How Long Will A Whining Differential Last: A Quick Guide

A whining differential can be very concerning for careful drivers. It is important to get the issue fixed while the differential lasts.

So, how long will a whining differential last?

A whining differential will last a few days to a few months. But the exact number of days a differential will last will depend on the extent of its damage. For example, a howling noise will cause the differential to fail in a few days to a few months. A rumbling differential, on the other hand, will last a few thousand miles. Different noises can refer to different issues with the differential of your vehicle.

Read this article to learn about how long a whining differential will last and what you need to do.

Whining Differential Lasting Period Based on The Noises

The remaining lifespan of your differential will depend on the type of noise being generated by the differential. This is how long the differential can be expected to last depending on the noise being produced:

Type of Differential Noise	Cause of Noise	Approximate Differential Lifespan
A howl or whine	Worn ring and pinion gears or improper gear setup	Few days to a few months
A rumbling or a whirring noise at higher speeds. The noise changes when turning.	Worn carrier bearings	Few thousand miles
A Whirring Noise when decelerating	Bad pinion bearings or loose pinion bearing preload	1,000 miles
A regular Clunking Noise	Broken ring or pinion gears	Few days to a few months
A banging or clunking only on corners	Lack of sufficient positraction lubrication, or worn positraction	A few days
A constant whirring noise	A little bit of play between the ring gear and pinion gear	6 months
Knocking noise that increases with speed	Chipped planetary or ring gear due to hitting a ball from the bearing	A few days

However, the lifespan of your differential will ultimately last on the extent of the damage. So, you always should get your differentials checked as quickly as possible if you are hearing a noise.

What Are The Symptoms of A Bad Differential Other Than Noise?

These are the symptoms of a bad differential other than noise:

1. Excessive Tire Wear 
2. Difficulty Handling (this can occur during acceleration, deceleration, and turns) 
3. Grinding Gears 
4. Burning Smells 

What to Do If You Have A Whining Differential?

If you have a whining differential with worn-out gears, you need to replace them. Additionally, if your differential is noisy due to low lubrication, you need to add oil. But if you have been driving with low differential oil, you may have worn out gears as well.

You can reduce the noise from the differential by following these steps:

1. Park the car. If your car lowers when parked, then you don’t need to fix that right now.
2. Lift the car up using car jacks.
3. Drain the differential oil.
4. Open the differential housing. 
5. Replace any worn-out gear. This is what a worn-out gear inside the differential looks like:

6. Replace the differential seal.
7. Put back the differential housing.
8. Refill the differential oil. There are 2 types of differential oils. Pick the right one for you.
9. Put back the car on the ground.

The noise from the differential should be reduced now.

How to Increase The Lifespan of Your Differential?

To increase the lifespan of your differential, follow these steps:

1. Avoid driving in water.
2. Avoid driving roughly.
3. Use the right kind of differential depending on your driving habits.
4. Use a high-quality differential oil.
5. Ensure differential oil level.

This should increase the life of your differentials. If you do not maintain your differentials, you could get transmission fault error messages. If your transmission breaks down on the highway you will need to send an SOS signal. 

But your vehicle may have limited SOS functionality during an emergency. So, maintain your differential before you damage your transmission system.

Is The Noise Coming From My Differential?

It is possible that the noise is not coming from the differential itself. These are the noises that are produced in other components but seem to be coming from the differential:

1. Rumble while turning: This can be caused by bad wheel bearings. Wheel bearings are the bearings that support the wheels. If they are bad, it can cause a rumble while turning.

2. Steady vibration that increases with the vehicle’s speed: This can be caused by worn u-joints or an out-of-balance driveshaft. U-joints are the joints that connect the driveshaft to the transfer case and the differential. If they are worn, it can cause a steady vibration that increases with the vehicle’s speed. 

A driveshaft, however, is a shaft that transfers power from the transfer case to the differential. If it is out of balance, it can cause a steady vibration that increases with the vehicle’s speed.

3. Clunking only when starting to move or getting on and off the gas: This might be loose yokes, bad u-joints, or worn transfer case or transmission parts. 

Yokes are the connections between the driveshaft and the transfer case or transmission. If they are loose, it can cause a clunking noise when starting to move. Or getting on and off the gas. 

U-joints are the joints that connect the driveshaft to the transfer case and the differential. Getting on and off the gas or starting your car can cause a clunking noise if they are malfunctioning.

Transfer cases and transmissions are the components that transfer power from the engine to the wheels. Wear can also cause clunking noises when getting on and off the gas or starting the vehicle.

If you are hearing these noises, then the problem does not lie only with your differential. Fixing these issues can help remove the noise your car is making.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Why Differential Is Used?

The differential is used to make turns when driving a vehicle. The differential enables wheels to be rotated at varying speeds. This is useful when making a turn. This is because when turning the outer wheel rotates more than the inner wheel. For this reason, the differential is used.

What Are The Types of Differentials?

The types of differentials are open, locking, limited-slip, and torque-vectoring differentials. Among these 4, the open differential is the most commonly available in vehicles. more over, the open differential is the cheapest of the 4. Racing cars use torque-vectoring differentials, which are the most expensive.

Why Torque Converter Is Better Than DCT?

A torque converter is better than a DC transmission for driving in different situations. A torque converter is also smoother and quieter than a dual-clutch transmission. However, a torque converter is more expensive, complex, and heavier than a DCT. It also comes with a lower top speed than a dual-clutch transmission.

Conclusion

So, now you know all there is to know about how long will a whining differential last. 

A differential can be noisy due to a variety of reasons. So, it is important to fix the differential before it becomes irreversibly damaged. I hope reading this article helped you figure out how long your whining differential will last.