda, its made by torsen. i think the same unit is found on the miata and rx7. doesnt matter waht car its on, if you abuse it, it'll fail.

 

Hi RazorV3,

A great piece of information.

I checked Torson's web site and they do supply the differential unit for the S2000. In addition, their FAQ page indicates a lifetime warranty on the assembly, assuming normal use. I think that this is only available to distributors and not to us mere mortals who have to put up with manufacturer's and extended warranties.

 

What do you mean by, "full service history." If your local Honda dealer serviced your differential and it's wore out at 37,000 miles, my bet is that they put the wrong fluid in your diff. They did this to mine, but I got the VTM fluid out within 6000 miles. Some owners have had their diffs fail in fewer miles than this with the VTM fluid installed in their diffs.

Do a search, there's quite a bit of info out there on this.

 

I'm going to go with Gloffer on this one. They used the wrong fluid at your dealer service department. Check your service records and see what they put in at your 27k/36month service.

Should have been (according to the Honda service manual):
Hypoid gear oil
API Classification GL5 or GL6
Viscosity: SAE 90

 

I love the utter simplicity and elegance of the '00-'01 display. F1 style. Great photo.

 

the differential itself is made by torsen. the ring and pinion gears are made by mazda. the bearings, i dunno who makes them. There will be a little bit of wear on the pinion gear from the bearings on it. (the wear kind of smooths down and shines up the metal of the pinion gear where it rides on it, won't make grooves). there are also bearings on the output shafts that connect to the cv axles. there will be metal shavings in the oil...mor elike bits about the size of glitter. this is normal. so how big were your metallic particles.

I don't expect the diff assembly to last the life of the s2000. I sheared 1/4 of the teeth off of my pinion gear at 44k miles. the differential itself (the unit made by torsen) may last the life of the car, but all the other bits in the diff (ring/pinion gear, bearings, carrier assembly) definitely won't.

 

Thx for clarifying - you rightly point out that the Lminted slip part and the other parts of a diff should be looked at separately.

A diff can last the life of the car, or only a few thousand miles, depending on its use and service. If one does severe RPM clutch drops, the diff can break. The damage described above could be from severe use, or from poor lubricant.

I doubt Honda used 90w GL5 lube, as it is almost impossible to find. GL6 is an obsolete spec by the way.

I recommend a mix of 75w90 and 75w140 synoils, which will yield a 75w115 equivalent. 90 weight mineral oil will gain viscosity over time due to volatility loss from heating.