Hello,

I haven't posted anything for a while, because my subies have been running good, and I have been able to successfully (with the help of the USMB) address repair issues as they occurred. I have a problem with my 98 Forester (5 speed manual, 200,000+ miles) now that looks like a major issue. It is making a low whining/rumbleing sound, almost like road noise, from the front differential area. The noise stays the same, whether you are in gear or coasting in neutral. It does change somewhat in turns, but not a lot. I replaced both front wheel bearings with the hub tamer type tool, and changed the differential/transmission oil, replacing it with GL-5 spec 85-145W to see if that would help. It didn't. The strange thing is that the dipstick for the differential oil has a half-moon shaped shiny spot worn on the end of it from rubbing on something. Could it be that a retaining ring or snap ring has broken, allowing something to move enough to hit the dipstick and rub it? Any thoughts/ideas are greatly appreciated! This vehicle has had a long run, and it is kind of a classic, so if I can get some more out of it, it would be great. Changing out a complete trasmission/differential assembley is probably not an option here, so if it comes to that I probably will start looking for another vehicle.

isn't there a magnet on the drain plug? how did that look?

I should have included that in the post, sorry about that! There was a fair amount of steel powder on it, biggest pieces (4 or 5) probably the size of a grain of salt. I think most of that probably came from the dipstick being rubbed by whatever is/was rubbing it.

I should have included that in the post, sorry about that! There was a fair amount of steel powder on it, biggest pieces (4 or 5) probably the size of a grain of salt. I think most of that probably came from the dipstick being rubbed by whatever is/was rubbing it.

 

 

that doesn't seem horrible - unless 'fair amount' is more than - what? - 1/4, 1/2 teaspoon or so of material? Naturally, there COULD be something the size of a man's thumb laying in the bottom of the pan.

Very true! I would say about a third of a teaspoon of powder was on the magnet, actually. I have never taken one of these units apart, so it is all speculation for me.