My gearbox.... The final crunch

[Rmachines]

Ok so i have a very noisy diff,  I drained the oil out and it was like grey water...    Me being really stupid thought i had plenty of gear oil but i didnt so i put ATF In, not good but its not a leathal mix, which made no diffrence but might clean it out.

Should i fork out for a good oil now or stick with AFT untill it blows?

[rubjonny]

atf should be ok id have thought, ive heard some rebuilders recommend you use it on 020 boxes?  02a might be a different story thogh I guess.  When you say 'grey' was it metalic?

[Len]

Yea if it is grey metallic then sounds terminal to me!

[Rmachines]

It was a dull greyish colour, certainly not like new oil, but then whos to say thats not the origonal oil?   and after 170k miles i can imagen it being a bit dirty.   It runs ok with this ATF, crunches into 3rd more though. 

Its got to be the diff, the noise is with the speed of the car,  it grummbles and whines, the grummbles stop if i turn slighly to the left, but doesnt change if i turn to the right,  the whiney whirring noise is constant,  it sure as hell didnt make these noises 200 miles ago so something has gone pop.  Diff bearings me thinks.

[Len]

Could be CV joint then!

If I remember it correctly its the opposite side to the noise, so its your nearside one.

[Wayne]

Sounds like a diff bearing or a cv joint.

[Rmachines]

its a deep whirring noise and fine vibrations as well as growling,  CV joints usually get loud as you extend the joint, but it goes quiet when turning.... The whiney noise sounds alot more diffy.   I have a new box on order now,  no doubt it will turn out to be a joint now

I did notice the whiney noise changes when i brake,  it goes louder but a higher pitch,  odd?

[Len]

Very odd indeed!

[Rmachines]

It sounds very much like the knackard rear diff on an old LDV shirper i used to drive    Kinda like the brushes on a washing machine motor when its spinning down,  its the deeper vibrating noise thats odd because it stops when i turn left slightly,  I can only imagin it being the bearing that support the diff or driveshaft flanges or something along those lines.   

[azzrobz]

Im having the same problem atm but it sounds louder when i turn left and completely dissapears when i turn right