drive train problems... i need a pro!

[black_gst]

so the magnet wasnt on the drain plug when i went to drain my rear diff the other day.

so i dropped the rear diff and pulled the cover off and found the magnet. it was a litttle chewed up but not bad at all and it was melted a bit. looked a little like a melter tootse roll lol.

but now for the good part of the story

the reason i was draining the diff in the 1st plasce is... when i bought this GSX 3 years ago some idiot removed the T case drive shaft and rear diff(why? i dont know).

so i spent the $ and bought a whole drive train T case back. and the A-hole at this wreaking yard who thinks he is some all knowing dsm wanna be, we will name him Gorge, swore to me that it was all out of a 95 gsx mt so i put all new fluids and installed everything. i drove around a bit realized something was wrong. well come to find out this t case was off a 97+ so i took it back and had to pay another $100 and i got a feshly rebuilt t-case(the right one) and i installed that.

but then i was getting the whining noise and i thought the read diff got messed up so thats why i was draining it.

so to the point. there arent any chipped teeth on the ring gear or the pinion gear and there doesnt seem to be any play at all either. is there a way to check?. the fluild was baked but it was redline heavy shock proof.

also i think my center diff is what may be whining since im pretty sure i now have a RWD dsm because with the car in gear i can freely spin the front wheels

so my main concern now is the rear differential and how to tell if its no good

Thanks and sorry for the long story but i thought it may be revelant to my problems..

[rush2252]

If you think its RWD then you arent having rear diff issues. I would suggest checking wheel bearings. Sometimes they can whine/howl and give of the impression the problem is in the rear diff. Also are you running the LSD rear end? That was a long post and cant remember if you stated if it was LSD or not.

[blackrosenova40]

Try spinning both front tires with two people, same direction, at the same time, with it in gear, and report back

Originally Posted by black_gst

so the magnet wasnt on the drain plug when i went to drain my rear diff the other day.

so i dropped the rear diff and pulled the cover off and found the magnet. it was a litttle chewed up but not bad at all and it was melted a bit. looked a little like a melter tootse roll lol.

but now for the good part of the story

the reason i was draining the diff in the 1st plasce is... when i bought this GSX 3 years ago some idiot removed the T case drive shaft and rear diff(why? i dont know).

so i spent the $ and bought a whole drive train T case back. and the A-hole at this wreaking yard who thinks he is some all knowing dsm wanna be, we will name him Gorge, swore to me that it was all out of a 95 gsx mt so i put all new fluids and installed everything. i drove around a bit realized something was wrong. well come to find out this t case was off a 97+ so i took it back and had to pay another $100 and i got a feshly rebuilt t-case(the right one) and i installed that.

but then i was getting the whining noise and i thought the read diff got messed up so thats why i was draining it.

so to the point. there arent any chipped teeth on the ring gear or the pinion gear and there doesnt seem to be any play at all either. is there a way to check?. the fluild was baked but it was redline heavy shock proof.

also i think my center diff is what may be whining since im pretty sure i now have a RWD dsm because with the car in gear i can freely spin the front wheels

so my main concern now is the rear differential and how to tell if its no good

Thanks and sorry for the long story but i thought it may be revelant to my problems..

[JackM]

If the fluid was burned you have a gearing issue between the front and rear which is buring everything up. I would double check to be sure your rear diff is 3.545, and your t-case matches your front diff ratio.

Do you have a welded center diff? If not, you have center diff damage in the trans too.

Jack

[black_gst]

well i did have a gearing issue some one sold me the wrong T-case but i have the right one now for sure. i do have a an lsd and it is the 3.545 and when i spinone front wheel the other side spins the other way

[JackM]

That's good, but a car that is driven with the wrong ratio will have at least a lazy center diff VCU. I'm not sure how mechanically inclined you are, but pulling the trans end cover off and inspecting the VCU and center diff would be a wise thing to do IMO.

A center diff that's hurt can do a lot of damage to the trans if parts of it start to come off and get into the rest of the unit. It sounds like you have the original issue fixed, but that issue may have done damage to other parts that are not obvious at this time.

Jack

[black_gst]

well from what ive read im almost certain that the VCU and center diff have taken damage and with the car in gear i can spin the front wheels freely but not the rears. thats pretty much a dead give away correct? i would much rather at this point pick up a 4 spider center and maybe a new VCU and swap them in.

also what can i use the clean the rear diff gears with. theres blackened gear oil all over them and i would like to clean everthing off before putting it back together and putting the new fluid in i just wasnt sure what i can use safely.

i also broke the breather so i ordered a new one along with a new drain plug. and what do i use for a gasket just grey RTV?

thanks!

[JackM]

You may want to take your parts to a machine shop and have them run it through their parts washer. I know our industrial spinjet parts washer would take all of the stuff off.

Also, if your rear diff is LSD, you may want to take a close look at the VCU inside the diff. I would be willing to bet it's ruined too if it got that hot I'm sorry to say

Jack

[black_gst]

Jack
ok... how do i know if the VC in the rear is bad? i dont know what i looks like so if you have a link to any pics that would be great and any instructions too..


thanks

[JackM]

It's cylinder shaped and has a sun gear on it. It meshes with the other 3 diff gears. If it's bad you will see stuff oozing out of it and you will be able to turn it. I have a feeling the junk that is caked on your parts is the VCU fluid though as it leaks out when the unit is overheated and it's no good anymore. I don't have one lying around here or I would take a pic for you. If the VCU is bad you will just have an open diff. That's okay for now until you can find a good one later to get the car going. I would take a close look at the sun gear teeth though as they could have damage too.

Jack

[black_gst]

ok i will check it out... that you much for the help. do i need to remove the differential gears to check this or can it be done with it still bolted in. i and those videos you have up on how to tell which transfer case you have are awesome... thats how i could tell that i was sold the wrong year T-case too bad i didnt check 1st... it would have saved me all this hassle...

maybe you can pm me some prices on rebuilding the rear diff and how much for a 4 spyder center!


Adam

[JackM]

Yes, you have to remove the diff to pull the sun gears to check the VCU.

I can rebuild it and get new VCUs, but they are so terribly expensive that you are better off just finding another rear diff from someone instead.

Jack

[black_gst]

Jack
well im going to pull the diff apart this morning... but i had a quick question. i found a rear end out of ann auto with lsd so my question is if i buy that can i just pull the differential out of it and swap my ring gear onto it?

[JackM]

Yes, I believe the only difference in the auto is the gears, so if you keep your manual gears to your car the diff/LSD section will work. That's the best way to go because autos are usually better at keeping the LSD intact over the abuse manual units see.

Jack