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The average replacement cost for a whole rear differential is between $1000 and $4000. Luckily, you can just repair it or replace it with a used differential, which will decrease the costs a lot. Most differential repairs will cost between $200 and $400 to repair.
Is it worth fixing a rear differential?
The truth is that sometimes replacing your rear differential will end up costing more than your car is actually worth. But that doesn’t mean you’re at a total loss. You can still junk a car with broken or faulty parts—and walk away with cash for it.
How much does it cost to change the rear differential?
If new gears are needed the price can be at least $1,500. Going to the worst-case scenario, if the differential is beyond repair, you’ll need the component to be replaced altogether. You can expect a rear differential replacement to cost up to $4,000.
How long does it take to replace rear differential?
A complete rear differential replacement includes replacing the housing, gears, bearings, and seals. The average time it takes a certified mechanic to perform a differential rebuild at a shop is usually three to five hours. A rebuild on a commercial vehicle by someone without prior experience could take much longer.
What happens if rear differential goes out while driving?
Q: What happens when your rear differential goes out? Typically, the differential will start giving strange noises when it goes out, or when the bearing fails. You will hear a whirring noise, whining noise, a growling noise, or howling noise.
How much is differential service?
Differential Fluid Change Cost The fluid itself can cost between $30 and $80, and labor will run between $40 and $70. All together, you’re looking at somewhere in the range of $70 to $150 to change your differential fluid depending on your vehicle, where you take it, and how much differential fluid it needs.
How do you know if your rear differential is going out?
Symptoms Of A Bad Rear Differential Vibrations. A bad differential can cause vibrations that increase in intensity as you speed up and reduce as you slow down. Grinding Gears. Grinding gears is another significant sign that your differential is failing and that the gears are wearing themselves out. Whining Noises.
Does changing differential oil make a difference?
In most cases, you will need to change differential fluid every 30,000 to 50,000 miles. It’s important to stay on top of changing differential fluid because metal-on-metal contact creates heat from friction. It also weakens gears and wears down surfaces. That can lead to differential failure, which is a costly problem.
What causes a differential to go bad?
The leading cause of a differential failing is due to using the wrong lubricant type and specialty lubricants. When water enters it will emulsify the differential lubricant and result in rusting on gear and bearing surfaces. Seized U-joints that result in vibration can cause differential failure as well.
How serious is a rear differential leak?
The differential fluid lubricates the ring and pinion gears which transfer power from the driveshaft to the wheel axle. If your vehicle experiences differential fluid leaks, the fluid lubricating these gears will run low and as a result, the gears can be seriously damaged.
What does a failing differential sound like?
The most common sound of a failed differential is a whining noise. This is often due to poor lubrication within the differential, meaning there is a good chance that the differential fluid is leaking. If you spot a reddish fluid under the differential, there is certainly a leak.
How long can you drive with a noisy differential?
To reiterate, in terms of how long can I drive with pinion bearing noise — it can be ten days or ten years. This will highly depend on the condition of the bearing. If it is worse, get it replaced as soon as possible.
What does a broken rear differential sound like?
Regular clunking every few feet can also be an indicator of a broken pinion gear and/or chipped and damaged ring gear. Overly worn out bearings tend to make a howling noise when they do not properly support the gears. Rumbling while turning, on the other hand, is a sign of bad wheel bearings.
How often should rear differential fluid be replaced?
Usually, differential fluid is changed after every 30k to 60k miles driven. This is a tough job, so must be handled by an expert technician. Only an experienced mechanic can properly wipe out the old different fluid from your vehicle’s drive-train.
How do I know if my differential fluid is low?
What are the Symptoms of Bad Differential/Gear Oil? Burning Smell from the Differential. When you notice a bad smell coming from your gearbox, you should take it as a sign of bad differential oil which can be contaminated hence not operating as it should be. Weird Noises. Vibrations.
Does Jiffy Lube Check differential fluid?
Just pull into any Jiffy Lube service center within 3,000 miles of your Jiffy Lube Signature Service® Oil Change and technicians will check your tire pressure as well as check and fill, if necessary, up to 2 quarts of vital fluids including oil (the same type originally purchased), transmission, power steering,.
Can rear differential cause transmission problems?
When the differential doesn’t perform well, it creates metal-on-metal friction that wears down surfaces. The resulting heat weakens gears and can cause component failure and transmission problems.
Is the differential part of the transmission?
A differential is part of the front and/or rear axle assembly. The differential fluid or oil in transaxles and axles should be changed as part of a preventive maintenance schedule. It’s part of your transmission service. Some four wheel drive vehicles require changing the axle oil every 30k miles.
How long does a differential last?
A rear differential service consists of removing the rear differential cover, cleaning any old fluid from inside the differential case, resealing the cover, and adding clean fluid. After a rear differential fluid change, most vehicles will go 20,000 to 40,000 miles before it’s due again.
