Diff oil Leakage

[mhb]

just had my 1997 c240 estateserviced by a main dealer , they say the diff is leaking oil and need to be topped up, this will mean removing diff. . re-filling with oil replacing seals etc. total cost £700
is there any way around this , can the oil be topped up and seals replaced without taking the diff off
thanks
ps

the oil leak looks no worse than many i've seen ie its not dripping just oily around the diff. housing

 

[Ron Palfrey]

I would just top it up to the filler / level plug with hypoid gear oil SAE 90 or SAE 85W/90. Take your time and do it on the level. Allow plenty of time for the oil level to settle properly before checking it again.
If you find that it then leaks a lot you will need to get the seals replaced which is a complex task requiring the final drive unit to be partially dismantled.
I believe there is a breather hole which can get blocked and cause oil loss through pressure build up but I am not sure.
Ron

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Lots of diffs weep. Theres nothing unusual about it unless yours is spurting fluid like a Hammer Horror film.

You might as well drain the old oil and refill with new oil. You'll need a big allen key (I don't remember the size) and a ring spanner as leverage. Make sure you unscrew the FILL plug first, don't unscrew the drain plug first - if you empty the diff and then find that the fill plug is stuck, you won't be able to drive the car anywhere. Fill plug will be high up on the side of the diff, drain plug is low down on the side.

As for how much, just fill it until it starts coming back out the fill hole.

I can't remember exactly what I used but it was Millers, 85W/90 I think. £10 a litre.

 

[alancee]

14mm af hex allen key,a good one and a steel tube,if they want £700.00 its cheaper to change the diff,what a total lot of b------s,who do they think they are talking to for gods sake

 

[mhb]

thanks everybody
once again good advice from this site,
mike