Addict
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA
Posts: 457
Here's the latest. I talked to the dealer service department and we both agreed that the 1st thing to check is the final drive oil. The final drive oil was changed at 12,000 miles so the fresh oil ony has 3,400 miles on it. If the oil has metal particles in it then the drive is toast. If the oil is clean then the I can continue to drive on it and check it periodically for wear. It didn't take long for me to find signs of a problem. When I pulled the speed sensor the end of the sensor was coated with soft metallic particles. I went ahead and lowered the drive and drained the oil into a clear glass jar. The final drive oil was dark but I didn't find any obvious metal particles. Now I'm thinking that I may be able to reassemble the drive, add fresh oil and go about my merry way. But just to make sure I put a pocket magnet in the jar and waited for several hours. When I pulled the magnet out it was coated with very fine metallic particles.
The good news I found out early that my final drive was failing before it left me stranded some where. The bad news is that my final drive is failing. I'll order a new one Tuesday.
John 06 KGT