My rear diff let go 12 miles out on the Felton trail and I think most of us limp way too long
I know the common advice here is to baby a clicking diff until it fully blows, but I got stranded last Saturday about 12 miles into the Felton gap trail and I'm done with that plan. My Honda Rancher started making a low grind near the rear end around 8 miles, and instead of turning around I told myself it was just the tires rubbing, so I kept riding. About 4 miles later the rear locked up on a rock step and I spent 3 hours winching it back to the trailer with a strap that kept slipping off the axle. The fluid I drained out had so much metal in it that the guy at the small shop off Route 9 just held up the pan and looked at me, then said there's no saving that. I should have caught it the week prior when the first click showed up. Now I'm out $420 for a used diff plus a whole day of my time, and I still think most folks on here wait way too long on a known noise. Does anyone actually pull a diff at the first click, or is that just how it goes for everyone?
The thing about that clicking noise is it's the same trap as the check engine light or the weird sound your washing machine makes. You tell yourself it's nothing, you turn the radio up, and then one day you're standing in a foot of water in the basement. Small noises don't stay small, they just get expensive. Pulling a diff at the first click sounds like overkill until you're the guy on the trail with a slipping strap and a pan full of glitter. Next time my rear end starts talking I'm listening.