Limited Slip Diff advice

[grnvs]

Hi.

My mate is selling a limited slip diff (disc to disc w/ shocks and panhard bar) from his vg v6 ute (he unfortunately wrote it off, hence why he is selling the diff. No rear end damage). I am thinking about whether it is worth putting it in my vs wagon (it has a single spinner).

My first question is whether the whole assembly would fit. I know the utes/wagon are pretty much the same except for those round pads the utes have for the larger bump stops, but is the vs the same width as the vg? Or would i need to take the center out and replace it in my existing unit.

I do know the diff was making some wering noise. My mate is pretty shore it would be the shim adjustment for the pinion. As for the clutch mechanisms, we tryed turning the discs in the opposite directions but we could not do it (with moderate force, we didn't try with all our strength) so I guess it is holding ok, and I do know the ute turned correctly as I had been for a ride in it.

I think he is after around $170 for it. I spoke to the wreckers today and he recons a 2nd hand full assembly would be around $800 without axels for a wagon/ute lsd for the vp - vs models as they are very rare compared to sedans.

I am just thinking about whether it is worth me buying it, as this diff is about 6 years older than my car and if it is wering it would at the least need some adjustment to the pinion gear or may be a bearing I guess. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[AnthsVSLexcen]

dude i dont think there that expensive, i got my diff done for $650 which included a rebuild LSD (was a single spinner) and 2nd hand 3.9 gears all fitted.

 

[grnvs]

I thought it sounded pretty expensive. But I'm still not sure whether I should be considering the unit out of the vg

 

[Boonz]

the housing is 30mm longer on the utes and the lower control arm mounts are closer together so it wont be fitting in anything but a ute, heaps of people get caught out with this and its usually cheaper getting a rebuild than buying form the wreckers cos they know they are scarce

 

[ICUBYE]

I had my diff checked not too long ago, if you go for a new LSD centre to convert a single spinner i was quoted $700 just for the centre, no labour or anything. For that price i would rather pay $750 plus labour and stick in a Detroit Locker. and thats what the diff guy recommended.

AnthsVSLexcen: where abouts did you pickup the LSD and 3.9 gears???

 

[grnvs]

Well maybe at $170 for the lot its still worth picking up, and taking the centre out to fit to my gears. Or would I be better off paying the extra money to get a rebuilt unit installed? (The main reason I am considering doning this is the unit is pretty cheap). I think to get it installed and set would be around $200 so I'll end up paying around $370. What do you guys think?

 

[5 speed VR]

Just a question, are wagon and ute diffs the same??

 

[stylin_vr2]

Just a question, are wagon and ute diffs the same??

umm....... no!

 

[VN_Luke]

I was under the impression that wagon and ute diffs WERE the same? they have the angled shocks, as opposed to sedans which have vertical shocks?

2nd hand full assembly would be around $800

LIES! all LIES i sayyyy! i picked up a 2nd hand LSD and housing for 200 bux aaages ago, unfortunately when i went to put it into my sedan, i REALISED that the shock mounts were different, as this was a UTE diff! grr.



as for the original question: 170 is pretty cheap to pickup even an LSD carrier, plus you get a whole housing and some gears to play with!..

the whine sounds no good, as diff whine = worn gears, but you can always use your gears presuming they are in good condition.

If you've tested the breakaway torque of the diff (I can give you torque specs so you can test the LSD unit with a torque wrench if you'd like?) and it all seems fine, then you might just have to rip out his center, bolt it into your diff , using your own gearset, and shim it up right and you're laughing!

If the LSD isn't working all that great, you might be up for new cones, or a machining of the current cones...

if you wanna talk prices:

getting diff shimmed up correctly once fitted to your car: $100-$200
(out of car $50-$100?)

machining/replacement of cones and a 'tighten up' (including correctly shimming carrier) - $200-$400 (depending where you go)...

for intrests sake, a COMPLETE rebuild of the diff, including new bearings all round (carrier + pinion + axles), new gears, axle seals, pinion seal, maybe new gearset, blah bloah blah can set you back welllll over a grand.

 

[1991_Vn2nV]

I got my LSD diff, complete from housing to axles to entire brakes... For $100 from a 5L VN Calais.