Figuring this wll get enough hits for the real auto mechanic mavens to get around to it.
At the oil change place today,I had my (manual)trans.fluid replaced figuring it was about time.52k mi.6 yrs.
The the shop manager showed me the plug from the rear end,which showed some iron filings and aso a piecce of metal about the size of a fingernail clipping-say 2 weeks growth or so.
Obviously there’s something going on in there-but how bad is it?Short of going to the mechanic (which I intend to do) to take off the cover? and look into the rear end.
My question,how bad could this be/get.What danger signs (other than the filings I felt) should be present to tell me I have serious problems here.How serious (moneywise) are they.
I feel/hear no clunking/grinding noises,other than an occasional stutter/slippage (sort of a onesided wheeelie) to my curbside rear tire when taking off fast to get into traffic making a right turn.
The manager at the lube place said my old trans fluid looked good,no shavings.
Assuming you still have the original oil in there, you’re probably seeing the normal result of the original “bedding in” of the gears. That happened during the first thousand miles or so. The oil level was just checked, so you know the seals are still good. In the absence of noise, there’s no reason to fret.
I’m not a real mechanic, but I play one on my garage floor.
That’s a pretty old mechanics trick. I’ve heard it used most often with automatic transmissions. “Boy, look at all these bits of metal. We caught your transmission just in time!”
I wouldn’t say there’s a problem just because of shavings. What exactly do you mean by a “one sided wheelie”??? Has it always done that or is this something new? I would have to say you probably don’t have a problem.
I’m not a professional mechanic, but I have replaced a couple of engines in cars and I do most of my own mechanical work to my own cars.
ASE certified mechanic here. Year, make, model of car/truck? If this is the first time the diff. plug has been pulled, a little metalic debris is normal. Someone called it “bedding in” of the gears. It is very easy on some units to remove a stamped steel cover and view the gears and bearings. Is this a “limited slip” unit? Sometimes the additive needs to be replenished. Easy to do, but the stuff smells really bad. Let the boards know what happens.
It’s a '96 ranger 2wd manual trans.Has been serviced at same place since new.(Jiffy Lube),every 3k or so.The printout sheet always reads OK on fluids,etc.
They always check the differential,according to those sheets.He wasn’t trying to sell me anything,since he had no solution to offer other than take it to my mechanic for a look.
I will add one time before at another oil change,someone marked brake fluid low on the sheet and I asked him about it.(Same mgr.)
He said not to worry it wasn’t really low,and after reading about the brake system in the owner’s manual his tale checked out.(Apparently my dash brakelight will come on when fluid level’s too low to tell me it’s time for a brake check/job)
About the onesided wheelie,it’s almost like the rear curbside tire is in mud/wet while the other’s on dry footing,and this only for a sec.or so when pulling out quickly into the traffic lane making right turn.And this not all the time,but occasionally