Bonehead move I made. There was a bad snow storm where I live and my car was buried under snow for about two weeks. Some melted away but it got cold and much of it turned to ice. Anyways I dug out enough to free the wheels but there was still a sloping hill of snow ice mound in front of the car. After a few attempts I broke free a few feet and thought I could power through the rest but it got stuck..then on the fourth try I noticed one side was not spinning at all on the other side was...I'm not a car expert at all, but does this mean the axle broke?

How much does this usually cost? Also, I tried one last time and I heard a grinding noise from the hood and my wife said the shifter wouldn't move from park. Anyone know what this might mean? Im going to get it towed on Monday.

Please help!

 

Cmonnnnnn anybody can help??? Desperate man walking here!! Sos sos!

 

Having one wheel spin while the other doesn't turn at all is actually completely normal for when you are stuck in snow. The car has a conventional differential gear, not locking or limited slip. Grinding noises on the other hand could be a problem. You do have to be careful not to over-speed the drivetrain when trying to get unstuck. The wheel that is spinning is actually turning at twice the road speed shown on the speedometer. Flooring the gas wrecklessly can cause damage. There was a certain Dodge minivan that would always blow the gears out of the differential when people did that, I don't think Civics are as prone to it.

 

does the noise happen at higher speed also does it make noise in a straight line or turning ??? maybe invest in some snow chains next time.

 

Long over due thank you to MK378 and itburnswhenIP. everything is fixed. Be well!

 

So what was your fix? Just curious, or did I miss that part in the thread?