ringing upon decel

[ebeldesign]

I am getting a ringing sound from the passenger side rear of the car when I let off the gas and coast down between 65 and 55 mph. It is speed dependent, and occurs with the clutch in or out, but not when I have the gas applied or am accelerating. I am guessing it is the rear end...is this something that is indicating a pending failure?

Thanks for any help.

[Goku]

its in the diff. Mine does it at 55mph excatly. must be coasting or lightly on the gas. any brisk accel and its gone. I've heard that this is normal to a point. There is a TSB on it if I remember right. But its not a sign of impending doom...yet...

[repiv]

Rear diff is a good guess. Try changing the diff fluid. Go with Mobil 1 75W90 GL-5 or LE 607 if you don't drive the car in frigid winter conditions. If you want to stick with a 90 wt lube like what came with the car, then go to a Honda motorcycle shop and buy some SAE 90 Hypoid Gear Oil. This is what Honda recommends you put into your diff. Honda car division has no in-house diff fluid for our cars.

This may or may not get rid of the ringing - depends on exactly what's wrong. Although only a possibility, it could also be a wheel bearing. Have you got an earlier model of S2000 where the hubnut has yet to be updated with the new torque of 221 lb/ft?

[silversurferS20]

i head that noise on my s2k and my rear did end up going KABOOM.....i would say get it checked out...

[Jays2k]

My '01 does the same thing. Its at around 3k to 4.5k rpm. repiv can you elaborate more on the hubnut I would like to make sure thats not my problem...and is there a way to check this nut without going to the daler? Thanks for your time and info!!!

[repiv]

My '01 does the same thing. Its at around 3k to 4.5k rpm. repiv can you elaborate more on the hubnut I would like to make sure thats not my problem...and is there a way to check this nut without going to the daler? Thanks for your time and info!!!

Absolutely! It's off topic, but it's important enough to justify answering here.

Each back wheel hub is secured by a large "staked" nut (36mm to be exact). Looks like this:
http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?act=module&module=gallery&cmd=viewimage&img=310758&md=1
Honda originally stated that this should be torqued to 181 lb/ft. About 2002 or 2003, Honda came out with a TSB indication that if a customer came in complaining about a click upon moving off initially either forward or in reverse, then this hubnut must be torqued to a new recommended 221 lb/ft. What a loose hubnut does is cause too much play for the wheel bearing. This bearing can shift during initial take off and make a click. However, prolonged looseness can wear the wheel bearing and hub abnormally and not only cause this clicking but could also manifest itself in other sorts of noises.
To tighten this, you need to jack up the rear of the car, remove the rear wheels, unstake the nut and take it off. Then you remove the big washer (keeping track of which side is which), clean out any crap and debris you find, apply a light coating of grease to all surfaces, lightly grease the spindle threads (axle grease will do), re-install the washer, re-install the nut, torque to 221 lb/ft and re-stake the nut rim (it should be in a location slightly further than where it was before).
This will ensure the wheel bearing is sufficiently snug in the hub and should prolong the life of it and the hub assembly for a good long time. If caught soon enough, your hub won't know the difference and should last a "lifetime".

[Jays2k]

If I bring my car to the dealer is this something they should take care of no charge for me? Do you know where I can get a list of TSB's?

[silversurferS20]

ive been told honda dealers are very good at blaming things on customer abuse...do you have the warranty on the car?

[Jays2k]

Yes but i just put a fujita f5 intake on it so im i little bit worried about them saying that it voids my warrenty.

[silversurferS20]

you buy the car new or used....if you got it used just tell them that is how you bought it from them

[repiv]

An intake doesn't affect how a rear wheel bearing works. However, if your car is old enough that it would still have the old torque setting, you may be out of factory warranty. I don't think an extended warranty would qualify you for this fix. But then, your dealer may do it for you as a "good will" gesture. Best to ask them. It's not a long job and shouldn't cost more than an hour's labour.
As for the TSB, ask your dealer to look this up:
Service Bulletin 011201 Sequence Number: 627 Clicking Rear replaced Hub Nuts

[Jays2k]

I bought it used and thats a great idea!!

