[fthrmulcahy]

I own a 2011 Element with ~165K miles that has given me reliable, fun service. I have done all basic maintenance myself...I would call myself handy but not incredibly so. I have used the info in this forum often but this is the first time I needed to post.

Here's the problem...I was doing a rear differential fluid replacement with the pumping syringe that I have used in previous fluid changes. This time the plastic tip popped off while I was pulling the syringe out and is now in my differential. I redrained it and tried to get it out but I can't feel it anywhere. I'm not nearly handy enough to take it apart myself.

My questions are these:

-Without being an expert on how it works, is the fluid reservoir kept from the working parts by an opening small enough that this plastic piece may live happily in there forever? (Wishful thinking, but I have to ask.)

-Again, possibly wishful thinking...does driving the car with the VSA disengaged keep the rear diff from ever engaging? I don't drive on the beach in this car...front wheel drive is really all I need.

-If I need to take the car to a mechanic, is the car drivable where I can refill the diff in its current state and drive it there as long as I don't spin the wheels?

-Does anyone know offhand, how much getting this serviced/replaced might cost? I'm at the point where I'm toying with buying a new car and I'm not looking into sinking that much into this one, though I do love it.

Thanks in advance...I will wallow in my embarrassment now.

 

[sacandagadave]

I own a 2011 Element with ~165K miles that has given me reliable, fun service. I have done all basic maintenance myself...I would call myself handy but not incredibly so. I have used the info in this forum often but this is the first time I needed to post.

Here's the problem...I was doing a rear differential fluid replacement with the pumping syringe that I have used in previous fluid changes. This time the plastic tip popped off while I was pulling the syringe out and is now in my differential. I redrained it and tried to get it out but I can't feel it anywhere. I'm not nearly handy enough to take it apart myself.

My questions are these:

-Without being an expert on how it works, is the fluid reservoir kept from the working parts by an opening small enough that this plastic piece may live happily in there forever? (Wishful thinking, but I have to ask?)

-If not, is the car drivable where I can refill the diff in its current state and drive it to a mechanic or dealer? Should I drive with traction control off?

-Again, possibly wishful thinking...does driving the car with the traction control disengaged keep the rear diff from ever engaging? I don't drive on the beach in this car...front wheel drive is really all I need.

-Does anyone know offhand, how much getting this serviced/replaced might cost? I'm at the point where I'm toying with buying a new car and I'm not looking into sinking that much into this one, though I do love it.

Thanks in advance...I will wallow in my embarrassment now.

Since it is plastic and not metal, I might be inclined to just roll the dice and drive it, thinking that the gears are stronger and shouldn't be torn up by it. If it does, a used Carrier at a Breakers yard may only be $ 100-200, but I would double check on car-parts.com to verify. Besides, if I am not mistaken, if it failed and you didn't care, you can drive an AWD E without a rear driveshaft attached, probably get better gas mileage as a bonus, 😀

 

[fthrmulcahy]

Thank you for this…I was leaning towards filling it up and taking my chances, but it’s good to hear that from someone who knows better.

 

[sacandagadave]

Thank you for this…I was leaning towards filling it up and taking my chances, but it’s good to hear that from someone who knows better.

You may want to run it for a while, then drain it and refill it again and see if the plastic particles flush out.

 

[Fleetw00d]

You can't turn it off. All parts of the dual clutch system and differential are rotating when the vehicle is in motion. The clutch only engages when the front wheel speed exceeds the rear by about 5 percent.

 

[fthrmulcahy]

So I filled it up and have been driving it for the last two days...so far so good. I'm going to change the fluid again in a week or so and see if any plastic crumbs come out. Thanks for the help!!!

 

[AWD]

I wouldn’t worry to much. It might just be sitting in the top neck of the chamber. I wonder when you refill top if it surfaces or comes out. I use a syringe when I refill and that fluid comes gushing out the top once it’s full.

 

[DCM]

Out of interest, what sort of “tip” did you have on the hose? I never use anything that could fall in…just the plain hose stuffed in the hole.

 

[fthrmulcahy]

Out of interest, what sort of “tip” did you have on the hose? I never use anything that could fall in…just the plain hose stuffed in the hole.

It was an old syringe where the hose was wide but had a tip that narrowed it. Had it in my garage from before I had the car. Should have just used the quart pump I had but the syringe doesn’t have to be pumped. Just absolutely stupid on my part but it never stuck before.