My 72 has been parked for about 2 years. It stopped leaking out the differential a while ago and I decided to replace the pinion seal to hopefully stop the leaking.

I removed the drain plug and no fluid came out. Not too surprising as it had been leaking for a while. What did come out (stuck to the magnetic drain plug) was what is pictured below.

I hadn’t planned on rebuilding/replacing the differential but this scares me a bit.

If I replace the pinion seal and refill with fluid am I just driving a time bomb around waiting for the differential to explode? Or will I probably be OK for a while?

Where is the rest of the circle , I wonder ?

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Home of the 1969 GT6+ MK II resurrection project
and a sorry looking 1968 GT6+ parts car trying to stay whole.

Exactly!!!

It's a bit difficult to gauge size and I don't recognize it as part of a differential, but I wouldn't want another piece of it to get between gears, probably break the case.

Good point on size. Posted another picture.

It is part of the spring washer 118977
https://www.canleyclassics.com/triumph-spitfire-mkiv/1500-rear-axle-centre-details

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Regards Norbert 1969MK3

Yup.

Tear it down.

Will this require a complete tear down and rebuild? I don’t think I have the mechanical skillls for that.

You have to remove the two quarter shafts 139531 and seperate the housing, then you see where the missing washer should be. No adjustment or spezial tool is needed.
But you have to pull the diff

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Regards Norbert 1969MK3

Reseal and fill . The other part has been in there awhile and has done nothing , its not likely to do anything just now that you have removed the broken off section . I'd take a chance and run it , if it makes no bearing going south sound or gear noise , I'd run it till it's showing a need . I'd also try to have a replacement stashed away .

If that screw comes loose you will have a completely damaged Diff. Also it could block the rear axle and a serious accident can follow, I wouldn't drive the Diff any more.

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Regards Norbert 1969MK3

get a used replacement for a 100 bucks, they come up on buy/sell now and again. pull your diff and replace with the newly obtained. then tinker with the one you pulled. it might be an easy fix for you, maybe impossible. it might look like it's not even worth rebuilding.

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Arthur
68 spit
70 gt6+

It might also be possible that it is residue of a previous teardown, and there is nothing wrong with your differential now. "Feelin' lucky punk"! I'd prepare for replacement.

It's unlikely that he found the thing attached to the magnet right after it broke , so he has been driving with that washer broken and nothing bad has happened . Its very likely that nothing bad will happen .

What gets me is when you tear something like this down and everything is fine (apart from the piece) and it turns out someone worked on it before and missed getting that piece out of there.

What's even more fun is when someone has something go "boing" and fly accross the shop and land in someone else's work. I had a valve cover off on an engine when another guy snapped a clip and it flew over 30 feet and I watched it go down the oil gallery.