AWD Civic Rear Differential Play/Clunk
05-04-2018, 02:08 PM
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AWD Civic Rear Differential Play/Clunk
2000 Honda Civic AWD conversion using 1st gen CR-V and Element parts. I'm getting a clunk coming from the rear end, and I think it is the differential. I am also attempting to post this on the CR-V owners club forums, but I have heard that they don't (or didn't use to) like people posting about non CR-V's. So I figured I'd ask here too.
Parts Detail
2000 CR-V manual transmission + transfer case
Competition Clutch sprung 4 puck clutch
Quaife LSD
2003 Honda Element driveshaft
2000 CR-V rear differential
2000 CR-V Duralast Gold rear axles
Ground Control coilovers with Eibach lowering springs
New Timken wheel bearings
OEM Honda Dual Pump fluid - just changed, maybe 100 miles on it
I have driven the car in FWD only with the CR-V transmission and no rear diff or axles or anything and never heard any clunk. Of course I'm not sure what the behavior of the unloaded transfer case would be doing besides spinning freely? That was with the Quaife LSD installed which is using Honda OEM roller bearings, not ball bearings, I set the preload myself with moderately high confidence using a special tool and checking and rechecking with OEM Honda shims until it was correct. I mention this because the LSD now has two gears on it, one for the front axles and one for the transfer case.
Then I installed all the rear end parts. The diff mounts are solid, no clunking coming from there as far as I can tell. The plunge on the driver side rear axles feels good, it's not binding, maybe 1/4" of play. There was about 1" or a little more of plunge on the passenger side, so I thought that was where the noise was coming from. I removed that axle, left the cup in the diff and put some plastic over it to stop junk from getting in. That did not fix the issue. I also checked the u-joints, and they don't have any slop.
When I move the propeller shaft back and forth, there is a lot of slop/play in it. I checked a co-workers 1999 CR-V and it did not do this. Granted, it was an auto and in park. But I put my car in gear and let it roll until it stopped and it still had it. Please see the video below.
I'm guessing that it is becoming loaded and unloaded during shifting and accel and decel. When I move it, the front half of the driveshaft also moves, so the play is not in the center bearing. I think I remember the transfer case having this back and forth play after I installed the trans, so I'm guessing this rotation is not only on the rear differential, but also on the transfer case. Although the clunk does not seem to be coming from the trans/under my feet. I checked the FSM and didn't really see anyway to check for play in the rear diff, only runout on the prop shaft.
Is this play normal? Is the diff shot? (I got it from a junkyard) Could it be the t-case? Something else?
Any help is appreciated!!
Parts Detail
2000 CR-V manual transmission + transfer case
Competition Clutch sprung 4 puck clutch
Quaife LSD
2003 Honda Element driveshaft
2000 CR-V rear differential
2000 CR-V Duralast Gold rear axles
Ground Control coilovers with Eibach lowering springs
New Timken wheel bearings
OEM Honda Dual Pump fluid - just changed, maybe 100 miles on it
I have driven the car in FWD only with the CR-V transmission and no rear diff or axles or anything and never heard any clunk. Of course I'm not sure what the behavior of the unloaded transfer case would be doing besides spinning freely? That was with the Quaife LSD installed which is using Honda OEM roller bearings, not ball bearings, I set the preload myself with moderately high confidence using a special tool and checking and rechecking with OEM Honda shims until it was correct. I mention this because the LSD now has two gears on it, one for the front axles and one for the transfer case.
Then I installed all the rear end parts. The diff mounts are solid, no clunking coming from there as far as I can tell. The plunge on the driver side rear axles feels good, it's not binding, maybe 1/4" of play. There was about 1" or a little more of plunge on the passenger side, so I thought that was where the noise was coming from. I removed that axle, left the cup in the diff and put some plastic over it to stop junk from getting in. That did not fix the issue. I also checked the u-joints, and they don't have any slop.
When I move the propeller shaft back and forth, there is a lot of slop/play in it. I checked a co-workers 1999 CR-V and it did not do this. Granted, it was an auto and in park. But I put my car in gear and let it roll until it stopped and it still had it. Please see the video below.
I'm guessing that it is becoming loaded and unloaded during shifting and accel and decel. When I move it, the front half of the driveshaft also moves, so the play is not in the center bearing. I think I remember the transfer case having this back and forth play after I installed the trans, so I'm guessing this rotation is not only on the rear differential, but also on the transfer case. Although the clunk does not seem to be coming from the trans/under my feet. I checked the FSM and didn't really see anyway to check for play in the rear diff, only runout on the prop shaft.
Is this play normal? Is the diff shot? (I got it from a junkyard) Could it be the t-case? Something else?
Any help is appreciated!!
05-08-2018, 08:03 AM
#2
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Re: AWD Civic Rear Differential Play/Clunk
I pulled the driveshaft, there doesn't seem to be any backlash issues with the rear differential. I also drained the transmission fluid and checked the transfer case backlash, which is good as well. But when I put the transfer case in the transmission, that's where the play shows up.
I took some measurements off the flange of the transmission where it mounts flat against the transfer case. The transfer ring gear starts at 73mm depth and goes to 101mm. The gear on the transfer case is between 63mm and 88mm. This means only a little over half of the transfer gear is coming in to contact with the ring gear. My guess is this is where the slop is coming in.
I have a dimensional drawing of the Quaife LSD and I have the original CR-V differential, so I'm going to take some measurements and see if there was some error in my modifications of the LSD. I want to also find someone with a 97-01 CR-V who will let me pull their transfer case and take some measurements on a stock setup. I figure I can find someone I know or at work who will let me do if I pay for the fluid and sell it as a free transmission fluid change. Unless anyone on here has a CR-V transmission that is not installed and wants to take some measurements for me!
I took some measurements off the flange of the transmission where it mounts flat against the transfer case. The transfer ring gear starts at 73mm depth and goes to 101mm. The gear on the transfer case is between 63mm and 88mm. This means only a little over half of the transfer gear is coming in to contact with the ring gear. My guess is this is where the slop is coming in.
I have a dimensional drawing of the Quaife LSD and I have the original CR-V differential, so I'm going to take some measurements and see if there was some error in my modifications of the LSD. I want to also find someone with a 97-01 CR-V who will let me pull their transfer case and take some measurements on a stock setup. I figure I can find someone I know or at work who will let me do if I pay for the fluid and sell it as a free transmission fluid change. Unless anyone on here has a CR-V transmission that is not installed and wants to take some measurements for me!
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