Just put a new clutch, brakes etc in my 99 Cabrio, Renewed seals on drives as well as rear crank seal. All back together, started no problem, into gear and bang!, Oil out of box, a good few F>>KS etc and then left it alone for a few days. Took box out today, one of the sun gears out of housing through into bell housing. I suspect that the circlip cracked when I replaced the shaft and caused the problem, found the two pieces of it in the bottom of the diff. Plastic speedo drive well chewed as well.Few pics attached. Isn't life a bitch!

Life can be a bummer sometimes. Hopefully a used box can be found quite cheaply.
There is a chap near to me (Staffordshire) called the Punto man who specializes in breaking them. I can find you his number if you get stuck.

At least its a FIRE engine, any FIRE engine box will fit, although ideally you want one with the same gearing as yours had. There was a gearbox for a Punto 75 on ebay a week or so ago for £125 if memory serves me correctly.

Puntospares near Scunthorpe might have one ??

Thanks guys, got one last Friday. The guy I got it from said these have a habit of doing the diff! Anybody else seen this before? He was saying the diff explodes, mine certainly didn't. Diff housing not damaged at all just bell housing.

digger58 said:

Thanks guys, got one last Friday. The guy I got it from said these have a habit of doing the diff! Anybody else seen this before? He was saying the diff explodes, mine certainly didn't. Diff housing not damaged at all just bell housing.

Click to expand...

i saw that before on mk2 gearbox, hole straight through

Any idea why? Mine was a Mk1 BTW. Mk 2 box going in now.

its a new one on me i must say - had countless fire engined cars with this style box and diff and not once ever had anything but a few worn out clutch plates, thrust bearings and a couple of noisy lay shaft bearings. Heck even my turbo converted cars have never had any issues like this and they make way way more power and torque than any of the standard engines with the C514 box fitted to them. I suspect something coming dislodged whilst you were messing is most likely the correct assumption.

Sucks but hey, at least its not hugely expensive - i scrapped my old merc cause it needed a new box and a rebuild or 2nd hand replacement was more than the car was worth.

Thanks for that "Messing" I reckon it was the circlip that broke and got caught in the gears. I've just stripped the diff on the replacement box, new seals and checked it out, no magnet in housing, obviously been apart before. Hope to drop it back in tomorrow, took disc off today as there were oil splashes on it, all cleaned now.