Bad diff of something else?

[PandaIX]

On a good note I am the new proud owner of a used evo IX MR. I purchased the car with 55,xxx miles and love it. From what I can tell the only mods on the car are a catback exhaust, springs, and tires. I test drove the car at the dealer and everything seemed fine. I have owned the car for 4 days so far. Here is the story...

2 days ago I was driving the car on the highway, it was colder then usual out. I went WOT and I hit what seemed to be fuel cut (large hesitation/studder at about 5500rpm.) I repeated this twice to make sure this was the problem. After this incident, I noticed a noticeably loud squeal coming from what seems to be the rear of the car under acceleration only. Ive attempted to create this squeal under deacceleration with no success. The car also makes the noise (less loud) under neautral cruising. I have poked around on the forums and everything seems to point to a diff going bad.

Some other things...The noise is barely noticeable in 1st and 2nd gear, but gets considerably loud in 3rd and beyond. The noise is loudest under light tapping of the pedal but mellows out slightly if I push down a little further. Lastly, I get a ear shattering shreak/squeal coming from the rear if I attempt to go WOT.

The factors: I checked the diff fluid before I took the car home from the dealer, it appeared to be slightly lower then the minimum fill mark. I didn't think too much of it, as I could top it off when I had the chance. Secondly, I noticed a pop when I cut the wheel toward full lock in either direction, this has only been observed at low speeds (U turns, J turns) ect...Could either of these be the causes of the diff (if it is actually the diff) acting up?

Should I find a stock exhaust and take it to the dealer(it should still be under warranty) or try to diagnose it myself? I also purchased the extended warranty from the dealer. I am kind of up in the air on what to do.

This is unfortunately my first post on evoM, any help, advice, or guidance would greatly be appreciated.

[FX11]

back to dealer

[PandaIX]

Originally Posted by FX11

back to dealer

I'm leaning toward that option. I figure nomatter what it is, it should be covered under factory or extended warranty.

[BluEVOIX]

Try to put it on Jack stands and roll through the gears as you or friend pin points the sound location.

[vtrice69]

my dealer didnt give me the 30 days warrenty because he said he can't do it with this car. WTF

[PandaIX]

Originally Posted by vtrice69

my dealer didnt give me the 30 days warrenty because he said he can't do it with this car. WTF

Its not a Mitsubishi extended warranty. It is from a third party (Auto Gallery in Little Neck, NY) However, the guy told me that warranty work would be done at a Mitsubishi dealership.

[thedru13]

Originally Posted by BluEVOIX

Try to put it on Jack stands and roll through the gears as you or friend pin points the sound location.

Not sure I would do that. Not the safest option..

[neonglh]

Originally Posted by thedru13

Not sure I would do that. Not the safest option..

Why?

And yeah, if you have a warranty, don't do anything yourself, just bring it in. Good luck with a 3rd party warranty though, they never cover anything.

[buchnerj]

I have heard bad things about third party warranties. Did you drain the fluid and check the color? Any metal shavings? I wouldn't do much with it until you take it in and see what stance the dealer takes on it. If he will fix it than your in the clear, if not then start the diagnosing steps. Jack stands aren't a terrible idea, just be safe about it, flat surface, use bigger jacks than you would normally use, >2 tons. When you get it up on the jacks and start driving it should be rather easy to diagnose the problem or at least where its coming from.

[BluEVOIX]

Originally Posted by thedru13

Not sure I would do that. Not the safest option..

I did that for my car. Its not like your going to go WOT through the gears causing the car to jerk around. Just make sure you use durable jack stands on all four sides at the pinch corners. I used two 3 ton stands each and two 5 ton stands each. Also be careful not to touch the wheels when under there or any moving part.

I used that method to look for a slight whiny oscilating noise from my car. Also we didnt have a stethoscope on hand, so we used a screw driver to transfer the sound to our ears. I found that it was coming from the transmission, most likely the after market throwout bearing which will be replaced this weekend.

[PandaIX]

Thanks for the useful info. I have not checked the fluid yet, my friend and I are planning to take a look at the car tonight. I'll let you know how it goes.

[ozzome]

i hear noises from my rear diff. does that mean its going out?

[ozzome]

i also drag it, i hoping its just the gears.

[PandaIX]

Originally Posted by ozzome

i hear noises from my rear diff. does that mean its going out?

Noise from the rear diff is never a good thing from what I hear. Try a fluid check and change.

[PandaIX]

***UPDATE***
I just checked the car out with a friend of mine. We got it lifted and noticed gear oil sprayed all over the under-body of the car. Upon closer examination I noticed that the drain plug to the transfer case was only hanging on by a couple threads!!! I'm glad I didn't just take it to a dealer without looking! It gets better...the top fill plug to the transmission was also loose to the point I could unscrew it with two fingers!

I tightened both up with a wrench, filled the resovour to MAX and let the car idle. The TC drank up a noticeable amount right away. Took it for a ride around the block, and filled it up again to MAX. Let the car idle some more, drove it slowly home. I noticed the sound got slightly quieter but is still present. Checked the level again when I arrived home and it is already slightly below the MIN fill level. I am going to check for leaks tomorrow morning, and fill it up again.

I am outraged the dealer sold me the car without having checked the plugs...I hope my TC doesn't decide to bite the dust anytime soon.