MikeB4
Well-known member
Hi all,
It's been a while since I've posted, as I've had years of trouble-free service from my B4 sedan until yesterday. It appears that my differential is shot. I get no power to the wheels, just a horrible gear-skipping clunking sound when I attempt to apply power regardless of gear. The sound happens in neutral as well, when pushing the car. Changing a transmission or differential is way over my head, and my mechanic (a trusted TDI shop) is trying to source another transmission. (I'm sure decent ones are hard to find). I presume he is not interested in or capable of doing a tranny or diff rebuild, so that's why he is looking at a swap.
I was wondering, is the differential oil separate from the regular transmission gear oil? The reason I ask is that I've had a light-brown oil leak on the right side of the car for a long while now, and I thought it was from my steering rack with the torn boot over there. However, maybe it was the diff leaking all along . . . . I knew it wasn't the tranny oil since I've got redline MT-90 in there, which is red in color.
Thanks!
Michael
97 Passat TDI
Orange County, CA
It's been a while since I've posted, as I've had years of trouble-free service from my B4 sedan until yesterday. It appears that my differential is shot. I get no power to the wheels, just a horrible gear-skipping clunking sound when I attempt to apply power regardless of gear. The sound happens in neutral as well, when pushing the car. Changing a transmission or differential is way over my head, and my mechanic (a trusted TDI shop) is trying to source another transmission. (I'm sure decent ones are hard to find). I presume he is not interested in or capable of doing a tranny or diff rebuild, so that's why he is looking at a swap.
I was wondering, is the differential oil separate from the regular transmission gear oil? The reason I ask is that I've had a light-brown oil leak on the right side of the car for a long while now, and I thought it was from my steering rack with the torn boot over there. However, maybe it was the diff leaking all along . . . . I knew it wasn't the tranny oil since I've got redline MT-90 in there, which is red in color.
Thanks!
Michael
97 Passat TDI
Orange County, CA