Greetings Volvo lovers and experts,

A leaking pinion seal left my differential nearly empty. I had my mechanic replace the seal and in three months time, the differential is empty again. My mechanic claims the seal went again because the bearings were on their way out from the last time the differential ran dry. My rear end never made any noise the first time it ran dry, but is making a good deal of noise now, but has quieted some since I put more fluid in.

Does it seem plausible what my mechanic is telling me? How can I know for sure he replaced the seal correctly the first time around. If I need to replace the bearings in the differential, would I be better off just finding a whole used axle somewhere?

Thanks for any help you can render.

Roger Williams

Used rear ends are fairly cheap for the 240 series, and swapping them isn't all that much work. I'ld say sure, why not? Running dry is never too good for mechanical parts, so if you can find a good replacement... If you grab it with all arms and stuff attached it would also be a good time to do a rear bushing job before you put it in.

Bram