Taking my sweet @ss time with the diff swap.
- Last time I posted, I did get the half shafts removed. Hub bearings seem good so I'm not going to replace them at this time.
- Continuing with this project, which you will see shortly how it's turned out into another slippery slope event...
Loosened top four diff bolts and left the fifth center bolt for last. I used a 6 point socket (can't remember size but I did have to use a cheater bar)
Then I slowly lowered the diff using a floor jack. At first, it takes a bit of lowering, then a bit of moving aft (to clear the driveshaft bolts), then a bit lowering, etc...
I can also see how essential alignment when it's time to raise the diff and reinstall.
So while I'm down there inspecting the underside, I notice a reddish colored fluid splashed throughout the area, especially the forward half of the driveshaft; heat shields; and under the transmission.
The engine area is completely dry so I figure it must be transmission fluid.
I removed the exhaust, heat shields, and drive shaft. More fluid can be seen! It was actually pooling on one of the heat shields and from time to time would somehow get spilled and burned off near the cats.
I noticed my new (less than 2k miles tranny mounts are "melting", I assume by the constant exposure to transmission fluid broke down the rubber???
Continuing on, I start to remove the rear sub frame in order to replace the oem bushings with AKGs.
As I lower the sub frame, looks like I'll be exceeding the stretch threshold on the parking brake lines and rear brake hard lines, so those have to come off.
Paused to update my things to buy while I'm in there:
1) Transmission mounts. Any recommendations? These oem rubber didn’t last 2K miles!
2) Shifter (current installed shifter is from an M3). The shifter's metal cylinder is coming loose from the inner rubber shifter. When you are inside the cabin and hold the shifter, it tends to have an unwanted rotating movement, as if you had a loose shifter ball.
3) Even though all the parts that connect to the transmission are new, I'm afraid all the rubber stuff has been damaged by the fluid exposure. So I will need to replace all that crap again, new bitch clip; "sponge" bushing goes inside rod joint; shifter arm bearing, etc...
4) What is causing the transmission leak? It all seems to originate around the shifter area.
Any info would be really appreciated. I just hope I do not have to lower the transmission!