MacVette99

I was lying on the ground behind my Vette doing some detailing and noticed that the differential carrier was coated with gunk. Can anyone tell where the leak is by looking over these pictures? I'm fairly new to the C5 scene. Is this leak a common problem? The passenger side seems much cleaner than the driver side. The passenger side of the diff carrier appears to have a fill / check plug. I'm guessing the drain plug is somewhere underneath (I couldn't get my camera back that far).

What steps should I take to diagnose this leak? What type/brand of fluid should be used to refill the differential? Should the fluid be up to the fill/check plug? Thanks for any suggestions!

oaks99

probably the seal ithe diff where the shaft goes into it .

oak

MacVette99

What's a ballpark cost estimate on this repair?

pylant

I would not be too hasty to jump into paying someone to repair this.
Buy a can of engine degreaser and spray it clean with water.
Check to see that the bolts holding the differential side cover on that side are tight. The side cover has and O ring and there is a seal for the axle shaft. There is a TSB for adding RTV to the covers if needed.
Check the fluid level. It should be level with the fill hole on level ground. Use a large syringe to fill to overflow if low. I use Mobil 1 synthetic gear oil. (Sorry don’t remember the exact viscosity right now….I think it is 75W-90)
Check for leak, if any, after driving. From your pictures it looks like gear oil, not ATF, which is a possibility in the rear of the car.

I would bet it is the, in order: 1) the axle seal. 2) Loose bolt on the diff cover. 3) Leak at diff cover due to bad O ring and no RTV. 4) Lose fill or drain plug.

Depending on how mechanically inclined you are replacing the O ring or axle seal is not “too” hard.

FactoryRaceCar