Front Differential Experts/ Gurus Needed.

[GTM]

Well guys, its looking like a glim future for my stock diff.
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The only other thing to try now is heating it up, but then that runs the risk of making the gears/pin brittle or anneald if its heated up or cooled down to fast.
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either save my pennies now, and spend $800 on a new true ATB Diff, or spend $2-300 on getting the stock diff repaired/replaced and then another $2k later on when the trans explodes when the diff does. Hmm. Looks like the car's going to be sitting a bit longer then anticipated, again.

Rats, was afraid the carrier casting had tweaked.

You won't change the metallurgical properties until at a minimum of 800 F and more likely 1200-1300 F. If you want I can look it up in one of my handbooks?? This is why I suggested using oil to gage just how hot it is. I've sweated a lot of transmission and starter ring gears on in my day and never had any failures or come-backs.

I do hope you did not load the 50 ton press up for that surly will have tweaked something. Sometimes I've had to load some part up to what I consider borderline distortation and then taken an impact socket and hammer to give it a shock. Just as ball joints need a shock there are a lot of tapers which need a proper hammer blow, consider milling machine tapers. they are designed to be released by using a hammer blow.

You still have other options so all is not lost. You mentioned the privious SOB had used Locktite, I'm sure they have an 800 number to call and ask them what you can do. They do have solvents but it might take weeks or months to penetrate what that fool did. You could try drilling it out, judging from the dents it's not been carborized (baked in pure carbon) like the gears which makes them harder than a hoers heart.

Yet another possibility is to cut the shaft with a saber saw, put a wedge in the slot and then heat the shaft... it's got to go someplace and my guess is out. The Aerospace industry has several trick tools for removing dissimilar metals from million dollar parts. In essence they dial in the frequency of the shaft metal and through high frequency and an arc it will boil the molecules right off without bothering the surrounding metals. I had to have a 5" wheel bearing removed from a PF Lancia Flavia front wheel drive hub many years ago this way. Cost me $40 but I had been screwing with it for almost a day before that. Right now it's a door stop so what you got to loose.
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So you opt for the $800 unit, what's to keep it from winding the halfshafts up like a pretzel or taking some other piece like the diff at the other end.
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loweperf thanks for looking those parts up for Project~
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Are we having fun yet.
Cheers,
GTM

 

[project_tsi]

Well, as you may know, the stock diffs are notorious for being junk. I've seen quite a few instances were the gears have stripped off inside the carrier housing, and even a few where it took the trans with it due to it throwing around those gear chuncks at high R's. And the worst thing that kills the diffs is wheel hop. I plan on making some very decent hp/ torque numbers this season, and honestly I think I am worrying too much about this stock diff when its bound to go out with the higher stress on it this year anyways. I don't wouldn't want to see myself spend $300 now fixing this problem and having it cost me $2500 later down the road when I have to buy a new tranny.

The aftermarker diffs are very very strong. I've never ever heard of a Kaaz, Quiafe, or Karking diff actually blow or break apart a front diff like that of a stock diff. The trans I have is a good trans now. I've never had it grind on me, and its only a pain to get into reverse every now and then. I don't plan on revving anyhigher than 7500 R's due to the 2.3L stroker, and if I can get a true lsd diff in there it gives my trans a much higher chance of lasting longer. I'll still save my pennies again and when I have enough, I'll send it up to TRE for a performance rebuild.

 

[GTM]

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The trans I have is a good trans now. I've never had it grind on me, and its only a pain to get into reverse every now and then. I don't plan on revving anyhigher than 7500 R's due to the 2.3L stroker, and if I can get a true lsd diff in there it gives my trans a much higher chance of lasting longer. I'll still save my pennies again and when I have enough, I'll send it up to TRE for a performance rebuild.

I fully understand where you are coming from. When I've been stuck waiting for cash flow to improve I will take the time to learn as much as I can about a failed part. I should have asked if the car drove into where the work is being repaired?? I've long adopted the policy if the dam*ed thing drove in here it verywell _will_ drive out. Anything else is admitting defeat and ain't no piece of car is going to get the best of me. Doesn't always work but something to consider.

How was it to drive, could you turn and park without noticing the tires scuffing? Does it make sense to stuff it back in there and break the engine in while wating for parts??

Taking things apart even if they are scrap should be part of your learning history so you can then understand what went wrong and how to prevent the condition within reason. It came out of your car and you contributed to it's failure. Learning what to do and what not tod, what works and what doesn't. I have known co-workers who would put Loctite or do something similar so the next person to come after them would have trouble.

For all you know that person didn't do a good job, just threw a bunch of junk parts in there to get it out the door. To cover his tracks he made sure it couldn't be repaired again without destroying it. I've seen this from used car mechanics just so some salesman can turn a bigger profit and gambling that it won't fail while under some 30 day warranty.
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About the difficulty going into 1st, before the days of syncromesh transmissions it was common practice to shift into neutral, then second or reverse and then back into 1st. You never though anything about it, might even take a couple of passes, it wouldn't do any good just to go back to neutral for you had to change the position of gear teeth, just one of the tricks of driving a car. With the advent of syncros and shifting hubs rather than gears it almost eleminated that condition but sometimes you get one that just won't behave. There were a lot of cars that didn't have syncros in 1st so again the need to use 2nd gear and get a run on it.

Cheers,
GTM