Diff oil leak

[david muir]

Seems I might have a diff oil leak from the input seal! Looked on forum but no evidence to suggest that it can be changed in situ (on an E).......anyone done this?
Had lost a 1/3rd of the oil when measured after draining (!) and the oil looked dirty compared to new stuff.....is this discolouring from the clutch material??
Thanks

[politeperson]

You might just get away with it if your flange will slide off. The prop will move just enough to the side.

These guys removed the IRS. Try forwarding this film to the 31st minute.

My flange would not budge! Good luck.

You have nothing to lose, so try to shift it in situ. Wont take long before you know.

[david muir]

Okay, going to have ago at replacing seal with IRS in situ! Wheeler Dealers had an 'old fashioned' leather seal to go in but the 'usuals' seem to sell rubber seals now. Anyone with any pros & cons? (if there is a choice of seal, that is!)
Thanks

[JagWaugh]

Seems I might have a diff oil leak from the input seal! Looked on forum but no evidence to suggest that it can be changed in situ (on an E).......anyone done this?
Had lost a 1/3rd of the oil when measured after draining (!) and the oil looked dirty compared to new stuff.....is this discolouring from the clutch material??
Thanks

The clutches are steel on steel, so the discolouration is a combination of finely divided metal and heat damage to the oil.

You can tell if a clutch has been slipping... the oil STINKS.

If your car is a later one the input shaft has the crush sleeve, so you need to match mark the nut and shaft to get it tightened back up to the same place. If it is the earlier shimmed arrangement then you can just torque it back up to spec.

Also match mark the flange before removal - they aren't balanced, but the splines usually have a "sweet spot" where they go on easier. If you have trouble fitting the flange, just take it back off and rotate by a tooth until you can get it to slide on with moderate taps from a soft faced hammer. When you hammer on the input flange the motion is being stopped by the crown and pinion interface at the rear, so you don't want to be wailing on it with a BFH.

Pulling the seal itself is easy - drive a self tapper into the steel ring and use that to lever it out. I prefer the leather seal - they swell up and self heal better than the modern ones.