diff whine, many questions!

[stevo]

i noticed today theres a faint smooth whistle kind of noise coming from the rear of the car i think. could it be the diff, and is it bad?
also when a diff does pack in what happens, does it lock up or is there a loss of power, or is it a more gradual thing?
obviously i dont know much about it
any info is apreciated

[Brianmoooore]

Very common. Don't worry about it, the diff will go on for many tens of thousand of miles before it fails.

[Dan318-is]

mine whines like a dog when cold an is only a faint whine when i drive

but it whines when i donut as well

should i worry ?

[dannosail]

Mine does as well, have changed and checked diff oil regularly and although it's a bloody annoying noise theres no affect on performance.

I guess the noise is just the gears meshing, the noise is consistent with car speed and not gearbox speed so it must be the diff unless it's the prop shaft output from the gearbox.

[Martin323i]

Yup, mine's been doin' that since I got it. Everyone I've spoken to about it told me not to worry. The diff should last a long time to come.

I kind of like the whine. Inside the car it sounds like an airplane. Outside tho it sounds terrible!

[Ziggy]

What 'bout whiney gearboxes - more likely to die horribly?? Mine seems to be the gearbox rather than the diff, but I'll be finding out when I get an LSD anyway!