2G awd auto broken center diff?

[napkinthief]

so im about to pick up a 98 eclipse with a broken automatic trans...its currently in rear wheel drive , and the trans feels like its slipping...i did some reading, but whats the best option?

can i just get the vcu welded and itll be fine? i see diff lockers for sale, would this also do the same?


im very handy with a wrench and own a 220v welder...so this could technically cost nothing to fix..

i only have a couple days to "jump on it" or cars going to the wrecker.. its got a 16g turbo, but thats all i know

 

[motomattx]

Its likely in Fwd mode not Rwd, being an auto it could be slipping or it could be the vc is fried or tranfer case is freezing up causing the vc to slip, who knows really.

 

[napkinthief]

its in rear wheel drive mode, the rear wheels are spinning with any throttle past 3k rpm...

ive come to the conclusion, either the spider gears have stripped...(unlikely but who knows til i pop it open)

i think im gonna scoop it up regardless...i got down to $1000 bucks and its about 500 to ship over to me....cant go wrong...

 

[donniekak]

If any hard parts are broken in the trans it'll need a full tear down, and rebuild. If I were you I'd want to check the car out in person before buying.

 

[napkinthief]

hi donnie, i think i know you from somewhere


yea its 11 hours away from me... i have a video of the car running, has some lifter tick, but engine sounds strong. i gotta figure if i want to kill a weekend making the drive there and back...and if i did that id just rent a trailer and bring her home that way... currently it runs and drives, the seller has a remote property and his garage is full of toys (3 motorcycles, a 99 3000gt, viper, vette and 2 mustangs in background). im thinking its worth the risk, even at a part out...

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

Not sure if you've found your issue or not, but considering I've dealt with a similar issue in the past year maybe the following information will be helpful.

The Scenario : In the middle of nowhere. Come to a stop and kill the call. Get back in the car, fire it up, and take off; only it doesn't move in a hurry. The symptoms are a loud whirring noise, the car creeping forward, and otherwise powerless. Engine idles and revs fine. Car goes into every gear. So we start digging.

The Found Issue : The output shaft has stripped on the transfer case end.

The Effect : With the output shaft unable to deliver power, the transmission was unable to properly operate and put power where it needed. I believe this is the center diff, at this point.

The Temporary Resolution : We popped off the side case of the transmission from the passenger side of the vehicle. With a little wiggling and twisting we were able to pull the assembly free, leaving the trans side of the output shaft (the shaft which delivers power to the transfer case) in place. We cracked open the assembly, welded it, and shoved it back in.

The Outcome : With the assembly welded, the transmission was able to deliver power as it needed, even if the rear wheels weren't getting power due to the output shaft being stripped where it slides into the transfer case. This effectively made the car safe-ish to drive home, utilizing the front wheels for all of it's power. The car was driven this way for over a month as sourcing a good output shaft is actually pretty damn difficult. We ended up having to buy an entire transmission just to yank the shaft out and relocate it into our vehicle. (Yes, it just pops out from the t-case side.) However, with the assembly welded this makes the power delivery a true 50/50 split from front to rear. There is no give. Where you used to get slight wheel hop when taking sharp turns you now get more aggressive hop as all wheels are binding and moving at the same speed - akin to driving a welded rear diff car/truck.

The car has been this way since and is still driving and even ran at the local track 2-3 times a week. Unless you are turning around in a parking lot, you'd never notice. That being said, perhaps you could pull the output shaft out/center diff assembly out and inspect it. If it's damaged, weld it and drive it where you need such as the back of a trailer, garage, etc. This was more of a bandaid for us to get home from a meet than it was a permanent solution.....yet it's still welded and holding up just swell. So if it's anything like this and could, perhaps, be related then it at least gives you one more angle to look at the problem from and potentially diagnose it.