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Empty Diff !


Dezzie

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Hi everyone.

The past few days, I've had some 'unusual' noises coming from 'underneath' the vehicle.

Freelander Year 2000 L - Series Diesel.

A sort of 'clunk' or sometimes 'clang' from the rear. Sometimes like a 'ticking' noise, sometimes a squealing, sometimes a whistling. Mostly when I turned right. However, there was no crunching or grinding. To be honest, I was thinking ...C.V Joint or Drive Shaft etc, maybe even wheel bearing.

Anyway ......... My trip to work is a 30 mile round trip, so I thought I'd pop in to see my mechanic to see what it was, sooner rather than later. Whilst underneath the vehicle, we noticed that there was an oil drip from the rear Diff. He checked the C.V joints and reported them in good health.

It would seem that there was no flamin' oil in the rear Diff ! :blush:. He put some oil in the diff for me, and since then, it has been quieter. The 'substance' that oozed out, was silver, which he reckoned was 'mashed up' gear oil and 'swarf'. :unsure:

1/ Have I done any damage ? (there's no grinding or crunching)

2/ Can I replace the gasket on the rear diff plate fairly easily? Or is it a pain in the arse ? Does it use a gasket, or is it just that liquid stuff (Hylomar type).

3/ What type of gear oil should I use?

Thanks for any help .......................... Matt.

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1/ yes you have done damage, how much is unknown though

2/never done a freelander diff gasket, but looking at the parts manual, its just a case of removing the back plate, cleaning the faces, new gasket with some hylomar and then replacing the back plate.

3/ the diff oil for a freelander 1 IIRC is 75W90, or STC9176, This was the spec i have on shelf for the front diff unit, however microcat states its the same for the rear

you should be able to assess the damage with the back plate off.

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1/ yes you have done damage, how much is unknown though

2/never done a freelander diff gasket, but looking at the parts manual, its just a case of removing the back plate, cleaning the faces, new gasket with some hylomar and then replacing the back plate.

3/ the diff oil for a freelander 1 IIRC is 75W90, or STC9176, This was the spec i have on shelf for the front diff unit, however microcat states its the same for the rear

you should be able to assess the damage with the back plate off.

Before step 2, don't forget to drain the oil out first! Could be rather messy otherwise.

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If it's the same design as the early freelanders then it has no drain plug, so removal of the rear cover is needed to drain it, Silver oil is bad news as it's particles of metal mixed with oil. Diff pinion bearing is the first to suffer as the oil level drops. With the cover off, clean all the gunk out. A can of brake cleaner should do it nicely. RTV (not bathroom) sealant is what you need as there's no gasket.

Les

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Thanks guys, for all your help.

Since my mate refilled the diff with oil, the clunking / clanging seems to have gone and the car drives perfectly. What I'm left with, is a squeeling / rattling noise, which appears to be coming from the drivers side rear wheel. This is more apparent, when accelerating, then taking foot sharply off the pedal.

I'm pretty certain I've done some damage to the diff, as there is a 'humming' from the rear. However, could this rattling / squeeling be the CV Joint?

Can I take the plate off the diff with the diff in situ? Or has the diff got to be removed or dropped down?

Cheers ......................... Matt.

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From the rear you will be able to see the cover and easily assess if you can remove it. It can be done quite easily on early freelanders, so I doubt things will be different. rRear cv's don't tend to fail if either the vehicle is used hard, or in the past the rubber boot has split and road grit has got in there and worn it out. Squealing/rattling sounds the typical noised a worn U/J makes. While you have it jacked up, unbolt the rear prop where it connects to the diff and check both the U/J and for any play in the drive flange.

Les

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