The Importance of the Differential in Your Jaguar’s Axle Assembly
by europewpadmin November 2, 2021Every time you drive your Jaguar around a corner, the vehicle’s differentials kick into gear and ensure that the inner wheels and outer wheels stay balanced. This means that differential problems can have serious consequences for you and your vehicle.
Your Jaguar’s differentials are highly valuable parts of the vehicle, and if one of them fails, it will almost certainly take your vehicle’s smooth performance down with it. To help you prevent this, here is everything you need to know about differentials, their purpose, and how you can protect them from damage.
The Purpose of the Differential
Depending on the type of Jaguar you own, your vehicle may have either 1 or 2 differentials, as vehicles with all wheel drive, for example, always have two differentials. As part of the suspension system, these components help your vehicle run smoothly over rough terrain. More specifically, when your vehicle turns a corner, the differentials allow the outer wheels to spin faster than the inner wheels. This helps the outer wheels cover enough ground to keep up with the inner wheels and safely complete the turn. Therefore, if one of your Jaguar’s differentials breaks, turning may become difficult or even impossible to properly go around a corner.
Possible Causes of a Broken Differential
Because a broken differential can have serious consequences for the rest of your vehicle, it’s best to prevent the problem if at all possible. Fortunately, the two main causes of differential problems are fairly easy to avoid.
The first major cause of differential failure is contamination of the differential oil. Much like your vehicle’s engine, the differential also relies on oil to keep itself lubricated. If this oil becomes contaminated by dirt or debris, it may clog up the differential, thus preventing the component from turning normally. Although your Jaguar’s differential oil doesn’t need to be changed quite as frequently as its engine oil, you should still make sure that it is routinely checked by a professional.
Similarly, the second common cause of differential failure is differential oil leaks. Typically, these leaks result from cracks in the differential gasket. Over time, the gasket, which is a seal designed to keep the differential oil in the differential, may grow brittle or wear thin, causing it to crack and break. If this happens, oil will leak out of the cracks and the differential will lose its source of lubrication. This can prevent the differential from working properly, which can disrupt your vehicle’s ability to turn. Much like the differential oil, the differential gasket should receive routine check-ups from a knowledgeable mechanic.
Symptoms of Differential Issues
Prevention isn’t always possible, and despite your best efforts, one of your Jaguar’s differentials may eventually malfunction. If this happens, it is vital that you identify and correct the problem as soon as possible, otherwise, it will only grow worse.
When trying to diagnose a malfunctioning differential, one potential symptom to look for is whining noises while driving. If one of your vehicle’s differentials is low oil, the parts of that differential will scrape against each other whenever the vehicle turns, resulting in irritating, high-pitched noises. If the problem lies with your vehicle’s rear differential, these noises may be accompanied by oil residue underneath your Jaguar’s back bumper, which will be produced as oil leaks out of the differential.
In addition to whining noises and oily residue, another common symptom of differential problems is tire slippage. If your vehicle’s tires slip against the road whenever you try to take your Jaguar around a corner, there is likely something seriously wrong with your vehicle. Although differential malfunctions are not the only potential cause of tire slippage, the others, such as low tire tread or tire overinflation, are just as significant. As such, if you notice that your Jaguar’s tires are slipping, you should have a professional examine your vehicle as soon as possible.
Fixing the Problem at European Auto Tech
Although differential problems are often 
quite simple to fix, novice mechanics may find the task overwhelming, and may make mistakes that cause even more damage to the vehicle. If your vehicle’s differentials are malfunctioning, call the experts at European Auto Tech. Not only do we provide service to customers in Allen, Dallas, Flower Mound, Frisco, Highland Park, McKinney, Park Cities, Richardson, Southlake, University Park, and Plano, TX, but we are renowned as the best luxury auto service center in the Plano area. We’d love to help you keep your Jaguar running smoothly, so give us a call today or stop by the shop to find out what we can do for you.