Diagnose & Fix Rear Differential Problems
If you hear rear end noise including grinding, clunking or rattling coming from your vehicle, you may have a bad differential. This is a common problem that car and truck owners encounter, especially in four-wheel or rear-wheel drive vehicles.
The rear differential helps to split the power sent from the engine two ways. It sends equal amounts of torque to the right and left wheels.
When you’re trying to go around a corner, for example, the wheel on the outer side of the turning arc must rotate faster than that on the inside. The differential is responsible for ensuring there’s a power balance since the wheels do not move at the same speed. This helps to provide traction and overcome resistance.
When you hear strange noises coming from the differential when accelerating at a certain speed, it’s important to have it thoroughly investigated.
Watch the video below or read our step-by-step guide in this post. We will take a look at some of the things you should look out for, how to diagnose a noisy rear differential, and how to fix the problem.