brixters,

my diff fluid is leaking in my ~300k mile, 86 245, but only when i drive. saw the fresh fluid above the differential when i was replacing the rear bushings. there is no fluid dripping on the driveway.

i have the new volvo pinion seal. tonight i drained the oil.

what i see:
a) the magnetic drain plug had metal filings on it.
b) the drained fluid comes up to about a little more than 2/3 of the total 1.3 liters (~0.9 liters).
c) the oil is still honey-colored and still highly viscous.

i haven't heard any whining/ high pitch sounds from the rear. i don't know when or if the gear oil has ever been changed. my wife is the original owner and she doesn't have all the records before we met. i can probably safely assume that the oil hasn't been changed in about 15 years.

questions:
1) does the metal filings mean bad news or is this typical wear over such time?
2) with only about 70% fluid remaining, has the fluid been high enough to prevent differential disaster?

thanks again!
byron golden
86 245
92 245