What is the purpose of a rear differential?

What Does a Rear Differential Do? A driveshaft connects the rear differential mechanism to the transmission or transfer case, transferring the engine’s power to the rear wheels. The rear differential’s role is simple: change the power’s direction from longitudinal (along the car) and direct it to the wheels.

Do rear-wheel drive cars have rear differentials?

A front-wheel drive car will have a front differential while a rear-wheel drive car has a rear differential. A differential can be defined as a gearbox that has 3 common elements: Side Gear, Ring Gear and Pinion Gear. It’s job is to drive a pair of wheels on an axle but allowing them to rotate at different speeds.

What is the purpose of differential in a car?

A differential is a gearbox that is found between the drive wheels of your vehicle. If your vehicle has a four-wheel drive system, then it more than likely has a front and rear differential. A differential works with the transmission to deliver power from the engine to the axle that turns the wheels.

What happens when rear differential goes out?

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.

Is rear differential service necessary?

Most manufacturer maintenance schedules require the differential fluid to be changed every 30,000 to 60,000 miles, however, it can differ between vehicles. The job itself is actually pretty easy, however, if you’re planning to change your vehicle’s differential fluid at home, then it can get messy.

Do all wheel drive cars have a differential?

In addition to their front and rear differentials, AWD vehicles have a centre differential that distributes power to whichever axle isn’t directly powered by the engine.

What happens if the differential goes out while driving?

Depending on the vehicle and the issue the rear differential has, what happens when the rear differential goes out while driving varies in severity. If you have broken gear teeth or badly chipped teeth then you will experience a soft of “skip” in power or vibration that increases with speed.