A rather diff’rent problem
The noise from the differential seemed to be getting worse as I left Calais and made my first foray into northern France on the way to Le Mans. That was back in July, which seems an age ago – but I’m still living with the repercussions…
I had to pull over at the first Aire de Service for an inspection. Finding nothing obviously amiss, I continued my journey, pushing any concerns to the back of my mind and relishing the prospect of being immersed in everything that the Le Mans Classic has to offer – not least having a ticket that included paddock access and a permit to the track itself, allowing me to park within the club stands dotted around the circuit. I know, lucky me.
Having driven around Garage Vert past a plethora of exotic classics, as well as legendary Le Mans-winning race cars, I pulled up next to a group of TVRs. To top it all off I even managed to sneak into the pits during the night racing and get up close to some of the cars I had been admiring during the day.
It was petrolhead heaven, but upon leaving the track, the noises from the differential became exponentially worse; every time
I lifted off the throttle there was a terrible clatter of slipping gears from the rear axle. Sensing impending doom I nursed the car back to where I was staying and the next day set about trying to discover the cause of the problem. Which, through extensive internet research I concluded was the pinion bearing. With my return ferry crossing looming all I could do was top the diff’ up with heavy duty oil stabiliser, left-foot-brake all the way to keep the inertia on the rear axle in a bid to prevent any further damage and pray that I would make it home to a garage before the internals disintegrated. Thankfully it made it back in one piece and I later learned that my diagnosis was correct.
‘You did well to drive that back from France,’ exclaimed my mechanic. Feeling strangely flattered, it was now time to find a replacement differential – the fun is just beginning…