awd not driving all wheels :(

[dave_PEI]

on my way home tonight with wet pavement, i turned a corner with moderatle throttle and i heard a clunk from the rear of the car... both me and my passenger looked at eachother thinking it wasnt a good sound, but i passed it off as something in the trunk..

a block and a half later i drop him off, leaving his house i encounter wheel spin, and then the 4wd light flashing, i stop the car, shut it down for a minute and then restart, one more block home... still wheel spin from only the front wheels but no 4wd light or any sort of noise from the rear end...

any thoughts?

 

[DynoBunny]

Maybe a driveshaft snapped or cv joint broke.

 

[sharky]

Maybe a driveshaft snapped or cv joint broke.

I would imagine that would be a little more obvious than a clunk.

Somebody will probably correct me, but I'm pretty sure power to the rear wheels is completely electronically controlled. I thought there was a mod that would completely disable power output to the rear diff for fuel economy. I'd guess the problem is probably similar. It isn't a problem. It's a feature .

Good news is that it's probably cheaper than a snapped driveshaft. Bad news is I don't have the foggiest about where to start diagnosing it.

 

[DanglyBitz]

the MS6 is 100% fwd until it loses traction, then it goes 50/50 IIRC

 

[bova80]

the MS6 is 100% fwd until it loses traction, then it goes 50/50 IIRC

you are 100% wrong. the ms6 is only 100% fwd only when at very slow speeds, such as in a parking lot.

but you definitely broke something, probably in the rear diff, so i'd take it in to get checked out.

 

[dave_PEI]

its deffinatly not a broken CV joint or axle, since the one clunk theres been no other noise

i called to get it in today but they're over booked today due to the holiday weekend comming up( a lot of dealers here dont have service departments open on saturday) so its going in on monday

 

[batou079]

you are 100% wrong. the ms6 is only 100% fwd only when at very slow speeds, such as in a parking lot.

but you definitely broke something, probably in the rear diff, so i'd take it in to get checked out.

correct-o-mundo!! At cruising speeds is something like only 10%-20% power to teh back wheels.
At loss of traction, then it actively splits anywhere from 60%/40% to 50%/50%...
even heard a rumor that in icey conditions it will attempt to do 40%/60% split too! idk bout THAT.

To the OP, id raise the car and took a close look at the rear diff mount.
it's been know to give out, or for the bolts to sheer off. Speaking of rear axle, one of my rear axle seals "leak" has me paranoid... driving like grandma lately.

 

[dave_PEI]

yeah... like i said, i'm not overly concerned... the car will be parked tomorrow for the weekend anyway

 

[DynoBunny]

Don't these cars disengage power to the rear when the ebrake is pulled?

 

[DynoBunny]

I would imagine that would be a little more obvious than a clunk.

It only takes one clunk to break man. I've had driveshafts break, one snap and then silence.

 

[batou079]

about that ebrake disengaging the AWD.

some people's ebrake handle loses tension over time and when someone launches, the handle actually gets thrown up a bit, sometimes enough to 1 click!!

 

[solidtrance]

they do, but the symptoms don't really point to an electrical failure and the ebrake to rear wheel disengagement is an electronic function.

 

[markspd6]

my cars drivetrain clunks and makes all kinds of crappy noises.. thats our car! and id love the AWD/ FWD option...

 

[dave_PEI]

still breaking traction in first and second gears.... the 4wd light only flashes when it breaks traction in second gear WITH dsc turned off

axles appear to be in one piece, and no fluid has leaked anywhere

enough diagnostics on my own car that has warranty, i'm off to do some more repairs to a hot pink integra :lol:

 

[markspd6]

maybe your low on diff fluid or?? hopefully nothin big??

 

[MSPBrett]

i think your rear diff is fuckedd, IMO no way to tell without opening it up, but broken diff gets my vote.

 

[FORZDA 1]

I'm guessing the left inner CV joint is broken inside the boot. The axle likely will NOT make noise unless there is a significant difference in left/right wheel speed. If you jack up the left rear tire (only) with the car in gear, grab the left rear wheel and rotate it. If the CV is popped, you will hear and feel it.

 

[MATX]

Nope you broke off the bolts on the rear diff mount, Same thing happen to me. Makes a loud noise when ever you go from a stop? Dont drive it get it towed to a dealer or where ever, If it come all the way off it will do some real damage. Look under passanger side at the top of the rear diff. Some times they can get the bolt out some time it will need a new cover.

 

[dave_PEI]

Nope you broke off the bolts on the rear diff mount, Same thing happen to me. Makes a loud noise when ever you go from a stop? Dont drive it get it towed to a dealer or where ever, If it come all the way off it will do some real damage. Look under passanger side at the top of the rear diff. Some times they can get the bolt out some time it will need a new cover.

no noises what so ever, at any speeds, forwards, reverse, turning left or right(nervous)

oh.. and i did find a broken bottle in the trunk, so it is still a possibility that the noise was in the trunk.... but i think thats only what i'd like to have happened

 

[FORZDA 1]

no noises what so ever, at any speeds, forwards, reverse, turning left or right(nervous)

oh.. and i did find a broken bottle in the trunk, so it is still a possibility that the noise was in the trunk.... but i think thats only what i'd like to have happened

You would be very lucky if your broken bottle/noise happened to cause the 4WD light and the rear coupling to fully disengage. Maybe you just imagined the whole scenario after reading about such things on these forums? You could try what I suggested...