differnetial KABOOM
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Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 99
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2002 C230 Sports Coupe
differnetial KABOOM
First off, wow havn't been here for a while almost forgot all about it.
So a few weeks ago after driving up a fairly steep hill i began here a thudding coming from the rear of my car and could already feel my pockets freeing up of their contents. I'll cut out all the middle details and get to the diagnosis. The gears in my diff have been reduced to a wonderfully metallic oatmeal, and the culprit in this situation was a lack of fluids to lubricate my diff. Now this wouldn't be too strange if there was a hole, but there isn't. The mech I took it to said it most likely leaked slowly out of a rubber seal that is cracked. So the obvious question is, am I unique in this problem?
I did do a search on diff problems and none of them seemed to match my problem.
Also, if anyone can get me the part number to the diff that is talked about here that would be real nice. (the 3.67 or 3.69/3.70 as it is referred to there).
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w203/4509-new-3-69-differential.html
Thanks in advance.
So a few weeks ago after driving up a fairly steep hill i began here a thudding coming from the rear of my car and could already feel my pockets freeing up of their contents. I'll cut out all the middle details and get to the diagnosis. The gears in my diff have been reduced to a wonderfully metallic oatmeal, and the culprit in this situation was a lack of fluids to lubricate my diff. Now this wouldn't be too strange if there was a hole, but there isn't. The mech I took it to said it most likely leaked slowly out of a rubber seal that is cracked. So the obvious question is, am I unique in this problem?
I did do a search on diff problems and none of them seemed to match my problem.
Also, if anyone can get me the part number to the diff that is talked about here that would be real nice. (the 3.67 or 3.69/3.70 as it is referred to there).
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w203/4509-new-3-69-differential.html
Thanks in advance.
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,255
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From: Seattle
w203 m112
woah. Thats crazy. Im glad there has been some talk recently of changing diff fluids and what nots. Im sure someone (splinter) will chime in soon enough with part numbers. How many miles does your car have?
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Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
This is extremely unusual - Can you see signs of the leak? Oil should be evident in the diff area. Has anyone ever been asked to drain the diff & replace oil?
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,211
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From: Laguna Niguel, CA
Sometimes the leaks are through the seals and not the gasket and the heat generated at these points may have evaporated the fluid without enough to leave a sign on the floor. If you took your car to a good mechanic and they did an honest a/b service, they would have checked the differential fluid level but most dealers seem to rush through the service. I know doing the differential seals on our SLK would cost $500 at the dealer because I asked them becase an SLK we looked at had the seals leaking so I passed on it.
This is a really good time to find a diff that fits with the 3.67 gears for snappier off the line performance. Check salvage yards, ebay, the usual places.
This is a really good time to find a diff that fits with the 3.67 gears for snappier off the line performance. Check salvage yards, ebay, the usual places.
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
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From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
That's wierd - I don't believe a whole diff load of oil can disappear without a trace. You should see it at the pinion or side shaft seals if the gasket is not leaking. You are talking about a fairly high viscosity product here. Agree with Buell that dealers are careless which is why I watch my car being serviced.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; Sep 18, 2008 at 02:44 PM.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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From: So. Oregon Coast
C230 Sport Coup + 2006 W164 ML350 + 99 Ford Escort RIP
Mr. Konka,
Keep in mind if you use a different ratio, you need to be using a manual tranny OR get a new TCU for your automatic. Somewhere someone posted all the pn's for the TCU's based on ratio's but I fear it may have been on a now defunct site.
(Side note: "Konka" is the brand of my DVD player purchased at Fry's....and it still works)
Oh, and my 2 and 5 shows are canceled for today.
Keep in mind if you use a different ratio, you need to be using a manual tranny OR get a new TCU for your automatic. Somewhere someone posted all the pn's for the TCU's based on ratio's but I fear it may have been on a now defunct site.
(Side note: "Konka" is the brand of my DVD player purchased at Fry's....and it still works)
Oh, and my 2 and 5 shows are canceled for today.
Last edited by C230 Sport Coup; Sep 18, 2008 at 03:08 PM.
