khawk

Im looking for someone that may have knowledge on the front dif assy for my 96 A4 Q.

The right front driveshaft output flange (from the front final drive assy) is leaking oil from its seal due to what I believe to be excesive play on the output shaft. I can grap it and move it slightly as if the bearing is totally wornout. I was not at all happy to find this, nor was I happy to read in my repair manual that I can only change the oil seal on this side and not the bearing. (bearing and seal can be changed on the left diveshaft assy.) I took the right driveshaft off and pulled the stub shaft out of the front dif , but did not find anything obviously worn, the bearing is a needle bearing and looks fine, also the stub shaft bearing surface looks perfect too. However I did notice the long bolt (that holds the stub shaft in place) if I threaded it into its nut (looks like a nut plate inside the dif) without actually installing the stub shaft, just to get a feel for it, I noticed that all the play I noticed before taking things apart seems to stem from this nutplate thing. The nutplate seems to be floating somewhat loosly around in the centre of the dif's splined shaft. Is this normal? I cant see how it can be, Next question , what can I do to tighten things up again.

I should also mention the reasons for looking into all this was two things, the first was a soft clunking noise (felt in the floor too) coming from the front of the car when driving usually around 50 km/hr and clunking with every tire rotation. The second reason was I noticed dif fluid leaking from the rh front driveshaft flange.

Wheel bearing are tight, cv joints are tight, no tears in cv boots, tires are balanced, new brakes installed (disks and pads), brake calipers inspected for looseness on pins(ok), and all new front suspension links with ball joints installed.

any advice on this ?

khawk

Well Im still not sure of this one but I did change the seal and so far the leak has stopped but the noise is still there. I took some photos this time to show what Im talking about. If anything maybe the photos will help someone see what it takes to change this seal.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/96782/rh_output_shaft_a4q_3.jpg">
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/96782/rh_output_shaft_a4q.jpg">
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/96782/rh_output_shaft_a4q_2.jpg">

I have read that only the seal can be changed on this side of the diff. and it was not a big deal to change it, I did it all from the wheel well and was done in about an hour and a half. Notice you can top up the fluid from the filler easily from here too.

savage2

I have a leak on my front right of my (2001 audi a6 quattro 2.8 base) side that i cant fig out. i changed the transmission lines and still i have a leak. I changed the hard lines with rubber hose (500F heat for hose and a heat shield rated at 4k F). One trans line has a tendency to lay on the header from time to time but i do not see a leak on the line and i slip in first when it is cold. smell oil burning off (dont have a clue where)( also trans was filled 2 days a go). My dif is wet all around it and also the bottom half of my Trans line. i was told it can be the dif bearing seal. but at this point i am lost. No hole in trans line as i can see, and my trans lines have fluid on the bottom end. trans lines are wet no where near where they should have burned through from header. How would i tell if it was the dif? No bad smell of gear oil.

savage2

would this be regular trans fluid in the dif?

4Driver4

Why bump a four year old thread to post something unrelated?
Viva la KAWF!

jamesavenue

I have the same leak with this seal on a 99 A4Q Automatic.
Does the RH Front Output Shaft Flange simply pull out after removing the center bolt as shown in these pics?
Mine is not budging.
Would pulling it out result in the issue this post was asking?

AsinoPapa

i dont have a bolt in the middle of the flange.... how do i pull it???