welded differential?

[92rsAWD4me]

Just to kind of put everything I have read together, clicking while backing up accompanied by rear tire skipping or skidding (for lack of a better term) while making tight turns such as a u-turn would indicate a welded differential?

My car does both and I am hoping this is the case and not a cv joint or something like that. Is there and easy way to see if it is welded or do I have to open it up and look?

 

[wickednightmare]

hey man i would say try turning real slow and see if it feels like it pulls you forward if it dose its most likely to be welded or a diff put i place of the stock and the rear is not were the diff is affective its in the front i would check ## car out

 

[rts91tsi]

If your hearing a clicking sound coming from your front wheels when backing up and turning,this is normaly bad a cv.

 

[92rsAWD4me]

well being that its awd I believe it will effect the rear tires.. though I could be wrong that's just what I've read. The clicking sounds like it is coming from the rear of the car.. I will have to have somebody stand next to the car and listen but I am 95% sure its in the rear. The rear tire only skips when making a very tight turn like a very tight u turn in a cul de sac.

 

[92rsAWD4me]

Nobody else can help? Where are all the wise men?

 

[dsm-onster]

If you're not satisfied with the information your car is giving you, then you'll have to pull the diff and check yourself. Your symptoms indicate the *possibility*. But it could also indicate a broken center diff where the guts are jammed.

 

[92rsAWD4me]

Thank you for the clear answer. I think I will hope for the best right now since I am putting all the money I have towards getting it to pass emissions. Once I am done with that I will cross my fingers and open it up. Luckily it is not my daily driver.

Thank you all for your help.

 

[92rsAWD4me]

Just an update, I am now 98% sure that the front passenger cv joint is going bad (or is bad). I was outside of the car while the smog tech was driving it and it sounded like the clicking sound was coming from there.. This of course doesn't explain the rear tire skidding during tight u turns but I have to take care of one thing at a time.

How can I inspect it to see if its bad and how can I tell if the one I find in a junk yard is good or not? Is it even worth it to get a scrap yard one or should I just go new on this part? Is this something I could do fairly easily on my own or should I take it to a shop to have the work done? The last question I have is are the fwd and awd cv joints all the same?

 

[tunethis]

Just an update, I am now 98% sure that the front passenger cv joint is going bad (or is bad). I was outside of the car while the smog tech was driving it and it sounded like the clicking sound was coming from there.. This of course doesn't explain the rear tire skidding during tight u turns but I have to take care of one thing at a time.

How can I inspect it to see if its bad and how can I tell if the one I find in a junk yard is good or not? Is it even worth it to get a scrap yard one or should I just go new on this part? Is this something I could do fairly easily on my own or should I take it to a shop to have the work done? The last question I have is are the fwd and awd cv joints all the same?

The front passenger FWD axle and front passenger AWD are the same. 91-92 only since they are identical. The 93+ axles are larger.

 

[Pirrofab]

You might be experiancing driveline bind up. Ever drive a solid axle 4wheel drive truck in 4wd and make tight corner? the truck feels like it binds up and pushes the front end and has almost a wobble sensation. Since our cars are AWD it is EXTREMELY important that the front and rear tires match in size and brand. Just because the tires might say "205/55/16" or 225/50/16, etc. does not mean that there can be as much as 1/4in' or more in the tires circumference just from being a different brand. This can cause issues in individual tire speeds which in turn makes the differentials work harder. Subarus suffer from this quite often if tire rotations are not performed on a regular basis.

Another thing you can check is your rear differential fluid. when was the last time it was changed? The clutches in the rear diff can be grabbing prematurely due to the fluid quality. Try changing the rear diff fluid and adding limited slip additive. This is ofcourse assuming you have a rear lsd.

As far as checking for a bad cv. They normally go after the boot is torn and the grease is thrown from the joint and then the premature failure and "clicking" noise begins. while driving foward/ backward make hard left/ right hand turns and listen for the clicking. depending on how severe it is it can be a click or a clunk. Its normally pretty easy to figure out what side its from. Also check the inboard joint on the cv for tears and thrown grease.

 

[Pirrofab]

Just an update, I am now 98% sure that the front passenger cv joint is going bad (or is bad). I was outside of the car while the smog tech was driving it and it sounded like the clicking sound was coming from there.. This of course doesn't explain the rear tire skidding during tight u turns but I have to take care of one thing at a time.

How can I inspect it to see if its bad and how can I tell if the one I find in a junk yard is good or not? Is it even worth it to get a scrap yard one or should I just go new on this part? Is this something I could do fairly easily on my own or should I take it to a shop to have the work done? The last question I have is are the fwd and awd cv joints all the same?

As long as you have the tools to get off an axle nut, brakes, and to disconnect the strut or lower ball joint and a few prybars you can do this in a driveway in under 2 hours. Ofcourse you'll need a jack and jack stands. The driver side axle will be a bit harder with the intermediate shaft and the bearing which is bolted to the back of the block/ and a/c compressor bracket.

 

[idt512]

if it dose its most likely to be welded or a diff put i place of the stock and the rear is not were the diff is affective its in the front i would check ## car out

Holy hell..say what???