Honda Element - differential ???

[orlzx6r]

Need help on this one... A friend has a Honda Element and started to hear a grinding noise coming from the rear of vehicle and recently had a tire replaced so naturally he took it back to the tire dealer/mechanic. They said they the tires were fine but did find metal flake in the differential and to fix the problem they would have to replace it at a cost of $900.


This is were somethings not adding up... Isn't the Element front wheel drive and the differential house in the transmission?

I know it's not a lot of information, any insight would be appreciated.

 

[The Critic]

They have 4WD versions.

 

[radtech91]

Rear Differential Fluid on 4WD is very easy to change. Since you have the grinding noise you should probably do the burnish process too.

Here is a link to how to do the change and pics.

This change is shown on a CR-V, but it is the same thing. This one is in more detail.

If you don't want to do the change yourself, a Honda dealer will do the change and burnishing process from anywhere from $80-$200, depending on your dealer and where you live.

Easy way to tell if its 4WD:
1. Has RealTime 4WD sticker on back windshield. ('03-'09)
2. Has Sunroof in the rear ('03-'09)
3. Has 4WD emblem on back tailgate ('10-'11)
I had an Element before so if you have any other questions I can try and help you out.

 

[Nukeman7]

If it is an All wheel drive version, the rear differential fluid needs to be changed every 40,000 miles or a grinding sound will occur, especially when making turns or backing up. It takes 1.1 quarts of a special Honda OEM Dual Pump Fluid that sells for ~$13 a quart. Here are the details:

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29533

It is an easy DIY job that takes about 30 minutes.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

It's easy. I've done it 3 times on my CR-V of the same ilk. Get a 1-quart bottle pump to pump the proper fluid into the fill hole. Do the fluid change and see how it goes first. The Dual Pump fluid is known to have a shorter life than the manual's spec'd 60k runs.

 

[simple_gifts]

The car talk guys say the CRV diff is a common noise and the fluid needs changing; perhaps this applies to the element too.