Strange judder under acceleration

Hello folks,

I'm new here and have a 1984 Series 3 88", which I bought last winter & have been slowly fettling throughout the year.

Generally, everything is going well, but recently I have noticed an occasional & slight judder through the steering when accelerating through 2nd & 3rd gears. I also think there is a bit of diff whine from the front diff (although it is hard to tell, as the tyres make a fair amount of noise on the road!). I had the seals on the diffs replaced a couple of months ago and the garage mentioned a potential issue with the pinion bearings & suggested a diff re-build may be in order.

My question is, would one recommend getting a full diff re-build (I have bee quoted about £300/diff for a rebuild), or could there be something else afoot. If I go down the re-build route, is £300 / diff a reasonable price for this work, or would it be cheaper to source new diffs. Or am I barking up completely the wrong tree?!?!?!

I am keen to get it sorted asap, as it's the only car that can get us out of the village if we get a harsh winter!!!

Thanks in advance

Alex

The judder shouldn't be the front diff - it won't be taking any load under normal use. Could be slack in the rear diff, propshaft UJs or splines or gearbox. Or even the spring bushes. Does the front diff whine when under load in 4wd?

There is a bit of a whine when under load in 4WD, but nothing too major.

It seems to be quite intermittent & mainly occurs when the car is cold to somewhat warm (from startup to having driven maybe 5 miles).

I normally wouldn't worry, but it has only recently started occuring & I need it not break in the middle of winter!!!

I'd change the propshafts and see what that does

First thing I'd do is check the condition and tightness of the engine and gearbox mounts, then check for excess play in the rear prop shaft uj's.