dumb ? can open diff go bad?

[devonkyle77]

i posted a week or more ago that i was having random problems with "hesitation" and the more i encounter it i think its in the rear end. the rear of the housing of the diff was damp when i checked it visually, but i dont really know what else to look for. i checked and replaced all ignition and fuel related items so i know its not due to them, and now i am suspicous.
thanks in advance!

[breakindrifts]

Uh how about checking diff fluid?

[devonkyle77]

would that cause the complaint i am describing though?

[breakindrifts]

What do you mean by heisitation? Does the car stumble or what?

[devonkyle77]

very ramdomly it will hesitate, or "jump"
it is not all the time, and on a 30 minute drive, may happen once.

[motonagam]

since the rear diff is all mechanical, the only thing I can think of that would cause "hesitation" from the rear end would be any play in the driveshaft yoke, or excessive backlash of the ring & pinion gear, but it would also be accompanied by a "clunk" noise. It would also happen all the time. If it's intermittent, it is usually an electrical problem in the engine, such as sensors like TPS, MAF, etc., or it could even be a bad ECU. If it's temperature related, where the problem only occurs hot or cold, it's most often a bad sensor or ECU; if it happens only when you go over rough roads, it could be a wire connection problem.

[gotta240]

there is a SINGLE bolt on the rear of the diff. Unbolt it, and stick your finger in the hole... The oil should be right up to, or near the bolt hole.


HOWEVER....Your broblem does not sound like a diff AT ALL. Not even remotly close to sounding like your diff.

When a diff goes bad, you hear loud clunking, and it feels like you have HUGE bumps on your rear tires(ie shaking, jumping feeling)

[andrewmp6]

sounds more like wheel hop change out the gear oil in the diff its probaly never been changed