Auto Service: Why You Need to Maintain Your Car

Welcome to my blog. My name is Ken. One day, I was driving home from work when the engine in my car failed. While I waited for the recovery truck to arrive, I realised I didn’t have a clue what went on underneath the bonnet of my car. I signed up for an auto service course at my local community college, so I could gain the skills I needed to properly maintain my car and repair it if something when wrong while I was on the road. I wanted to start a blog to pass on these skills to other people so that they can look after their automobiles.

4 Signs That Your Diff Needs Some Repairs

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Some car owners fail to realise that they need to repair the differentials of their vehicles until the transmission fails completely. High repair costs often characterise any repairs that are performed when a car breaks down due to a faulty differential. This article discusses some of the early warning signs that should prompt you to have your car's differential serviced or repaired before it sustains serious damage.

Contaminated Oil

Your vehicle's diff contains a special kind of oil that is supposed to prevent the gears in that component from grinding directly against each other. This diff oil should never have any particles in it. You should therefore take your vehicle to a mechanic for service or repair as soon as you notice that there are metal particles within the differential oil. Those particles may be fragments that have broken off from the gear teeth within the diff. Prompt repair of the system will address the problem before irreparable damage is caused to the system.

Grinding Sounds

The diff enables power from the engine to be distributed to the different wheels based on the prevailing driving conditions. For instance, an outer wheel will receive more power in order to turn quickly during a turn. Any noise therefore signifies that the diff has a prob. For example, the differential oil may have reduced so much that the gears are grinding against each other during turns. Prompt attention will enable you to top up the oil long before the gears can damage each other in that poorly lubricated environment.

Vibrations During Drives

You should also take your vehicle for diff repairs when you notice vibrations coming from the diff of your vehicle. Those vibrations may be an indicator that the different components within the differential, such as the pinions and rings, are not properly aligned. Such misalignment can eventually cause those components to disintegrate due to excessive friction between them. Immediate action can prevent such a worse-case scenario from developing.

Humming Sounds

Humming noises also point to installation issues. For example, there may be poor tooth contact in the gear and pinion set up due to incorrect installation. The mumming sound can worsen to a growl when the teeth wear out due to prolonged use in that incorrect installation position. Immediate action should therefore be taken before the hum becomes a growl.

Always avoid DIY diff repair because you may have wrongly diagnosed the cause of the problem. Let professionals service and repair the differential of your car so that you avoid incurring costly repairs resulting from delayed diagnosis of problems. The signs above should tell you when you should ask your mechanic to check the diff of your car.

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9 May 2017