Hey Everyone,
Well, closer inspection of my suspected broken diff mount DOES show (what
feels like) a crack extending transversely from the bolt on the side of the
mount that contacts the diff itself. It was recommended to me that I wedge a
2x4 between a floor jack and the diff, and use lever action against the diff
to see how much (if any) play there was, which is useful in confirming the
extent of the mount failure. I had ZERO play- up, down, side-to-side,
nothing.
I think I caught this very early on, and because the crack I feel is on a
contact surface of the mount...is it reasonable to assume that I could get
this welded up from underneath? A bit of good news would be welcome- I really
don't want to hack into my parcel shelf...
OK. Now the diff itself. I could not find in Haynes or Bentley any details
about how much play there is between the turning of the drive shaft, and the
eventual engagement of the side shafts. With the emergency brake off, I can
grab the main drive shaft...and turn it between 3/8" and =" before the side
shafts engage. Is this excessive? Is there a better way to test this?
And finally, I was worried about a gear oil leak that had materialized over
the past few months. However, when I opened the diff's side filler plug, clean
oil began oozing out! Now, I know the car is jacked up, so there's abnormal
tilt on the diff...but I think I may have plenty of oil.
So. Here's the final question. If the amount of play mentioned above is OK,
and I keep tabs on the diff oil leaking...is it too soon to effect repairs?
Not that I want to burn the thing up before a refurb...I just don't want to be
borrowing trouble. I am extremely easy with the clutch to avoid exacerbating
the clunking from a dead stop, and the car is asymptomatic at speed in all
gears, and there's no noise from the rear end when I'm driving, except for the
customary whirring that you get in reverse. I'd like to defer this repair if
possible. Of course, if the diff IS exhibiting excessive play right now...I
guess I'll have to pull it.
I've received great advice from Bob Lang and many others on how to effect the
repairs, where to get the diff work done, etc. But I'm just wondering if now
is the time. I don't want to go looking for trouble, but I am a bit of a
scaredy-cat alarmist when it comes to my '6.
Your constructive comments welcome.
Pete
CF51563U
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