why does one of my car's wheels spin backwards instead of forwards?

Question

ive been having problems with it stalling on warm starts so i lifted up the front (its a front wheel drive) and put it on drive and the left wheel spins forward like normal but the right wheel was spinning backwards. then i had soneone step on the gas and the right wheel began spinning forward like normal. as soon as they let go of the gas it slowly starts spinning backwards again. It runs fine though and has not felt underpowered. Im going to have it checked out by a mechanic when i have money but for now does anyone know what it could be?

Answer 1

All cars, front or rear wheel drive with open spider-gears in the differential carrier will do the same thing. If both wheels turned at the same speed all the time your front tires wouldn't last six months.



The spider gears inside the differential carrier allows the wheel on the outside of a corner to roll more revolutions per minute than the inside wheel which is turning a shorter radius.



If the rear-end in question has a limited slip differential, both wheels always turn in the same direction if you turn one wheel by hand when the rear-end is on jack-stands.



Forget your first answer as they don't have a clue. The fifth answer is only half right because he forgot how limited-slip differentials work or check to see if you have one in a rear wheel drive car. Front wheel drive cars don't have limited slip differentials.

Answer 2

That's not really unusual. The differential allows the wheels to turn at different speeds. If you turn off the engine and spin one wheel by hand you will see the other wheel turn the opposite way.

Answer 3

the last girl is right its normal when the car is of the ground its your differential and spiderr gears moving at difrent speeds when making turns, u turns ect. dont need to have a mechanic check it only if you drive it and hear a noise wobble shake or anything else. just go get new tires if there worn you dont want a flat on the freeway very dangerous i have seen it

Answer 4

in case you propose on television or in a movie, it is an optical phantasm. television and picture cameras do no longer capture shifting pictures. They snap a nonetheless photograph each fraction of a 2d. For sake of a controversy, enable's say it incredibly is one million/10th of a 2d. think of there's a dot on the wheel. In that one million/10th of a 2d, the wheel on a vehicle strikes the two forward and around. The dot strikes additionally, of course. If the vehicle is going slowly, the dot strikes basically partway around the wheel. If the wheel strikes sufficient so as that it is going each and each of how around in one million/10th of a 2d, then interior the movie or on television, the wheel will appear like it is status nonetheless. The digital camera snaps a photograph whilst the dot is often interior the comparable place. If it strikes slightly speedier, the dot will pass each and each of how around and then slightly greater - the wheel will appear like it is shifting forward, yet slowly. If it incredibly is slightly slower, and is going no longer quite each and each of how around, the wheel seems to be shifting backwards. this would artwork if the vehicle is going two times as speedy, too. In that one million/10th of a 2d, the wheel is going around 2 cases. however the digital camera basically captures the place the dot is at that instant. it will artwork for any form of speeds, too.

Answer 5

its supposed to do that,something about it being off the ground,alot of cars will do the same thing...

Answer 6

thats messed up, try getting it fixed

Answer 7

what kind of car?