suzuka_indy

Hi folks,

Need some advice on what to do. I have a 2005 Suzuka s2000 , with 60k on the clock. I bought it from the dealer with 51k on the clock in Jan this year.I have also bought the Honda care warranty till Jan 2015/99k miles, since it was a previously leased car.

Yesterday when i took it out for a spin there was a very weird noise from the rear of the car on throttle lift off. It was intermittent at first, but later it became more constant.Fortunately I was passing the local Honda dealer, I just drove it into his service bay.

I asked the tech whether it is safe to drive the car home ( home is ~ 3 miles), he did a quick drive and he told he could smell the diff fluid getting burnt. The car still pulled strongly except for the noise. He recommended to leave the car in he shop , till he could get a good look on it on Saturday/ Monday.

I have never clutch dumped on the car, I have VTEC'd almost everytime i drove it. I was thinking what could have happened which made the differential go bad.

The engine oil, tranny fluid and diff fluid was changed by the dealer at 55k. he did a diff service too at that time.

Will Honda care take care of this issue?? If not how much money am i looking at at a dealer? Are there any independents nearby Indianapolis which could help me out with this if Honda care does not take care??

thanks..

Billman250

Find out what dif fluid they used. Check your reciept.

Honda is famous for putting the wrong fluid in (dual pump) and blowing the dif.

suzuka_indy

Just checked the reciepts :- It says installed Oil XY 75W140

What is the right spec for oil??

dedonderosa

your honda care warranty should def cover this 100% its part of powertrain!

suzuka_indy

Thanks ^, Will keep posted how it works out and what the tech finds.

Meanwhile ,I read about the oil specs for rear differential and it says 75W90 (is this right??),
My reciept says 75W140.

Did the dealer screw up with the thicker oil@55k service??
If so, how do I go about getting the diff repair done by the dealer??

steven975

That fluid seems a little thick...Honda specifies 90 weight in their service manual, GL-5 or GL-6.

I think the fluid they used may have trashed your diff.

You have clear proof that the dealership used the wrong fluid for your diff, it should be pretty easy. And, IMO, this should not be a warranty claim...the dealer should make it right...or at least pay any deductible you may have.

Also, it won't be a repair, it will be a full replacement. Dealerships usually don't do precision work...they order entire modules (blocks, heads, transmissions, differentials) as full assemblies in most cases.

SpitfireS

The 75W-140 DID NOT damage the diff.
I'm not saying your diff is ok but this oil did not damage it.

The OEM spec is a single weight SAE 90 and NOT 75W-90 btw.
A long story short: the since 1999 OEM recommended SAE 90 was way thicker then the present day 75W-90 oils.
Using a thicker 75W-140 is ok.

What I think is strange is the mechanic smelling diff oil getting burned while driving.....

So at a steady speed there was no noise?

ahrmike

This is what I'm wondering How do you smell DIFF fluid burning? How do you even BURN diff fluid?? In all my times changing the engine/diff/trans oils "hot" I've never once felt the diff fluid "HOT" It'll only ever get hot enough to possibly "burn" the fluid if you're serious on the track. I doubt it even gets "hot enough to burn off 75W oil" after autocross sessions. Possibly during drifting since the diff might work harder... I suppose there is the possibility of underfilling/overfilling the diff causing it to foam/dry out and messing up the bearings leading to burning oil...

suzuka_indy

THe reciept says the dealer used 1 quart of 75W140. Is that underfill or overfill?

There was noise from the diff at steady throttle (constant speed) and during decel. While accelarating there was no noise and it sounded normal.
The mechanic could not get time to look a it yest. I hope he finds time to look at it tomo.


Will keep all posted what they find.

INDYMAC

If the mechanic used a whole quart, then the diff is overfilled, especially if he didn't do a thorough drain of the old fluid. Overfill causes aeration and poor lubrication. It can also cause seal leaks (overpressure) which could very easily result in smell. This could be a classic case of "more is better" by a mechanic trying to help you out, but in reality caused harm.

The SAE 75W-140 works just fine in the S2000, but you really only need SAE 110.