Gearbox.....again

[steelyglint]

so iv just got baack from devon where me 2.3 2003 auto galaxy has suddenly devloped a loud buzzing/whineing from the front left area of the car in a matter of days.said noise dosnt change in pitch when the car changes gear only as the speed increases. i thourt it could be a wheel bearing but on closer inspection there is no play in the wheel. so i took it to me freindly mechanic who spent 2 hours (and didnt charge me for it) playing around with it then came up with a diagnosis that it was the final drive in the gearbox. so my question is this, is the g'box buggerd?! can the finel drive be repaired or is it cheaper to get a recon box? how much do these things cost? any recommedations? thanks in advance

[gordon lonsdale]

so iv just got baack from devon where me 2.3 2003 auto galaxy has suddenly devloped a loud buzzing/whineing from the front left area of the car in a matter of days.said noise dosnt change in pitch when the car changes gear only as the speed increases. i thourt it could be a wheel bearing but on closer inspection there is no play in the wheel. so i took it to me freindly mechanic who spent 2 hours (and didnt charge me for it) playing around with it then came up with a diagnosis that it was the final drive in the gearbox. so my question is this, is the g'box buggerd?! can the finel drive be repaired or is it cheaper to get a recon box? how much do these things cost? any recommedations? thanks in advance

SG. From recent experience I can assure you that you would'nt nessesarily feel play in your roadwheel when your wheel bearing has gone rarely I think do they show slack its usually damaged balls or races . Does the noise change when changing direction ..ie left or right hand bend.I would recomend you completly eliminate hub bearing probs afore looking elswhere .

[Bigjeeze]

I would also look at the drive shaft/cv joint. It doesn't necessarily have to be the Gearbox. As Gordon says - eliminate all other options first!!

[steelyglint]

na dosnt get any worse around bends or over bad bumps. did wonder myself about the c/v joints but its only done 80k miles so its all a bit weird relly to be having major components wearing out so soon.... il have a good look tommrow and report my findings bk. any thing i should be looking for in particuler. the noise is coming from the nearside.... greatly appreciate any help gents

[sparky Paul]

did wonder myself about the c/v joints but its only done 80k miles so its all a bit weird relly to be having major components wearing out so soon....

 

Driveshaft failures are rare on the mk.1 cars, but for some reason, the later cars seem to suffer from a few failures.

 

If the noise is distinctly coming from the nearside front, I would say gearbox is unlikely...much more likely is wheel bearing or driveshaft. Bad bearings can be difficult to diagnose on the front with the drivetrain attached, and as gordon says, the usual problem with modern front wheel bearings (dual race angular contact) is noise - play is often not evident.