If you are hearing a howl, rumble, or whining noise while driving, there’s a good chance you have a problem with your front or rear differential. To eliminate these axle noises, a differential repair near Littleton—at Advanced Transmission Center—may be just what the doctor (or technician) ordered.
“What is a differential?”, you’re probably wondering. The differential is commonly referred to as “the rear end.” It allows wheels on the same axle to spin at different speeds. This is critical for turning corners when the outside tire has a longer distance to travel than the inside tire, and as a result, has to spin faster.
If you are interested in what part, specifically, the differential is, it will depend on your vehicle. If your vehicle is rear-wheel drive, the pumpkin-shaped piece on the middle of the rear axle is the differential.
On front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles, it’s a bit more complicated. For front-wheel drive vehicles, the differential is built within the transmission and both components together are called a transaxle. Four-wheel drive vehicles have differentials on the front and back axles. They also have a transfer case that handles different speeds between the front and rear wheels.
When to Have Your Differential Checked
How do you know when you should have your differential checked? Honestly, before you suspect a problem. As with most things, it’s easier and less expensive to perform routine maintenance than to pull something apart and replace parts. This is absolutely true of the differential.
The differential is a sturdy component that doesn’t need a lot of attention like an engine or transmission. However, a differential has numerous parts, and wear should be expected over time. What is most important is the fluid level and condition. If a seal starts leaking or something causes a crack in the differential, it can result in fluid leaking.
Fluid leakage results in a lack of lubrication and in turn, overheating, which causes parts to wear out prematurely. The fluid in this situation degrades rapidly accelerating wear of parts. If this happens on a front-wheel drive vehicle, that means the entire transaxle assembly will have to be pulled out, rebuilt, and re-installed. This can be very expensive. Simple maintenance activities and periodic inspections of important components can help to avoid a pricey repair bill.
Are You Hearing Noises?
If you are hearing noises from your axels, such as a howl, whining, low-pitch rumble, banging, clunking, or clicking, these are indicators of a problem with your differential. If your vehicle isn’t turning properly and feels like it’s momentarily locking up, these are also indicators of a problem with your differential.
Don’t ignore these symptoms! They can only get worse and could lead to a dangerous failure while driving.
Schedule a Differential Repair Today
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, or for that matter, any other symptoms of a possible transmission problem, bring your vehicle in for a differential inspection right away. It won’t cost you a penny to have it inspected.
Our free TrueTest Inspection allows us to quickly diagnose issues with your transmission, transfer case, axles, and front or rear differential. For differential repair in Littleton, or the surrounding Denver metro area, make an appointment to come see the experts at Advanced Transmission Center. We’ll help make sure your vehicle is safe and reliable.
Give us a call today to schedule an appointment.
Southwest Metro Denver (Lakewood/Littleton): Call (303) 922-4102
Northwest Metro Denver (Westminster): Call (303) 421-4140
You can also send us a message!
Advanced Transmission Center is a Colorado-owned and operated auto repair shop with locations in Denver / Lakewood and Westminster. ATC specializes in driveline issues such as automatic transmission repair, four wheel drive repair, clutch replacement, differentials, manual transmissions and CVT. As Colorado's first AAA approved shop our goal is to provide accurate, timely service with exceptional customer satisfaction. All of our technicians are certified in the latest makes and models and we are one of the few transmission repair shops with a nationwide warranty.
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