Hey guys and gals, when I swapped out my rear diff fluid the other day I noticed a small amount of metal shavings on the drain plug.   Just wondering if it is normal to see a small amount of shavings from wear over time or if this is something that could cause future trouble? The car is a 96' legacy l wagon with 97,000miles.  I don't think it had ever been changed before, but I'm not certain.  There is no noise or anything and she drives quiet and nice as can be.  I think she'll go for many trouble free miles.  What do you think?

if it was sludge-like, no 'chunks', and less than - say 1/2 or 3/4 teaspoonful or so, that would be consistent with normal i think. At least, that's what I found on my cars' magnetic drain plugs.

Edited August 28, 201312 yr by 1 Lucky Texan

"No noise" are the two key words in your post. That pretty much tells you the diff is in good shape. I wouldn't worry about it. A small amount of metal grit is normal. Replace diff lube, and you should be good for many more miles.

A small amount of grey is normal. Gears wear a little no matter how new or slippery the fluid is, and the shavings from that wear just get stuck to the case.

Good to know!  Now hopefully this is the case with my front diff, when I change out the fluid as well.