[Jam5k1]

Evening folks,
I'm after some friendly advice regarding a suspected diff failure….
I pulled out onto a dual carriageway this afternoon, in first gear, put my foot down and BANG! I lose all drive and the car jolts a couple of times quite violently as I come to a stop. I turn the engine off and call the recovery guys. My car is a 156 GTA, Would you agree it sounds like my diff has just exploded??
I have read that this is not exactly rare on the 156 GTA's with the standard diff being sub standard.
What damage am I looking at? Both to the car and to my wallet!!? I'm devastated The car has been dropped off at my local specialist so hoping they can look at it at this week. I know they are always busy though.
Just looking for any advice from you like minded Alfa maniacs please??

 

[ransoman]

Didn't you post this in the 147/156/gt section yesterday?

 

[Pud237]

Needs a gearbox rebuild or a replacement gearbox. Sorry

Would be a good idea to fit Quaife or Q2 diff to your replacement/rebuilt gearbox to stop this happening again in future. This is a story I've been hearing on a regular basis for 7 or 8 years now.

 

[GTA_Russ]

Is it that common Pud? Mine is standard and the Selespeed I am brining in from Japan is as well. Could it be down to maintenance and the fact that many people don't bother to change the gearbox oil?

 

[156GTASW]

Mine went bang when my GTA was about two years old with circa 20k on the clock, gently pulling away on a left hand turn - was under warranty and I was an early adopter of the Q2 diff - does not appear to be any reason why it happens - but my guess is that at the time my GTA spent most of its life doing lots of short runs in slow moving traffic - GTA's that spend all their time on open roads with little stress I think are less prone to fail ???

 

[Jam5k1]

Didn't you post this in the 147/156/gt section yesterday?

I did mate, just trying to get all the advice I can.

 

[Jam5k1]

Needs a gearbox rebuild or a replacement gearbox. Sorry

Would be a good idea to fit Quaife or Q2 diff to your replacement/rebuilt gearbox to stop this happening again in future. This is a story I've been hearing on a regular basis for 7 or 8 years now.

Does seem common. Can't see any rhyme or reason for it though, simply sub standard part that Alfa stuck with :furious:
I'll be putting a Quaife in for sure, just waiting to find out the extent of the damage :depressed:

 

[Pud237]

I would class the diff as substandard, the planet gears look to be cast and the bits of the planet gears that come off are not attached by much metal in the first place. I guess FWD packaging problems mean the diffs can't be too big & beefy. It seems shock loading can cause a crack and eventually that bit breaks off, gets wedged somewhere and then fired from the diff-housing usually into the bell-housing or occasionally into the gearbox casing.

We reckon the GTA is worst for killing diffs not because of the torque but the very instant way it puts drive through to the diff. There is nothing to absorb any of the load except the springs in the clutch plate as there's no DMF. The diesels despite often having 50% more torque just don't seem to kill diffs at anything like the rate the V6s do.