Type R - Leaking Rear Diff?

[hacky]

Well I had the car up on the 2 poster the other day changing the brake lines and noticed that the underside of my centre diff seemed to be coated in a mixture of dirt and oil. Is it possible that the diff is leaking? Is it a common thing? I've cleaned it up and going to check it again at the weekend to see if it has re-appeared.

I dont know if its just my imagination but I can hear the diff knocking and clunking a little bit, but only after I have given the car a blast.

Do you think the diff is leaking fluid and is causing these noises? These noises can be heard when the diff is fully open. Its not exactly easy to check the level of the fluid and I dont have any left over to top it up with. I changed the fluid about 4/5 months ago when I bought the car.

Edited June 11, 2009 by hacky

[hacky]

Right, the diff is definately leaking. As far as I am aware there are three possible sources of my leak.

1 - the diff cover gasket

2 + 3 - the side oil seal where the drive shafts enter the diff on either side.

For all the cost, I plan on replacing all of these while I'm at it.

The diff cover is a piece of piss, all beit a bit fiddly. However the driveshafts seems more dificult. In the service manual I have it specifies a lot of "special tools" ie, drive shaft remover, puller assy, and drift, side oil seal protectors. Are these all necessary? Are they widely available? Are they expensive?

Here are some screen shots of the procedure...