The mighty berlingos making a racket.

Sounds like a wheel bearing when your driving. A howel nee grumble when you get upwards of 20mph any gear – neutral or clutch in also

No change when you turn

All wheels jacked up and seem in good fettle no play smooth and easy to turn.

How ever when I Jacked up near side and run the engine in first gear I can hear the growl. Sounds like it’s coming from the diff.

Did the same on other side. Same noise.

Checked gearbox oil . It was right height – so drained it and it was clean and no metal chips

Am I right in that it’ll most likely be the diff bearings or is there anything else in about there that could make that noise ?

Might be time to go car shopping. New gear box will run me 150 quid and if I’m in there I’ll change the clutch so that’s another 60 quid and I’m tight on time . Car needs to be back on road next Wednesday

It’s a 1.9d 5 speed box. Google seems to think the diffs replaceable on its own…. Any thoughts ?

If it is the same box as a 205 (or similar) PSA used to do a kit. From memory I think it was diff seals, bearings and planet gears. All for around £60?

I tried to source the bearings, but they are specific oddball ones that only the dealers had/have.

Easy enough job with the tranny out.

Hth

Cheers Marco. The diffs a separate bolt on casting so could probably drop it off and change the bearings out if I find them .

Got a press and plates etc so shouldn’t be too hard

better the devil you know – fix it

i know the right answer finishthat 😀 its practiacally been restored in a rolling resto kind of way … im just feeling time pressure of going back to work on thursday.

Now I’ve found the differential bearings for 31 quid. given the diffs never been run dry and there was no filings in the dropped oil (nor the metaliccy sheen) is it likely its the bearings howling like a banshee and i take a punt on them at 30 quid.

If the diff bearing doesn’t fix it, it might be a cv on the way.
I had a 205 and the dying cv made itself known by howling much like the banshee you describe, albeit at slightly higher speeds. Wasn’t really evident when doing the usual cv checks either. There might have been a barely there click when jacked and spinning a wheel, but can’t rightly remember (I was investigating in a dark car park somewhere near Leven in Fife, so wasn’t hanging around..)
I sought advice somewhere or other, switched the cv, and it was fixed.

ah **** it reading a bit more. given i have one punt i think it is a better option to bite bullet and change the box. Seems it could be the syncros grinding their tits off as well.

HAve enquired locally about a gearbox as looking at it and reading the manual it seems an easy swap for a transverse . no sodding sub frame(and thus all ancillaries attached to it) to remove.

i gave them a good check earlier himupstairs as im inclined to agree thats where id look also how ever i kind of put that to bed when regardless of what wheel was on the ground (ie stationary) the noise came from the same part …. the gear box.

couldnt pin point the noise within the gearbox with the stethoscope though it just seemed to be general grindy noises – but then this gearbox is attached to an 8valve tractor engine id be lucky to distinguish any noise at all .

ah, I see. might be worth pulling it all apart then. they are relatively easy to get in and about at least.
I just started with easiest to replace bits and maybe got lucky.

Does one of the drive shafts have a bearing carrier. Long shot it could be the bearing if fitted on the Berlingo. If the synchros are worn wouldn’t it be awkward to change down the box? If it is the diff it could well last another 50k. They can get noisy with age but they don’t generally fail.

I’d not start with the diff I’d be checking drive shafts 1st. the os I’m sure has a central bearing. I know the 406 does

indeed it does duncan , how ever the noise is present even when the long shaft isnt turning – as part of my tests to eliminate the shafts the noise is traceable to within the gearbox somewhere i just cant tell where – given thats the only external bearing that hasnt been changed.

the noise is unbearable inbred its a fairly noisy car as it is but to me its worse than driving my uninsulated unsounddeadened unsilenced exhausted 200tdi 9 its louder than just a wheel bearing. infact if it was a wheel bearing id expect the wheel to have a **** load of movement with this noise. if anything the noise get worse as the car warms up too

Any update?

I have blown a hdi box up before….

Let noise get worse.

Finally it started going away under cornering so I knew it was a bearing not the box.

Swapped out the bearing this afternoon. Bearing came out in bits. One of the balls on the inside race was about the size of a pee and very irregular.

It’s only been in there a year 🙁

Which is a relief as the code match box for mine would be one of the more expensive ones as it’s one of the last wjy dw8s