[Jays2k]

Thanks repiv your advise has been great!! Do you ever get tired of that line?

[silversurferS20]

my extended warranty covered my rear hubs and my rear end....i can say i got my moneys worth for it ......

[ebeldesign]

Rear diff is a good guess. Try changing the diff fluid. Go with Mobil 1 75W90 GL-5 or LE 607 if you don't drive the car in frigid winter conditions. If you want to stick with a 90 wt lube like what came with the car, then go to a Honda motorcycle shop and buy some SAE 90 Hypoid Gear Oil. This is what Honda recommends you put into your diff. Honda car division has no in-house diff fluid for our cars.

This may or may not get rid of the ringing - depends on exactly what's wrong. Although only a possibility, it could also be a wheel bearing. Have you got an earlier model of S2000 where the hubnut has yet to be updated with the new torque of 221 lb/ft?

I have an appointment to have the diff fluid changed in the morning, so I'll update on if that changes the sound or not. My car is an '05, does the TSB still apply?

thanks for the help.

[repiv]

I have an appointment to have the diff fluid changed in the morning, so I'll update on if that changes the sound or not. My car is an '05, does the TSB still apply?

thanks for the help.

Your '05 should already have the hubnuts torqued to the new specs, so it's not likely the wheel bearing.

[Geo02s2k]

Do you know about when the spec changed? I've got a March 2002 and would readily spend the few bucks now to get it tightened vs. spending the big bucks later for bearings.

[repiv]

Do you know about when the spec changed? I've got a March 2002 and would readily spend the few bucks now to get it tightened vs. spending the big bucks later for bearings.

Sorry, I don't. Best to check with the dealer to find the date of that TSB.

[Jays2k]

I just did my rear diff fuild it helped the sound but still there faintly does this mean my diff is going bad? The fuild that came out was really metallicy (new word i just made) and there was alot of junk on the drain bolt....

[repiv]

I just did my rear diff fuild it helped the sound but still there faintly does this mean my diff is going bad? The fuild that came out was really metallicy (new word i just made) and there was alot of junk on the drain bolt....

Having metal flakes in the fluid is never a good sign. I was with a pit crew on a track vehicle and they had diff problems, drained the fluid immediately to find metal flakes in abundance. The crew was not happy to see the fluid in that condition.
It's hard to say for sure without actually seeing the fluid and drain plug to know just how bad your situation is. If you moved the drain pan around like a gold miner panning for gold and saw the metal flakes shimmering in the light, that's not a good sign.
You might want to drive the car a couple of heat cycles, then do another fluid change. It might take another change to flush out the garbage. Might not ultimately help but if the sound changes again, you may have your answer.

[Jays2k]

Would this be something to take to the dealer and maybe they would rebuild the diff. would my warrenty cover that, or do i just have to play a waiting game and hope the diff goes before my warrenty is up?

[ebeldesign]

After replacing the diff fluid (with Amsoil), I can honestly say that the ringing seems to have disappeared. I am constantly amazed at how sensitive our cars are to fluid replacements.

[Jays2k]

Yeah me too! It was like night and day I also did the tranny with the new honda mtf let me tell you its like butter. And my diff is also much quiter than it was. I dont think the fluids were ever done by the previous owner. Hopefully with reg maint i can make the diff last.

[emg88]

I am using Amsoil Severe Gear 75-90W. I'm going to try their new blend of Severe Gear 75-110W. It should help during high temps and still remain a fluid when in colder weather.
Does anybody see a problem with this?

After replacing the diff fluid (with Amsoil), I can honestly say that the ringing seems to have disappeared. I am constantly amazed at how sensitive our cars are to fluid replacements.

[magicball81]

I had a similarly strange sound coming from the rear end and the same day my diff went. This happened shortly after having my 60,000 service done. I don't think the dealer will rebuild it most likely they would replace it. This is not cheap so I hope you are under warranty. you can read more about it here.
http://forums.s2kca.com/showthread.php?t=14610