Special Notes on Honda Differential Noise
I’m singeing out Honda differentials here because I have a great deal of experience with them. The AWD (All Wheel Drive) model Hondas such as the CRV and Element often use a special fluid in their rear differentials. This fluid is called “double pump II”. Later, they switched to Honda ATF.
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On vehicles like the MDX, Ridgeline, and late model RL’s and TL’s, they use Honda VTM4 fluid. Be sure you know what fluid goes into your Honda differential and that you replace it with the correct fluid. The reason I bring this up is because I have seen Honda differentials cause noise from time to time. Often the first thing I do in this situation is change the differential fluid.
The fluid should get changed about every 30,000 miles. If not, it tends to break down. When it does break down what is commonly heard is a nose on turns coming from the rear of the vehicle. This noise can often be cured with a fluid change. As stated you need to make sure you use the correct fluid. These fluids are specially designed to work with Honda differentials. Using the wrong fluid could result in damage to the differential. So if you have a noise coming from the rear of your AWD Honda, change the differential fluid with the correct Honda fluid and see if the noise goes away.
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In this video I show how to change the differential fluid in my 2004 Element.
Video Title: Special Notes on Honda Differential Noise – Diagnosing Noises in Your Car – EricTheCarGuy Video Description: In this Article we talk about Special Notes on Honda Differential Noise and how to diagnosis and fix them.
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3 thoughts on “Special Notes on Honda Differential Noise”
Robert
June 4, 2023 at 10:14 pm
My differential is bad on my 04 rl I can’t find a video anywhere to replace it.
Steven
June 14, 2022 at 7:57 am
Same thing happened to me. I changed the DP fluid on my 14 crv and the noise went away; but now has returned. I may need to change the fluid again and see what happens.
Alan
March 13, 2022 at 5:27 pm
I changed fluid with dual pump II 2014 CRVawd still has howl like bad tires. 118k miles.