center diff question ????

[crimsonghost]

This one has had me puzzled for a while now. My car acts like the center diff is broken and has all the signs like , feels like it is being held back during slow speed turns frontwards and in reverse, has clunking sounds at times and all that. The prob is that the previous owner changed the rear end out with another awd rear end but doesn't know what year it was . He thought that they were all the same and that it didn't matter as long as it was awd. The tranny has lasted for quite a while now with some hard launches and hasn't given up, so it brings me to question if it is really the center diff or not. Could it be acting like it is binding up because the tranny is the wrong one or would it not work at all ??? I am getting ready to buy a 4 spider gear diff and don't want to spend the money to find out it is not the diff. I want the 4 spider gear regardless but I might wait awhile since it probably won't leave me stranded. The car is a 90 awd Talon and I know it is one of the strange trannys to begin with, so If any of you that have some experiance have any ideas please let me know.
Thanks...

 

[turbo4wd]

The easiest way to see if you lost your center diff, from someone who has already lost his.

Jack up the car so all 4 wheels are off the ground. Make sure it is very stable and start the car. Put it in 1st gear and slowly, very slowly slip the clutch. You should get all 4 wheels to start spinning. If only the front or only the rear wheels spin then you lost the center diff. When I lost my center diff only my rear wheels would spin.
http://www.turbo4wd.com/BustedCenterDiff.html

-Shawn

 

[crimsonghost]

I know that it hasn't broken all together because I still do awd launches, but it acts as though it's about to go. I guess I didn't explain it correctly but if someone has had the problem they will know what i am talking about. I think I'll have to bite the bullet and take it in to get it looked at first. Thanks for the help...