Differential problem
 

Hey, i have a '04 Mustang GT... V8. Lately i've been hearing some type of grinding or rubbing noise every time i turn a corner or go in a circle or anything of that sort when my differential is being used. I was wondering what would make the differential go bad and what could I do to fix my problem. Or if it is even the differential, might be something else, but I doubt that...

could be the bearings?

did you install gears or something?

if you want to build your rear i have a tough differential for sale

Have your rear checked. sounds like your spider gears..

I havn't done anything at all to my rear end yet. So all that is all stock, I havn't tampered with it. So it could be the bearings or spider gears? Could it be a fluid problem? I havn't notice any leaks but, could that also be a problem for it?

Its very possible that you mighth have a leak, however you would see small puddles of gear fluid around your driveway,garage area. Definately take it to get looked at quick before your car breaks down in the middle of the road. My moneys on your spider gears..

So just take it to the dealership and get it checked out or is there another type of shop i can go that specializes in it

friend of mine had a similiar problem and all of the spider gears were chewed up.

You didn't mention if it's an auto or stick. But Do you do burnouts and snag gears when your driving?? If so you may have some gear issues. Had a 79 camaro I used to dog all the time and got that moaning / grinding sound when I turned corners. Could be bearings or gears. Now is the time to use that warranty if it applies. It's an 04 you should be able to get it fixed under warranty. Unless..........:bash:

if anything is wrong with the rear and u want to rebuild with strong internals let me know ill hook ya up :)

It's a stick shift... and I have done a few burnouts but not a lot, I dont feel like paying for the tires that I'd mess up :shifty: And I dont turn corners too hard or shift hard, my shifting is usually pretty smooth. But Sometimes I do run it. The car is still under warrenty, especially for that part, I havn't touched it yet.

So whay haven't you taken it to get fixed?:confused:...are you waiting for it to break?::p

Well, this car is my sole* means of transportation for school haha, but I guess i'll make another appointment for the dealership for the weekend. I just don't like going through the dealership because they make you pay $100+ just to tell you what is wrong, well....if its under warrenty it should be good on the fixing. Hmm. I'm going to put some new gears in it later. When ever I get the cash for it.

If its still under warranty, they will give you a loaner car while they work on yours..:)

Another thing that causes similar noise (just started getting this myself yesterday) is a warped brake rotor or a mal-fitting brake pad. It only makes any groaning sounds when you're going really slow.

Now I have to be a pain: 04stang, what are you thinking? Just waiting for the problem to go away while you build mod money is not a good idea in my book, or realities' book. Be a guy for a half hour, jack up your car, pull the inspection cover off the diff and look. You can't break anything doing that. If you see a bunch of metal bits all over and the spider gears are jacked up or if the clutches and steels are obviously damaged then you know your problem. It could be an axle bearing or a warped brake rotor but you'll never know if you don't at least look. Refill the diff with 75w-140 Synthetic GL-5 (Redline is good) and 1 4oz bottle of friction modifier (Equa-Torque), reseal the cover with black RTV.

And no, they can't void your warranty unless you try to repair it and make it worse. I fixed all kinda my own stuff while my car was under warranty and even the dikk dealers honored my warranty when I had an actual warranty issue.

Okay, yeah, I need to just take it in and not wait it out. I have done an intake mod on the car already that mod only voids the warrenty for problems dealing with the intake right and not anything else like the rear end right?

what intake mod? I don't see how it could matter. If the issue is in the rear end, they'll look at the rear end. They probably won't even open the hood.

I drove my 03GT in with an IRS from a 99 cobra, cross braced subframe connectors, lowered, interior gutted, intake, X pipe, cat back and all kinda crud and my PITA dealer didn't even wink. Just replaced the tranny and clutch and sent me home. I don't think they'll care about a shiny CAI.

Near as I can tell, you've voided the warranty on any parts you've replaced and that's it. Until you do something silly like put a blower on it or nitrous, I wouldn't worry about it.

I put a MAC straight shot in it. works pretty good but I think I need to recalibrate something because my O2 sensor got messed up within 6months of me having the new intake installed. Every now and then I get a check engine warning. It just feels like the air/fuel ratio isn't right. MAC told me that I dont need a new/different O2 senser, the stock one should work but eh.