WH CRD drivetrain grind after trip to Fraser

[DamoCRD]

Hi all.

Been absolutely loving my '08 GC crd since picking it 6 months ago, and have not had a drama at all till my recent trip to Fraser.

She performed flawlessly on the island, and i never had a problem till i returned to Rainbow beach and used the "Underbody Car Wash".

I'd assumed this would be a good idea and promptly popped in a handfull of $2 coins and watched the sprays move back and forth and do their thing.

It was probably about 10 mins later that i thought i noticed a 'whirring' under acceleration, which got louder under heavier load. If was only slight to begin with, and i questioned whether i was hearing things, but barely a week and 100klm later there is no mistaking it! It is almost a grinding noise now, and although i have no warning or error lights, its makin me kinda nervous.

When i am coasting all is fine, turning one way or another makes no difference, so i'm assuming its not simply a wheel bearing.

It actually 'feels' like its coming from the transmission, and driving home from work last night at times it appeared to hold gears longer than it should (especially so after accelerating away from lights to get in front of the camry drivers!)

I'm wondering if perhaps there is a breather on top somewhere that could've sucked water or sand after being stirred around by the underbody washer?

For all i know i could be way off the mark, but if anyone has any ideas or suggestions i'm all ears. I'm pretty mechanically savvy but just have no experience with this model.

Cheers,
Damo

[Clarky]

Do you have the plastic transmission guard still in place? If so remove it and throw it away as it only traps sand & mud no real protection quality's.

If you had sand & water in the transmission you wouldn't be going anywhere by now

The bellhousing on the trans has openings underneath it where you can see the ring gear & torque converter, it is possible that sand has got inside the bellhousing and may be causing rubbing/binding issues.
Get underneath with a pressure washer, give it a good clean & see if any sand comes out.

While your under there check the rubber boots on the front CV's, if there is sand in a CV it will destroy it in no time at all.

After Fraser I removed all my bash plates & guards (not fuel tank guard) and found half a beach stuck in there