95 AJ16 Differential
 

Hi Gents ;

car was up for an oil change and car need a transmission mount, front tire end rods and most concerning, the differential axle seals are leaking. A while back I was hearing popping noises as I turned left. I think my differential needs to be rebuilt or resealed. I do not know anything about differentials. What do I need to do here? Is it something my regular (lower cost) mechanic can do, or do I need to take the car to the expensive Jag specialist?

Please help

Have you been checking the fluid level?

If the leak was bad enough to allow the diff to run low on fluid, the damage may have already been done and you're probably looking at an overhaul

On the brighter side, if the diff hasn't been damaged due to low oil level....

Chattering and popping around corners is often solved by draining the unit and refilling with fresh diff oil and limited slip additive. (Some fluids already have the additive ...and are so marked on the bottle)

Cheers
DD

I have not checked the level. I am not even sure how to. I just went to my non-specialized Mechanic to get an oil change and noticed copious amounts of grease and drips from both axles.

Go to a specialist diff rebuilder. Taking it out of the car is the expensive part, if you do not do it yourself.

I mean, other than the visual of the leak and the noise from a while back, I do not have any other symptoms. Is it possible to have the leaks fixed with the differential in place by the mechanic? I am really clueless here as far as this goes

If it is the output shaft seal leaking (ie the shafts that turn the wheels), then the diff internals do not have to be touched, as these can be changed from the outside. If your car has outboard brakes, it may be possible to do this diff-in-car.
My own experience has been that once diffs start making a noise on corners, they need rebuilding! You can always buy a diff from a breaker and get that rebuilt, then hand the car and rebuilt unit to your mechanic to put it in. Post again if you go this route, as the guy will need to understand the proper fitment of the bottom wishbone inner fulcrum.
The filler is on the rear of the diff about 1/3 of the way up the unit. You can JUST get to it diff in car. Use a long plastic tube and a friend holding the other end with a funnel to refill, and use Castrol LSD diff oil, or equivalent:
https://www.lubuniversal.com/2531-28...-bidon_1_litre
The diff has a breather as well, higher up the back. If you put in a rebuilt unit, make sure this breather is free to let air in or out. Some breathers are slightly sprung closed, mine was, and once I removed the spring so it was open to air, all my leaks stopped.

Thanks Greg.

Lately, I have not heard any noise but I do not drive this car very often, certainly not everyday, and she went un driven for several months. I just noticed a couple of drops on the garage on the rear passenger side (US) as well. I had a differential fluid change maybe 4 years/less than 10 miles ago. Can my “non-Jaguar” mechanic easily replace the seals that are leaking? From reading the archives, I gather there are 3 seals that gear oil can leak from....

first thing i would like to do is see how much oil is in there and refill it to give me an idea of how low it has been running

You certainly do not need a Jaguar expert for this diagnosis or work.

If it were me? I'd take it to you regular "non-Jaguar" mechanic.

Knowing that this is you, and you tend to go overboard on some of this stuff, find a good transmission specialist in the area, if you have one, and have them do it. They might be able to give you a more thorough diagnosis and thus let you sleep better at night. A transmission shop would know more about danger signs and strange noises coming from this diff.

Lol- this is true- I do go overboard.

but the “Jaguar Specialist” charges me close to 100 dollars an hour for work. If all I want to do is start by sealing the thing and see how far it takes me, that’s quite an expensive experiment.

If replacing the seals to stop the leak is something any regular mechanic can do, I would like start there, but I just need to know what seals to buy and know what the procedure entails so I can direct/guide them. The diagrams at jaguar classic parts show several seals as well so I have no clue what the procedure is or what seals I am needing

if anyone is familiar with the seals needed to real this differential and particular procedures, as well as any other items that should be done at the same time, please do let me know.

Buy the seals from a US Jaguar specialist, eg Coventry West. I have never done nit, but I understand that replacing the output shaft seals is just a matter of unbolting the housing round the output shaft, pulling out the seals with a pick and carefully pushing the new ones home. Ask your mechanic if he is Ok with doing that and if he has done it before. Basically all diffs are pretty much the same from this point of view.

1-Thanks Greg. I had a chance to go to my more economical mechanic, we drove out a bit and he thinks the noise coming from the rear is related to noise (thump) the car is making when hitting speed bumps. He said we should solve that too, but without the car being in the lift today, we don’t know what’s causing it .


2- he thinks since my car say unused for several months, this caused the leaks of the output seals.

3-he said he can not hear howling and similar noises that bad differentials make

4-he thinks we might try a change of gear oil back there and see if the leak slows down or stops (I personally find this improbable)

5-also, he is not sure how this particular differential is built. He had not done one before, so he is unsure of where the seals are precisely

Mark,

As Greg says, it's quite feasible to do the output seals and bearings on a late facelift car without dropping the cage. However, I also agree that if it's anything other than seals (eg bearings etc) it probably means the diff needs a rebuild and that's a cage-out job.

As you'll probably know, noises from the back, particularly knocking or thumps are more likely to be other areas such as radius arms, diff mounts, lower pinion shaft etc etc.

If I were you, I would thoroughly clean everywhere, change the diff oil (again) and make sure you add the correct additive and then see where the leaks may appear.

Good luck

PAul

Hi Paul;

changing the existing oil and trying to clean the vent is certainly step one at this point. Sounds like the vent port may get dirty and cause undue pressure causing leaks too.

I decided to try giving the differential oil in my garage a try and all I was successful at was cleaning the place really really well with degreaser and feeling where the fill and drain plugs are. Also getting the dirtiest I have probably ever been in my life, I did not succeed in removing the plate or changing the differential oil, however. .....This guy made it seem so super pleasant in his Series 3 XJ


I am just going to let my mechanic take care of swapping the oil and cleaning the vent to see if that slows down the leak. At least it’s much cleaner for him to try now.

Some good news, there was lots and lots of fluid in the differential. I don’t think it’s been running low in spite of the leak. I had it refilled with Lucas 80/90 gear oil (as I read a X300 owner who did well with this) and added additive. The mechanic cleaned and rotated the vent as best he could as well, hopefully dislodging anything that may have been clogging it. After the change I can’t hear any noises at turns any longer. I hope it stops leaking altogether or slows down dramatically. It almost took two quarts, but started dripping out heavily before we could reach that point.