My differential has developed a leak. I want to get it taken care of, but my local mechanic, who I would use only if the car had to go up on a lift (the rest I do myself) now is hesitant to work on the diff citing lack of experience in Jaguar differentials.

From what Palm say, my unit is likely a Salisbury, but I've not yet examined to see if that's the case or if it's a Dana.

Is there a most common location from where it might be leaking? Is fixing this a job that requires the car to be on a lift?

When I get it in the garage I'll raise the rear as best I can and see if I can locate where the leak actually is.

Thanks,

John
1987 XJ-S V12
70,000 or so miles

 

I've seen 'em leak from the pinion seal, stub axle seals, and cover gasket.

Replacing the pinion seal is nothing unique compared to other cars....but like other cars is must be done exactly right or it can bring about a bearing failure.

Cover gasket is no big deal other than being a messy job.

Stub axles seals are labor intensive as the calipers and rotors must come off and the bearings removed from the axles to replace the seals. Some vendors sell rebuilt stub axles which can be just plopped into place....but it's still a big job because of the brakes

Cheers
DD

 

John,

You probably don't want to hear this, but I would seriously consider using this as a great opportunity to do a rear end refurbishment of the diff and cage.

I had a whine on the diff that had been slowly increasing over the years and finally decided to address it. It became clear that it was an output bearing which can't be addressed in situ. So with the cage dropped, I had the diff taken and refurbed, And used the opportunity to clean the cage, change the springs and shocks etc. Also the radius arms and bushes, cage mounts etc. With your inboard brake setup, it's the ideal time to change your discs, pads, calipers etc at the same time.

I know it might sound daunting, but once the cage is dropped, it's a false economy not to do the whole job.

Good luck

Paul

 

"Do it all, do it right, do it once"...and then you can forget about it for many years


Cheers
DD

 

Yes, you are quite right, I DID NOT want to hear that ! However a further inspection shows that some of the diff fluid has gotten all over the rear (inboard) brakes...serves me right for deferring this maintenance item. So, it will become a hanger queen once again while all this gets taken care of. I suspect the biggest delay will be finding parts, we shall see.

Thanks!

John

 

If it is a GKN Salisbury, then it will have a drain plug on the diff bottom. If a DANA, it will not. Salisbury parts are all readily available. DANA output shaft parts are not, but the internals including all bearings are.