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Thread: Rear Diff Oil Leak

  1. #1

    Default Rear Diff Oil Leak

    Hi all,

    Apologies if this has already been discussed, but couldn't find much info while searching.

    Recently I noticed a burning oil smell towards the rear of my car, and during an inspection noticed there was a leak coming from the rear diff on the driver's side. The burning oil smell was caused by the oil slowly dripping onto a shroud that covers the exhaust.

    Took it to Mazda dealership and they are confident it's just a faulty seal that is causing the leak, but I am worried it is more serious. I have read that a leak on the driver's side of the rear diff is a sign that something will soon go bang.

    The car is just on 5 years old now, but only has 65,000km clocked up. It's due for a service soon - should I push the local dealer to delve a little deeper than just a seal replacement? If the problem is serious, and considering the low km on the car, would I have a case for getting it replaced at Mazda's expense? Am I dreaming?

    I have read somewhere previously that the rear diff and associated bracing is prone to failure, so I'm a little worried at this stage.

    Any help or advice much appreciated

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Perth, WA
    Age
    52
    Posts
    6,388

    Default

    Haven't heard too much about oil leaks from the diff Nick, transfer cases yes. It could be something as simple as seals are you experiencing any other issues? i.e. increased vibrations, noises etc that would indicate something else may have caused the seals to fail (damaged drive shaft or similar) Unfortunately I'm not that clued up on the internals of diffs, Mal seems to have had a reasonable amount of diff issues, maybe he'll have a better suggestion. Good luck getting it sorted, though I wouldn't hold out for warranty being 5 years old
    Take care mate
    Chris

    Edit, forgot to add that most of the issues associated with mounts were from front mount bolts shearing and rear mounts cracking, none of those should affect the seals unless you've been driving around with damaged mounts!
    Last edited by shakespeare; 29-06-2011 at 12:08 AM.
    R36 - Just like an MPS6 except with a growly V6

  3. #3

    Default

    Probably not what you want to hear Nick, but I reckon you'll just have to wear the cost of repair. I have the same issue with a transfer case that started leaking 5 minutes after the warranty expired and I just have to accept that I'm responsible for the repair. On the positive side, changing a leaky seal is a whole lot cheaper than changing the entire diff.

  4. #4

    Default

    Thanks for the replies guys. Im not experiencing any other issues that would indicate there is something wrong with the rear diff (vibration, noise etc), so hope it's just the seal that needs replacing. Have the car booked in for a service so will soon know how much I'm up for. Thanks once again

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