Gearbox Diff on its way out, how long will it last?

[CrookedSheep]

my astra is starting to rumble over the past few weeks and has been getting worse. i have had a few opinions and each garage has said gearbox diff.

before I splash out on a recon box, is there any telling how long the gearbox will last? i appreciate thats like asking how long a piece of string is, but i am wondering.

i am tempted to keep driving it till it brakes, unless someone can tell me why this is a bad idea.

[eldar]

A thicker oil might quieten it a bit...

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

eldar said:

A thicker oil might quieten it a bit...

And a tube of 'Gearbox Molyslip'.

Boxes and diffs can start to whine like a goodun but can in fact still be miles away from failure.

Try the thick oil and molyslip treatment before going for a rebuild or replacement.

As an aside, you have checked the oil level in there, haven't you?

[thinfourth2]

Apparently bananas make a gearbox quieter for a while

[WeirdNeville]

I drove my last car 10,000 miles with a failing diff, I just kept a spare in the garage. It even managed a couple of trackdays.

Risks? Either a sudden loss of drive or possibly (but unlikely) a sudden locking of wheels when/if it does go...

[Martin Keene]

If thicker oil quieten's it down or stops it and the noise is quite deep, and rumbley then it is generally gear wear and will probably carry on for years.

If the thicker oil doesn't work, and more wheel bearing like whine, then it is probably a bearing and hasn't got a huge amount of time left in this world. Exactly how long is hard to say, but I'd reckon on changing it sooner rather than later.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

Rather than shelling out on a replacement gearbox, I think I'd be more inclined to start writing a for sale add, and get shot of it.

[Eggman]

I had a MkII Cavalier with what sounded very like a noisy diff but eventually turned out to be a wheel bearing. There was no play in it and you couldn't feel any roughness; I only found it by chance when a shock absorber failed and I bought a whole new strut from the breakers. You could probably detect a knackered bearing by feeling the hubs after a run to see if one is warmer than the other; things often generate a bit of heat when they start making a racket.

[Steady1892]

Hi I have a seat leon 1.6 tdi been tod diff going and need recon gear box how long will it last or can I keep it quiet a bit