Figure I'll let you guys have a crack before I tear it apart. Quite confusing....car starts normal, takes off smooth (mn6) and then hits a wall. Like I'm trying to drive over a 4x4. No sounds. No rattles, just hits a dead wall by 3mph, or a couple feet. Will not roll in neutral either.

And go!!

 

Did you pull codes? What does your dic tell you?

 

It's mechanical. No codes.

My guess without looking yet is a frozen Halfshaft. How...no idea.

 

If it were mechanical I'm sure you would hear something especially a bad half shaft
Almost sounds like you car has gone into reduced power mode or "limp" mode" sometimes depending on the fault you may NOY get a DTC---
I would jack the rear end of the car up off the ground and set it on jack stands
THEN start the car and run it thru the 1st few gears----If it is mechanical you should be able to hear something--best is to have some buddies at each rear wheel so they can closely hear something--
If it is in limp mode try clearing the codes whether the check engine light is on or not--then try the above procedure again---This will help isolate whether it's a mech. issue or an ECM issue
PS: There are several things that can cause a limp mode---An ABS brake issue--A traction control issue---a MAF issue--an 02 issue---Many modded cars with hds/cam/hdrs have those related codes permanently deleted as most often the codes are false--So you may never get a code for those things when you have a "real issue "

 

It's not limp mode. The car stops like I'm chained to a tree. Does the same with the car off and in neutral. There is no electronics to it

 

Have you tried jacking it up and rotating the wheels with the car off the ground? That's the first place I would check.

 

E-brake not adjusted properly? If you recently installed new rear rotors the e- brake shoes are held to the backing plate with a wire cable. is the cable on both sides installed correctly?

 

I haven't touched it. I just wanted to see what some of your guesses were as its so odd. Lol.
Brakes would not grab this hard, unless the caliper fell off and got stuck in a wheel spoke

 

Do you have a frozen caliper or 2?

 

The car has been running/driving without issue before this? Daily driver? I'm with the previous poster, get the wheels off the ground and see what rotates?

 

OK guys...lol. you need to read before you post. It's moving fine for many feet. It's not a brake. Although having brakes like this would be amazing.

The car drove fine last time. It's not a daily. Has a 416, suspension, Aero, gutted, lvl 5 trans and diff, r comp tires on stock z wheels, dba rotors, ect, ect...prob look at it tonight.

The feeling is if you had a 5 foot chain, and you attached it to a tree. You could back up fine, take off fine, then you hit the limit. I don't know how else to explain it.

 

Maybe you should post before we read. Probably would have better to disclose this from the beginning. I'm going with an issue with your trans/diff now.

 

If it wont roll when the car is in neutral, its most likely a differential (ring and pinion ) issue. If you jack the rear wheels off the ground, place the trans in neutral, what happens of you move the wheels in that forward direction by hand?? (engine off)

Just brain storming and I thought of this:

If a wheel bearing, lost its ball bearing spacer all the ***** would collect in one area of the hub assembly and that can lock up a wheel. When the rear end is off the ground, push pull on the wheels and see if you have a lot of SLOP in the hub/bearing on either rear wheel. Also check the front wheels.

Ive see clutch pack Belleview Springs break and jam up in the spider gears. The result is a broken spider gear shaft and gear. Put the trans in N. Have someone HOLD one rear wheel while you Attempt to rotate the other wheel. You should feel a holding force that breaks away around 40-50 ft/lbs (Limited slip clutches working properly) Then do the other wheel the same way. Breakaway should be equal and predictable on both wheels.

Before you drive (or attempt to drive) any further, I would BITE THE BULLET and drop the Differential and do a quick internal inspection before you damage that is irreversible (like splitting the differential case OR breaking the trans out put shaft)


Just draining the differential may show signs that there is internal damage if there is any.

Bill

 

So...I tried to turn a wheel with the car in the air and heard some crunching...I opened the garage door behind the car and shoved it backwards and hears a pop. Now it moves fine. So I figured a wheel bearing went. Had one go at autobahn before and I thought the world was ending it sounded so bad...but. whoever guessed brakes, you were kinda right. Lol..
One of the ebrake pads fell off the hub and got lodged under the other one, creating a stop for the wheel. Took that one out and it's fine. No idea why I haven't just gotten rid of the ebrake system all together yet.

 

See, I told you it was an emergency brake pad issue...

 

Haha. I knew it had to be something stupid.

 

Perhaps we could have diagnosed the issue quicker if you explained what was going on with more common descriptions---having your car hooked up to a tree stump and a chain is so vague that no one really knew what you were trying to describe--
We al suspected it was drive train related or brake related but you refused to listen on how to diagnose it more narrowly-Glad you finally sorted it out--