Differential: Are bearings and shim replacement really necessary?

[ChronoGN]

I blew out my Zexel Torsen LSD so I'm getting a new Auburn differential. But I was wondering, is it really necessary to replace the bearings and shim when replacing the LSD? I'm trying to make this easy and cheap as possible. Can't I just reuse the bearings and shims that in it right now?

[dmw319]

how do you know you blew your LSD

[99v6cam]

necessary? no, recommended? i guess. When you take it out just check out what kind of condition theyre in. if they don't look bad just leave em.

[ChronoGN]

Originally posted by dmw319:
how do you know you blew your LSD

I think its from doing burnouts and donuts. And just driving the hell out of my car after I got the turbo installed.

[ChronoGN]

Originally posted by 99v6cam:
necessary? no, recommended? i guess. When you take it out just check out what kind of condition theyre in. if they don't look bad just leave em.

Yeah I'm thinking they will be alright. I only have 75000 miles on this thing. my friend's LSD in his trans am lasted over 100miles without any servicing. I'm pretty sure all the other stuff in the rear end is doing fine.

[slow6]

what type lsd did your friend have?
any kind of lsd should last over 100miles without servicing, easy! (talking about the auburn's clutches needing servicing every 35k miles)

how do you like your 4psi boost? what kinda gears? whats your ET?

is your lsd only spinning 1 wheel?

[carmelcarswholesale]

If you're that hard on the rear you need either ther Torsen T2R or the Auburn HD Road Race unit...both run between $550-600...the Torsen lasts forever, the Auburn needs rebuilding ($150 sent to the factory)....I've used both and now only use the Torsen T2R...rp

[silvachris1]

LSDs SHOULD last over 100K miles, but mine, and a couple friends of mine have killed ours. The Zexel is kinda bad for that. For a while now, we've been spinning the inside right rear on right hand turns. We spin both tires on left hand turns. They say "it's the nature of the Zexel", or "it's supposed to act that way", but I know my car and how it drove before. The diff just started acting like that one day. Changed the fluid, got the LSD additive, didn't help. It acts a little sketchy sometimes.

The bearings are pressed onto the differential, so those will be hard to reuse, if not impossible.

The old shims *might* be reusable. I say might because of what the shims do. They space the diff over to the right place in the housing. A new diff *may* need new spacers to line it and the gears up correctly inside the housing... otherwise, you might be not have any gears left inside after you drive it.

[ChronoGN]

Originally posted by slow6:
what type lsd did your friend have?
any kind of lsd should last over 100miles without servicing, easy! (talking about the auburn's clutches needing servicing every 35k miles)

how do you like your 4psi boost? what kinda gears? whats your ET?

is your lsd only spinning 1 wheel?

My friend had stock zexel torsen like I do right now. No, alot of the LSDs in the f-bodies doesnt last over 100miles for some reason. I know alot of people that started doing the one wheel peel after like 60000 miles.

[ChronoGN]

Originally posted by silvachris1:
LSDs SHOULD last over 100K miles, but mine, and a couple friends of mine have killed ours. The Zexel is kinda bad for that. For a while now, we've been spinning the inside right rear on right hand turns. We spin both tires on left hand turns. They say "it's the nature of the Zexel", or "it's supposed to act that way", but I know my car and how it drove before. The diff just started acting like that one day. Changed the fluid, got the LSD additive, didn't help. It acts a little sketchy sometimes.

The bearings are pressed onto the differential, so those will be hard to reuse, if not impossible.

The old shims *might* be reusable. I say might because of what the shims do. They space the diff over to the right place in the housing. A new diff *may* need new spacers to line it and the gears up correctly inside the housing... otherwise, you might be not have any gears left inside after you drive it.

Yup, my differentials doing the same thing. I used to be able to do a nice both wheel burnout and now, I can only do one wheel peel which is pretty embarassing.
And the shims thing, do you think it will be alright if I got another zexel torsen T2? They should be the same dimensions you know. I'm getting a new rear end cover with studs and putting mobile one gear oil in it so, hopefully this ones gonna last longer.

[slow6]

i just bought a zexel torsen (used).
maybe i should buy a t2r for when the zexel dies.
dam that sux, wish i had known b4 that the zexels suck.
i knew they could stand up to 500hp/tq but dam!!

[ChronoGN]

Originally posted by slow6:
i just bought a zexel torsen (used).
maybe i should buy a t2r for when the zexel dies.
dam that sux, wish i had known b4 that the zexels suck.
i knew they could stand up to 500hp/tq but dam!!

haha, I just bought another zexel torsen with 5000 miles on it because it was like $100 cheaper than the Auburn. I think Zexel is alright. It lasted me 75000miles without any servicing. And T2Rs are too expensive!

[Skinny]

Your carrier bearings are pressed onto the carrier. DO NOT press them off the old carrier then back on to the new carrier. Step up and buy new bearings or you'll be spending MORE money very soon after. In most cases, when only replacing the carrier, you can "get away" with using the same shims, just make sure you put each shim on the same side it came off of.

[ChronoGN]

Eh, I think I'm just gonna have the shop do it for me then. It looks like a pain in the *** to take off the bearings from the carrier and remeasuring the backlash to adjust the shims.

[Skinny]

The carriers "should" be exactly (or very, very close to) the same dimensions. The housing is what dictates most of the shim arrangement. So usually, if you put a different carrier in the same housing, you can get away with using the same shims, as long as you use them on the same side that they came off of. The factory shims are 1 piece, so if you mark them before you take them out, you can easily keep them in order.