Front Wheel Drive Concerns
Winter driving conditions can be hazardous for front wheel drive vehicles. The problem occurs when you get stuck and you try freeing yourself by revving up the engine which causes the wheels to spin. Without getting to technical, when only one wheel spins for too long a period, this causes the spider gears to spin at excessive speed on the differential pin. When this happens the gears can get galled to the differential pin which breaks the roll pin holding it in, then the differential pin flies out and breaks the case of the transmission.
This type of transmission failure can have added costs due to the core being no good, which can add $250.00 to $500.00 or more to a remanufactured transmission.
Tip: Take it easy when you get stuck, Don't try to get out all at once, and try not to spin the wheels!
To learn more about Front Drive concerns, view How Differentials Work on HowStuffWorks.com.
