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Old 05-09-2012, 02:06 AM   #1
davidgenes
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Question 2008 RXV rear end differential oil change advise / noise / grinding

I just purchased an 08 electric RXV, had it painted up, added flip rear seat, wheels/tires, mirror, turn signal switch, etc.. Love the power and speed (~20mph). Brakes make the ones on my old cart seem almost dangerous!

But, it has quite a grinding noise in the rear end - basically when not under load. It could be when going slow, or on a slight decline at full speed. I need to pay more attention to exactly when it happens, but it is very pronounced. When I gave a lift to someone who knows nothing about carts, they said "wow, that doesn't sound good at all"...

I thought it might be worth checking the fluid in the differential and pulled what I guessed was the level check & fill plug (rubber plug on bottom of differential cover - see pic) and oil came running out. It STINKS like burnt tranny fluid and is black as night (again, see pic). I now need to change it no matter what as some ran out before getting the plug back in.

Anybody know what kind of fluid to use / how much in this cart? Is that plug on the bottom the level / fill spot? Any thoughts on the noise? I have seen posts about the auto-brake solenoid needing replaced, any way to tell if that has been done yet?

I have searched and searched tonight and found no answer. One annoying thing I have noticed is that it does no good to put RXV in your search terms as every post has that in it because of the title of the forum.

Thanks for any info you can provide me about my cart!!
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Old 05-09-2012, 12:37 PM   #2
bigstik40
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Default Re: 2008 RXV rear end differential oil change advise / noise / grinding

The plug you show in your pictures is the fill/check plug. In order to drain the differential, the factory specifies removal of the differential cover, but it is possible to suck out most of the fluid without removing the cover. In your case I would remove it so you can do an inspection. If you have grinding, you may have bad bearings. Check the bottom of the pan for metal particles when you inspect. Also, rotate the wheels while listening for grind inside the differential. (Note that your wheel bearings are not inside the differential, but are on the axle just inboard of your brake drums). You will need a tube of silicone gasket maker for resealing the differential cover when you re-install it. Your differential was overfilled when you pulled the check plug, and that is why fluid ran out. (I suspect someone tried to quiet the noise by overfilling). When you re-fill, just add fluid until it starts to run out the fill/check hole. EZGO recommends 30 wt motor oil for the differentials in the TXT's and I suspect the RXV might be the same. I used a 50/50 mixture of 90 wt gear lube and 30 wt oil when I refilled mine as I like to have some gear oil in there as that is what it was designed for. Good luck and post your findings for additional help. A ton of knowledge resides here !! - RAY
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Old 05-09-2012, 01:44 PM   #3
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Default Re: 2008 RXV rear end differential oil change advise / noise / grinding

Ray, Thanks for the information!

I suspected that was the fill hole, but when it came running out that fast I started second guessing myself.

I will do the change / inspection as you said and hopefully I will be able to find something out about the noise.

The RXVs don't have brake drums as the motor is used for the braking - my fear is that the noise is coming from something in the regenerative braking system or something like that.

If anybody has experience with RXVs and this sort of noise I would still appreciate some information on that.

I will run home sometime this afternoon and take it for a spin and pay more attention to when the noise is most pronounced and repost that information here. Sounds like I still have (more) than enough oil in my differential to drive it a little today. Will probably work on the oil change / inspection tonight.

Also, anybody know for sure what I should use for the differential oil in the RXV? I am guessing it is the same as a TXT, but if anyone knows for sure, I would appreciate it.

Thanks again!
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Old 05-09-2012, 03:33 PM   #4
wesleycox
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Default Re: 2008 RXV rear end differential oil change advise / noise / grinding

the rxv has a limited slip rear end to allow both wheels to brake through the motor. the limited slip spider has friction plates and require special oils. the current recommendation from ezgo is 85w 140 hypoid gear oil. the other option would be standard 90w gear oil with about 3 oz of limited slip gear additive. 08s are bad about having gear noise. the right oil was not added from the factory to begin with. there was a warranty recall to get the proper mix added, but warranty applies to first owner only
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Old 05-09-2012, 05:31 PM   #5
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Default Re: 2008 RXV rear end differential oil change advise / noise / grinding

Thanks for the info!!

Well, I went out and did some riding & listening and am more convinced that it may be the wheel bearings. It seems to be coming more from the driver side, but from both sides somewhat - out at the edge by the wheels.

It also makes much more noise with multiple passengers than with none and seems to be loudest at either a very slow speed (barely moving) or full speed. While accelerating it is not even noticeable with just a driver on it.

I am going to take the Differential cover off tonight, look for metal shavings and put fresh "85W-140 GL-5 Gear Oil" which mentions for use on Hypoid gears.

I will also try listening to the wheel bearings while it is jacked up and spinning wheels, but my guess is I won't be able to tell much with no weight on the wheels. Probably just end up replacing them.
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Old 05-09-2012, 07:22 PM   #6
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Default Re: 2008 RXV rear end differential oil change advise / noise / grinding

Bad bearings will make a lot more noise when loaded. Looks like your suspicions are leading to them as the culprits for the noise. If you do have only one bad one, I'd still do both while you are into it. Keep us posted. There must be some information here on the RXV . I'll check. - RAY
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Old 05-09-2012, 07:48 PM   #7
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Default Re: 2008 RXV rear end differential oil change advise / noise / grinding

I found this "parts" listing for the RXV. Should be better than nothing. FWIW, the wheel bearing set-up looks similar to the TXT. RAY

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...KjfhZPrRicGprg
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Old 05-10-2012, 10:04 AM   #8
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Default Re: 2008 RXV rear end differential oil change advise / noise / grinding

Thanks for the info - the blowup of parts was nice to see what I was getting into!

I was worried about the second retaining clip between the bearing and the oil seal, but as it turned out the axle and bearing pulled out and then I was able to get the second clip off and then the oil seal.

For anyone reading this thread later, here is how I ended up getting the bearing pulled with no special tools - it was really in there!

(pics attached to help show this next part)

I used an old pvc pipe fitting I had laying around and cut the threads off so it was essentially a big, plastic nut and put it over the axle and then put the hub and nut back on. This way, as I tightened the axle nut the pvc nut was pushing on the axle housing rather than the bearing and it pulled out the axle and nut together until the bearing was flush with the axle housing. After that, I just cut off a 2x4 and wedged it against the spring and hub and again tightened the nut until it popped out.

I did the nut thing for the beginning stubborn part because then I was getting a nice straight pull - after it was out at the edge and I used the 2x4 I was pulling only on one side, so I wouldn't recommend doing that for the hard part.

I haven't gotten to draining the differential yet - a curious neighbor stopped by and I had a few adult beverages instead!
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Old 05-10-2012, 11:35 AM   #9
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Default Re: 2008 RXV rear end differential oil change advise / noise / grinding

Nice idea !! Good to know that we all have a built in axle puller . Keep us posted as to how your job turns out. Hopefully you will end up with a quieter, smoother cart. - RAY
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Old 05-10-2012, 01:15 PM   #10
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Default Re: 2008 RXV rear end differential oil change advise / noise / grinding

do you have shag carpet in your garage? Or, are you workng on your cart in you living room?
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