Oil leak and now a rattling sound......

Hi there my disco has been running fine but It's had an oil leak coming from the rear axel, the differential housing. It's been dripping out for about a week, it's not from one of the drain or filler plugs but from the body of the housing itself. I was going to araldite over the small hole where it's seeping through and get teh oil changed. I can't shift the filler plug at all, can't get the leverage under the car.

Any way today the disco has developed a rattling kinda noise, only happens when moving and I guess it must be coming from the diff.

Do you reckon that if the oil has mostly drained out I'm grinding metal in the diff and that's the noise? and do you reckon I'll have killed it now?

Cheers

BUT the most annoying thing though is that I'm off tommorow working thursday and due to be going to wales this weekend with the kids. So I've got about 600 miles of driving planned from thursday night .
It's been running so well too.

Get a ratchet on it, then use the jack under the handle of the ratchet to TIGHTEN it a TINY bit, this will crack it off, then reverse and using the jack trick again and it should come straight out.

Aaah, wish I'd known that trick earlier!
Bet that would have helped when trying to do the engine oil.

If the diff has run low on oil do you reckon it would make noise?

Reckon I'm gonna end up with it in a garage tommorow and hope they can sort it, I've got parrots to transport on thursday night and NEED a big car for cages and birds.

I feel a hire car coming on - not happy at that thought!

If you have driven it for a long time with no oil then it could be damaged - I would clean it all up, wire brush it, degrease it and then try and repair the leak, chemical metal or something will see you though. Then a good coat of fibreglass resin to seal it all up (if you don't have time now then soon).

Fill it with oil and if your lucky you will be OK.

Remember if the diff blows you can still drive in diff lock.