I have started hearing this howling noise on the interstate. It seems to be getting louder. The car doesn't lose much speed when coasting down and the noise doesn't go away when I push the clutch in, so I am assuming its the rear end. well now that I think about it, its less of a howling noise and more of a wuring. the front wheel bearings are bad and the rears are not too far off also. It could be those I suppose, but just for the heck of it, what would happen if I lifted my car, eptied the rear, filled it back with mineral spirits or carb cleaner, and spun the wheels slowly with my hands and then refilled with redline? would that flush any chunks out that might be in there? would it ruin the axel seals? Is there any rubber in the rear? can I pull the rear out of the car without jacking it up? thanks all, I owe you guys a trip the strip club. hell at this point I owe half the planet atleast a meal at outback!
james

 

I've thought about this before (with the tranny, specifically), but I was worried any solvents that went in there might tend to swell the seals, so I decided not to...

If you're not even sure what's causing the noise, start with the easy stuff first- remove, inspect, and repack your front wheel bearings, then go from there...

 

yeah the bearings are first. I can't find any evidence of a leak on the rear end case, but I sware it sounds like its comming from there. when I put the tranny back in, I cleaned it out with brake parts cleaner and water and then used compressed air to dry it. I then filled it with Mobil 1 and it shifted great for like a weekend. then it slowly got clunkier and clunkier. its not bad at all now, but still not as smooth as I would like. some day I am gonna rebuild a real race box, like a Hewland or somthing that I can really bang on. every car I have ever owned has not shifted at the redline like I like. never. my honda sucked especially hard.

 

some body has to have done this some how. What about simple green or purple power?

 

simple green will create rust - don't do that! the flush has to be perfect. Its the best stuff to soak rotors in, HOWEVER, they must be dried well and oiled completly to prevent flash rust. The same would occur here.

 

so what can I use?

 

Just use the fluid you're going to put in her, pour a couple of quarts in, drive her a little bit, then flush & refill again...Then you won't have to worry about any chemical incompatibilities...

 

well that is $$ at $8 for mobil 1. I am not going to worry about it. if the car is going to be that much of a bitch, I will fix the civic. It was full of rear end lube and since I just fixed the engine I am SICK of fixing it. I am ready to thrash it to an inch of its life at the track and I think I deserve it at this point. funny noises or not! It is my Turbo lover, even if it doesn't have one!