A week or so my car began to make a very noticeable noise that sounded very much like a "whir", "grrrr", or grinding of gears. I took the car in and the sound was tracked down to the bearings along the transmission shaft. Upon further investigation when the transmission was opened, they found additional wear leading them to the diagnosis of the whole transmission being on it's way out due to wear of components. The odd thing that is not understood is the orange discoloration found inside when the housing was opened. Any thoughts on what this might be would be appreciated.

Note that the car has never been driven hard, raced, and has about 73,000 miles. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

gear oil not doing its job properly ?

 

I am not sure but I will ask that question.

 

is the discoloration etched into the gears or is is a liquid sitting on top of the gears?

 

rust.
OD

 

It is difficult to describe but I would say that it looks more like it is on top of the gear as if it were painted. It almost has a slick appearance which is odd.

Also, the areas that are coated are completely coated as if done with a brush to a consistent finish. It really does not fade in or out in any of the locations. It's either clean, or that orange color.

 

Wild guess - plating out of extreme-pressure additives

 

rust ? ... really ...

should there be rust? gear oil should be "flying" around at all times in there.

 

Assuming it had gear oil in it

looks like rust, but a picture is no substitute for inspecting the real thing. That it appears to be untouched in the gear teeth contact area on the lay/countershaft is especially odd

a bit odd for sure

 

olddragger was being facetious (unless it was ridiculously low on oil).

Odd intend!

 

yes I was---thanks for clarifing and sorry if it came across differently.
It was a word that I used because i have NO idea what that could be. Unless it is a factory coating of some type.
Appreciate the pics
OD

 

Agreed that it is odd the coloration is in the teeth contact area. It seems randomly spread on different components inside. Very random.