Differential temperature
 

I don't think I have ever seen this question before.
After driving several miles at speed, how hot does the differential get? (or the tranny, for that matter). I never gave it any thought until recently, I had a leak in the banjo gasket and I was trying to find the location. I felt the banjo and it was quite warm. Then I went to the tranny and it was warm also.
Is this a normal thing of warm (to hot) in the differential?
Do I have a problem? I just changed out the pinion bearings. I thought maybe older bearings were the culprit. Same-same.

Any thoughts?
Dick (in hazy El Segundo CA)

Re: Differential temperature
 

Is this a "trick" question?

Sounds like your differential and possibly the transmission are ready for a catastrophic failure. Heat in either of these units is not a good sign.

Best you sell the car before it ends up on the road with differential and transmission gears scattered all over the place.

Good luck.

Re: Differential temperature
 

The Trans and Differential will get "WARM" when driving the car around town on a day like today. You should still be able to put your hand on them without burning your skin. If you were running across the desert in the middle of the summer, they will get a lot hotter, just like everything else under the car.

If you have just recently rebuilt the differential and it is getting real hot in the area of the pinion or carrier bearings, you may have something too tight. Older bearings will often run cooler because they are a little looser.

Chris

Re: Differential temperature
 

I shot the temp on several things on my 28 Phaeton about a month ago. The tranny was a few degrees warmer than the 92* outside air and the differential was 100* when the air was 92*. This was right after a 20 mile drive at 45 MPH.

Re: Differential temperature
 

Thanks, Tom. You gave me an idea. I might shoot some temps of my car and others to see if my car is really in line or in trouble.
Dick

Re: Differential temperature
 

Got a remote temp gun recently and, as always, with a new toy gun, I pointed it at everything on the A after good long run. The differential center housing was about 150 degrees. Everyone I talked to said this was normal.

Re: Differential temperature
 

Thanks for the info, Ray. I 'shot' the temp yesterday after a 35 minute crosstown (in traffic) run and it was 126 deg. Then coming home, I took it up on the freeway for about a 10 minute run and checked it when I got home. It was 140 deg.
It must be my engineering mind that says if it is running hot, it got the heat from somewhere. Somewhere like too much friction!
Thanks again for your numbers. I will keep an eye on it.
Dick Wyckoff

Re: Differential temperature
 

Where does the tail pipe exit? I've seen some pointed right at the axle tube, or at least partially on it. This will heat the axle considerably. My Aries exits below the axle tube, well clear of doing any heating of the tube.