Encinitas Differentials Repair

Services

Furgerson’s Garage is a full service vehicle repair shop located in Encinitas, California. We only employ highly trained mechanics that operate with speed and efficiency. If your vehicle is in need of service, you can call us at (760) 436-3337 or send us an email to schedule an appointment with a trained professional.

Differential Maintenance and Repairs

Among the services we provide is differential maintenance and repairs. A differential is the box of gears that controls a vehicle’s drive wheels when turning corners. The term drive wheel is used to describe the set of wheels that are used to actually drive a car forward or backwards. The other set of wheels will usually just follow along and turn in response to the vehicle’s motion. Today, cars are classified as having one of the following:

• Front-wheel drive
• Rear-wheel drive
• Four-wheel drive
• All-wheel drive

The differential’s location will depend on the drive wheels. For instance, the differential is located between the rear wheels on cars that have rear-wheel drive, and is located in the transaxle of vehicles with front-wheel drive.

Rear Differential Maintenance

Regular differential maintenance should include inspecting the gear lubricant levels as well as the condition of the gears. This should occur with each routine oil change. The lubricant levels may need to be topped off, using the fluid recommended in the owner’s manual.

A rear differential may need to be periodically drained and flushed of fluids. The differential cover gasket may need to be changed, as well as the gear oil. Each make and model will use a specific type of gear oil. Overtime, the oil may collect metal flakes or particles, due to the fact that there is no filter within the fluid. When contamination occurs, the fluid will need to be flushed and replaced.

Some rear differentials will use magnets to attract and pull out any pieces of metal from the lubricant that circulates through. Rear differentials may also require use of a certain type of lubricant that has a friction modifier in it; the manufacturer would specify this. If the wrong type of fluid is used, problems may occur, including increased wear and tear, noises and problems with the operation of the vehicle.

Importance of Rear Differential Maintenance

Maintenance is very important to ensure there are adequate amounts of fluid necessary. When fluid levels get low (say because of a leak), the potential for mechanical problems increases. Here at Furgerson’s Garage, our technicians have extensive experience in differential maintenance service and repairs.

For more information, or to have your rear differential inspected, contact our Encinitas car garage.