Originally Posted by
BilboBoggles
On the TD5 the first two failed due to crap ingestion - the bearing tracks were chomped out. I suspect they left weld splatter on the inside or a few bolts lying around. I've done 170,000 k's since then and it's not failed so I'm fairly sure it's not driving technique.
The PUMA - I don't know why the first one failed - just that the pinion bearing developed a lot of slop and a bad oil leak within a few thousand k's from brand new. The replacement - I'm not sure it's making a nasty clonking sound in time with the props shaft and hums like crazy when coasting. I'd love to know how driving technique can damage a diff in a couple of hundered meters.