i did the trans and diff fluid swap this weekend and noticed a bearing sound on tue night. took it into the dealer and they said the rear diff fluid was an inch and a half low, but there were no visible leaks. now im positive the thing was full when it was sealed (added fluid until it oozed out, waited a few minutes and added a bit more which all oozed out, stuck finger in to verify fluid was there) so where could it have gone? im currently fighting w/the dealership about wheather this is warranty or not (theyve said the fact that i went to synthetic is fine) but im trying to find an explination. one fairly (me) and another HIGHLY (my father) experienced car people performed this swap, so it wasnt a pair of novices dicking around. any expert opinions on what could have gone wrong? we used agip rotra 75w90 if it makes any difference

 

Was the car level when you did the swap or was the back end elevated?

 

And has the noise gone away now that they've serviced the diff? If it has, then it sure points to the fact that you stuffed up.

 

When we changed the diff and the transmission oil we deliberetely measured the correct amount that needed to go in from memory 1.3 LITERS FOR DIFF AND 1.7 LITERS FOR TRANSMISSION , did not leave it too chance , if their is no leakage the dealer is telling you bullshit knowing that you changed the diff oil , easy way for them to try and avoid warranty .

cheers
michael

 

did they just tell you it was low? hmm interesting....you should've asked to see how much fluid they pulled out if not. sound sliek they are talking out their a$$ to me. sorry to her you are having issues with your dealership.

 

If
1 - there are no leaks
2 - the level is low
3 - you filled until it could take no more

Then, the only answer I can think of is that the car was not level, or that one of those statements was wrong.

 

Is there a good place on the car to check for level? Can't find a straight line anywhere... How about the side rail near the jack points?

 

the car was up on a lift, so it should have been level. they drained the fluid and measured only 24oz when it should have about 45. even if it wasnt level theres no way that it would have leaked at about half full, and there is no way that we would have messed up that badly. they did refill it and say the noise is still around. it appears im going to be taking this one in the *** unless someone has a brilliant suggestion?

 

Drain it and measure again. If it's 24 vs 45 again then you have an ah-ha. Worth a shot.

How much fluid did you use when you changed? If the amount remaining in the bottle jives with a full refill (taking the overflow into account), then at least YOU know you did a full replacement.

They could have been mistaken or lying. But that's a tough argument when the bearing noise started a couple of days after the change.

Any pranksters or enemies aware of the fluid change and have access to the vehicle after the change?

 

haha, no but even if they did good luck finding a 24mm socket


we have a drum of the fluid, so it wasnt from bottles. i was thinking of draining it in a few days as i have to make another trip to cincy, but well see. basically theyre saying b/c i did it its my fault and im not an idiot but i fucked it up.

 

Well then the question has to be asked. Is the noise actually diff whine?

Maybe something else is causing the "bearing noise". Wheel bearing maybe?

 

its the diff, the drain produced a lot of metal shavings. there was a good amt after the initial drain, but that was 19k miles worth. this time there was almost as much after only 200 or so, and 21oz of fluid missing.

 

I changed my diff oil after 10000 miles or so, and had no visible metal in the oil at all. The gearbox was different, it had a definite metallic sheen.

 

I changed my '89 diff fluid on a lift about a month ago. I also used a large drum full with a hand pump. If you pump too fast it will start to ooze out fairly quickly even though it isn't near full. You have to pump very slowly. Alot of times people just like to pump away. Don't do this. Take it easy. If you did pump slowly, I don't know what to tell you.

 

Good point RG..if you pump to quickly the thick fluid will run out before it is full.

 

it was pumped semi-quick, but there was time for it to settle