Quote:
Originally Posted by wesch  Hello,
Great forum!.. I am a new Escalade 03 owner. Love the vehicle, except I have 2 problems and looking for some guidance:
1. the flip down DVD players makes horrible spinning noises and only loads about 1 out of 1 times. Is this something that can be repaired, or am I going to end up having to get a new one? Is this a common problem?
2. I have a whining from the front differential (I think). I've read a lot about this problem on this board. It happens during accel/decel and is most prominent at 40mph and at very low braking speeds. I've read that sometimes it is as simple as low fluid level, other times need a tear-down, and sometimes a rebuild... any input? What would the dealer charge me for differential work?
Thanks again
Matt
'03 Escalade |
Congrats and welcome.
As far as the DVD player, if this was a dealer installed option it should be covered under your factory warranty. You can also try running a CD/DVD laser lens cleaner through it, but if the kiddies who were in this truck before watched Spongebob as much as some of my friends kids do... its probably worn out from use.
Same goes for the differential. If your under warranty theyll fix it, if your not then youll need to have the diff rebuilt. If you can live with the noise as the previous owner apparently did, and your going to have it rebuilt anyway, you can probably leave it alone for a while until when/if you actually hear any grinding sounds. Howling at all speeds means that something in the diff has worn and is no longer able to keep proper alignment. If it howls over a certain speed range, the gears are just worn, usually due to poor lubrication. When it whines on DEceleration, the pinion preload has been affected. You can try changing the fluid but its usually too late for that and you can expect to drop between 1000 and 1500.00 for this. If youre OUT of warranty and youve been considering an extended warranty, NOW is the time to get it.
I was a veteran of these problems with the Jeep Grand Cherokees I owned. They have horribly crappy rear differentials. In both cases I never got the diffs "fixed" and was able to drive the truck for many thousands of miles without a problem. Eventually though, youll have to get it rebuilt or replaced one way or another. Might as well do it sooner rather than later, a catastrophic diff failure is not fun.
Newbie Escalade Owner - 2 Questions 
