I have a 1998 Subaru wagon with 41,000 miles and had no problems until now. I took it to the dealership for a routine oil change and to check on occasional rumbling/grinding noises that seem to occur when I come to a stop and accelerate again, the car actually seems to lurch on accelerating. The mechanic told me that the 'rear differential' needs to be replaced since the gears are worn out in it ($875, labor included). They also discovered that the 'oil separator plate' was leaking oil since it's become porus ($900 labor included). I am a bit shocked, because I thought I had a great, well maintained car. It's as if I went to the doctor for what I thought was little cold and the doctor told me that I need a liver transplant! I must admit that I know very little about cars, could anyone please tell me if I really need these fixes? I would think that the differetial problem is very important to fix first. I plan on taking a long trip this summer and wonder if I can afford to put off the repairs. Any opinions regarding my problems would be greatly appreciated!

 

>Thanks a ton in advance!

Maybe the diff ran low on oil for sometime because of a small leak and now it's toast. If it's toast, you really can't put it off for long. The diff is usually something that a lot of owners don't look at because it's location on the car. Are there any good subaru mechanics in your area that can give you a second opinion and a better price? Also, I thought that the old style oil separator plate was plastic and that the new one is metal and there is a recall on it? Maybe someone here can tell us if I'm mistaken or not.

and it leaked. The metal one is fine.

Those are big dollar quotes you've gotten. Can you find an experienced, independent Subaru tech to confirm whether or not the rear diff needs replacement? If so, perhaps he/she could install a used or rebuilt rear diff.

 

Does anyone know whether a leaking oil separator plate can be lived with? $900.00 is a lot of money to repair an oil leak.

but my clutch sucked and my head gaskets leaked and I am fussy. I was using about a quart every two weeks that pretty much cleared up to a quart per oil change afterwards.

The first check to do on the diff. would be to drain it and check the condition of the oil, and also if any metal is stuck to the plug. If it's an AT car, you can put it in FWD and see if anything changes. As for the oil leak, there's an opening on the bottom of the bellhousing where you can see the flywheel (or flexplate if AT) from the front. If you see any oil there, it likely does come from the separator cover, but you have to be sure. If the shop didn't start with any of these checks, you might want to go elswehere.

On my forester we got a new differential under warrenty, there is a service bulliten on them(I don't know which one). It started making noise at 70km/h and moaned any where above that. I was lucky, it was 6 months before my warrenty expired and I saw the invoice to Subaru for it $1800 Canadian.