('98 Accord V6 Sedan)

I got trapped in snow when I parked overnight. The next day I tried to rock the car out. While a neighbor was at the wheel, I noticed that the left front wheel spun like crazy, while the right wheel was totally still. The right wheel seemed free to move though it did have a lot of snow under the car.

I restarted the car and the right wheel continued to be lifeless. We managed to rock the car out and I drove off. The car seems to drive fine.

The right wheel disabled by ABS or the blocking of the sensor? I had my front axles replaced about 10K miles ago. Could the car possibly be driving under the power of one wheel? The front left tire does seem to have much more wear but I wonder if that is due to lack of rotation recently. (I am pretty good on rotating tires on schedule.)

 

Go watch "My Cousin Vinny".

The trial scene will explain all you should need to know.

 

It's called differential. The reason it happens is because the differential always routes power to the wheel that needs it the least. Differential is really important especially when cornering because if the inner wheels spins as fast as the outer, it'll cause drag and make for bad handling..

 

No, it's called your car doesn't have LSD

 

TrueIce, you almost got it it's called an OPEN differential. a Limited Slip Differential would not allow that to happen. OPEN differentials always route power to the wheel with least resistance...

 

Bingo sir

 

Oh I found it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-L_bJAJA-E

 

sorry about that u sliped in your comment before I could hit submit lol so I changed it

 

Right around 2:00 is what you should be looking for hahaha.

 

OP, since we know you are going to ask why do car manufacturers do this, it's cause open differentials are the cheapest to make and with computer power being cheap they can use Traction Control Systems to imitate a LSD as lower speeds

 

Yup you are right.. I learned this when I first started driving radio control cars lol..

 

hahah it's gravy, I knew what was going on

 

Added to that

You can add aftermarket LSD in most cars

 

I haz not 2K for a quaife unit

 

Thanks for the education. I do remember that funny scene from "My Cousin Vinny" but apparently the application of it eluded me until now and then with the help of a forum full of wise people.

What I needed to pull of that spot was power to the wheel with the most resistance. Power to the spinning wheel didn't get me anywhere. What can a driver do in this specific instance to get power to the wheel with the most resistance in a car with an open differential?

I did try 2 or D2 or whatever was recommended in the manual for deep snow but it wasn't helpful. (Maybe I was too aggressive with the throttle.)

 

You can give more resistance to the wheel in the snow: shovel some sand under the wheel or put some piece of stone under the front of the wheel to prevent it from spinning.

Starting in 2 or D2 is also helpfull because that limits the amount of torque passed to the wheels: very useful when BOTH wheels have limited resistance (snow, mud..), but like you said you must ease on the throttle to prevent the wheels from spinning.

 

And those gears don't do anything really.

1 - car starts in 1st and will not shift upwards to 2nd
2 - car starts in 1st and will not shift upwards past 2nd
D3- same but shifts only up to 3rd

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but:
1 - car starts in 1st and will not shift upward
2 - car starts in 2nd and will not shift up or down
D2 - car starts in 1st and will not shift upward past 2nd
D3 - same but shifts only up to 3rd

So when starting in 2 there is less chance for wheelspin because of lower torque at the wheels.

 

Well there's no D2 in 94-97 Accords, there might be in CB's I never owned one but I doubt it.

You may be correct about 2, I can never remember 100% Needless to say though, it doesn't shift past 2

 

CD's and CB's don't have D2, in fact I don't think any Honda/ Acura has D2. And 2 locks the tranny in second gear only.
It only take me 5 minutes to cook my grits (cousin vinny hahaha)

 

As others have mentioned you can gain traction with the spinning wheel by placing something near it for the tire to grab. Sand, board, brick, etc. Another trick would be to gently press the brakes. This will increase resistance to the free wheel, with a bit of modulation of both whoa and go pedals you may be able to induce some power into the wheel with traction. Not much is needed, just enough to get the car rocking. If you smell brake or see a rotor glowing red, you are 'doing it wrong'. Of course, clearing the snow away from your wheels would be the best method. If you plan on living in an area with normal snow fall, I suggest purchasing a foldable camping shovel. They are often small enough to fit inside the spare tire well.

 

^ Ya Power Brake it... it works.

 

6th gen Accords have D4-D3-2-1.

1 - Starts in first, stays in first only.
2 - Starts in second, stays in second only.
D3 - Normal driving, except overdrive (4th gear) is disabled.
D4 - All 4 gears available.

I believe all newer Accords are the same way (although some now have a "D5"). Can't comment on other models.

 

actually placing the selector in D2 will cause the car to start off in 2nd gear with hondas all the way back to at least '94.

When selecting D1 or 2 the car remains in the gear selected as noted above