Morris Minor Owners Club

Hello all
a newby here...
Our new van has a very noisy rear axle. It makes a right row around certain speeds (35ish and around 50). Would I need to replace the whole axle or just get a recon dif? i.e. is there anything else in the drive train that could be causing the noise.
...the noise disappears when I lift off the throttle.
How big a job is it to swap just the diff? (I'm fairly good at mechanics).
Also...
If I do go down the new diff route, is it worth going for a higher ratio? The engines quite fit and pulls well with its (presumably) standard ratio.
Any advise gratefully received.
Cheers
Chris

I recently changed the back axle on my Traveller as
a) it rumbled a bit
b) the filler plug is unmoveable so I've been topping it up through the breather hole for years
c) one of the brake drums was a bit oval

I got a 2nd hand complete axle which has almost certainly done half the miles mine had and swapped them one weekend (including changing all the spring bushes) so not too hard to do. I'd guess you'd need to take the axle off anyway to change the diff but you might be able to heave it into place from underneath the car (don't forget to remove the half shafts first ). That's assuming the wheel bearings are OK.

Worth checking the propshaft UJ's first though as that could be the source of the noise.

Make sure there is some oil (EP 90) in the diff first ! Also worth checking if the big nut has come loose - it should be very tight - and this sets the running clearance for the final drive gears. But yes if you decide to change the diff it's not difficult - certainly possible with the axle in place. The higher ratio diffs were on the Wolseley 1500/Riley 1.5 - they sometimes come on ebay and usually fetch a high price.

sorry bmcecosse... which big nut? I'm still waiting for my workshop manual to arrive

The one hidden by the propshaft. Holds the drive flange in place.