Nelly

My car is having its diff replaced for the fourth time on Monday. I think this issue has now got to the point where it's clearly not the diffs that are the problem, but the way they are attached to my car. Has anyone experienced a similar issue? If so, how was it resolved?

I'm assuming this is going to turn out to be a problem with something that's slightly misaligned and stuffing the diff by association. The longest one has lasted has been 10,000 miles (that's the current one). The shortest was only 1,000 miles (that was the one before the current one).

It would be nice to think they were going to fix it for good this time.

bigbadben

mine seems to be fine after 38k miles, and i've never heard of a problem with the diff before!

has your car been in a crash? Cat D possibly? might not have been correctly aligned if it was!

Nelly

I've had the car since new, it's done 28,000 miles and it's hardly even been rained on, never mind been in a crash. It's very frustrating because the car has been absolutely flawless otherwise. Now I've got to the point where even when it's working okay, I'm listening for unexpected noises or vibration from the back. The worst bit is that over time the noise you thought you might have heard last week becomes a definite grind and vibration that you get each time you pull away. And then it's off to the garage for another diff.

I think the time is fast approaching when me and my S part ways.

Liam

May be its the driving? just a thought!

reg

In the US you can get hold of a strongre housing, a few of the people I know from Honda Tech who have them have blown the diff and most agree its a weakpoint in the car.

Neil.H

I have definitely read about people having problems like this before, eg https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=157119

Not sure what could cause it though?

AquilaEagle

118k miles, 1st clutch, 1st Diff. no problems

4 diffs on one car suggests a problem specific to that car or driver to me.

Have they all been fitted by the same technician? Have you consulted Honda UK?

reg

....a comment 'To be more specific, it's not the diff, its the diff housing that gives. The load forces the diff to push on the side bearings, and the bearing support is what gives'

http://www.modacar.com/products/Honda/S2000/CTRDH

Crusoe

might be worth checking they aren't doing something stupid if it's the same fitters every time too like filling it with engine or gearbox oil instead of the correct diff oil.

rahula

As has been mentioned make sure they are using the right oil. They can not use the CRX diff oil or engine oil in it and many dealers have made this big mistake. The right oil to use is GL5 Extreme Pressure (EP) oil, synthetic or mineral with SAE90 as the weight. You can use diff oil with friction modifiers in it but the S doesn't need it. This is very important so don't give the game away but ask them for the answers first and check against the info with what I have outlined.

Secondly I remember reading about a similar problem a while back and it had, IIRC, something to do with how they were installing the gears inside. The fact is that if they don't rebuild it correctly it will fail again and the other guy had 3 or 4 new diffs fitted. It all comes down to how competent the fitter is.

If it is the gears inside the box that are being replaced by the dealership insist that they replace a whole unit supplied by Honda as this could well be the problem.