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Front differential problems related to coolant leak?

I've got a 2001 Legacy L wagon 2.5L automatic. About a year ago at 76K miles one head gasket was replaced by the dealer under the terms of the head gasket recall.

Now at 97K miles the car has developed a howl in the front drivetrain. I had an independent mechanic diagnose the source of the sound as the front differential. I wonder, could a failing head gasket have caused this problem, by letting the coolant run along the outside of the engine and into places where it shouldn't go?

Anyone care to share other relevant info I should know about before I pay $1000-$1500 to have the front diff fixed?

Thanks

Reply to
lakepancake
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Coolant leaking would have nothing to do with the differential, not directrly anyway.

I guess you have discarded the tires as the cause of your noise. Never heard of the differential being a problem in the 2001, I might be wrong though.

Good luck

lakepancake wrote:

Reply to
AS

Reply to
lakepancake

How did your mechanic diagnose it, test drive, esthetoscope?

Again, the answer to your original question is, the two problems head/differential are not related.

My questi> Thanks for the reply. Regarding the tires, I did try putting the FWD

Reply to
AS

The original diagnosis was from an independent shop that put it up on a rack and listened with a scope. Said the howling noise was coming from the front differential and I that was looking at $1000-$1500 probably to fix it.

Last night I got a sec> How did your mechanic diagnose it, test drive, esthetoscope?

posibility.lakepancake wrote:

Reply to
lakepancake

posibility.lakepancake wrote:

From what I understand about subies, auto or manual trans, if the fluid level has been kept adequate this is a fairly unusual failure.

Dave

Reply to
spamTHISbrp

posibility.lakepancake wrote:

Got the car back...Cost me $1500 per the original estimate. The mechanic said that the pinion bearing didn't show signs of lubrication problems, and surmises that either the original bearing was defective or took some kind of shock that caused the problem, although he couldn't imagine what that might have been.

Reply to
lakepancake

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