well, lets refresh the last year or so...

I bought this 91 SI hatch about a year ago, and from the start it had vibration problems at highway speeds. The owner told me it was most likely due to the worn out bushings and a bad drivers side axle, so I checked them and indeed they were in need of replacing. So I replaced the worn out bushings the drivers side axle, and installed some JimFab traction bars...The car still vibrates. Then about a month ago, when I was doing a tranny fluid change I noticed my rear crossmember was cracked right to the left of the passenger side steering rack mount. Replaced it with a MINT condition peice...The car still vibrates. While I was doing that crossmember swap, I noticed that the steering U joint had some play in it. I replaced that today...the car STILL vibrates.

That brings us to right now. I got under the car again to check the axles, but this time noticed that the inner joints are moving insidethe tranny (not in and out) but up and down. The axles themselves appear to be fine.

I'm almost 99% sure the diff is fucked, but I thought I would hear what you guys had to say first.

Damn Honda for not hardening the diff shafts!!!

 

I had this same problem. While doing a motor swap I went ahead and replaced the tranny because my 2nd and 3rd gear grinded real bad. When I pulled the tranny the diff basically fell apart. I mean it was cracked and busted like crazy.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bryson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I got under the car again to check the axles, but this time noticed that the inner joints are moving insidethe tranny (not in and out) but up and down. The axles themselves appear to be fine.

</TD></TR></TABLE>
If you grab one axle and move it up and down does the other axle move?

 

I recently had the same problem on my 89 DX one side leaked fluid and the other did not. On the side that leaked the axle would move up and down about 5 degrees (The far end of the inner CV would move up and down close to 3/4"). I bought a 4 speed tranny for $40 and robbed the final drive out of it and went from a 19/79 to a 19/80 ratio (I did the math and it's about a 1.4% difference in final drive ratio ) I wished I would have taken pictures of the inside of the diff cause it was almost smooth where there should have been support for the inner CV between the seal and the splines.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Chiovnidca &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
If you grab one axle and move it up and down does the other axle move?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No. Both sides move independantly, and they probubly move about 1/4".

New tranny, here I come.

 

If anyone has a spare SI, or DX tranny, let me know!!