Removing Differential

[ZachM31]

Well, for a while i have been having a slow leak coming from my differential (it started after i changed the fluid... i used Red Line Lightweight Shock Proof Gear Oil from RRE)..... to see if the vent is plugged, i think i have to unbolt the diff, and take it off to see if it really is... but it is leaking right where the driveshaft comes in, so i'm not sure if that seal is bad, or not.. my main question is, how hard is it to unbolt the diff?.. i've looked it over, and came to the conclusion that first, you have to unbolt the driveshaft, then unbolt the axles from the hubs.. then start unbolting the housing from the frame... does that sound right? or is there more to it.... i dont want to get into a mess halfway through the removal process... it has to be quick and flawless (by this I mean that it should be done right the first time... no messing around and whatnot)... since this is basically the only car i have for driving to work and school.... but that should be all i need.... thanks.

 

[ACM]

Are we talking about the rear ? You have 3 in a GSX.

Assuming the rear :
Drain the fluid, clean the plug, replace tighten the drain plug
Loosen the fill plug, leave in place
Remove propshaft/pinion flange bolts (grind an angle on a 12mm box end to fit the pinion side) - rest propshaft on a milk crate
Remove last two bolts holding RR h/brake cable
Remove RR ABS sensor bolt on upright
Remove RR upper A-arm-to upright bolt
Remove RR trailing arm-to-upright bolt
Remove RR lower lateral arm-to-upright bolt
Use screwdriver/prybar to pop both axles out of diff - only an inch or so
Pull RR upright as far away from car as possible, it will pivot on the toe arm
Pull RR axle all the way out of the diff, bag the nose, move it out of the way.
Remove nut/washer from the front diff mount on the RH side
Loosen the two large bolts at the top of the rear crossmember, that screw into the back of the diff housing.
Support the diff - hydraulic jack, hands, whatever
Unscrew the two upper bolts ntil they hit the bodyshell
Remove the bolt through the front mount
Slide diff housing forwards, unscrew the upper bolts the rest of the way, move diff housing to the right side to free the LH axle, drop the hopusing down and pull out from under the car.

When you've done it a dozen times it takes about half an hour. Budget 2 people for an afternoon for your first few attempts.

DO NOT forget to remove the ABS sensor - they're expensive. Soak it in PB first, use a pair of Channel Locks - gently ! - to twist it loose.

HTH,
Charles

Charles

 

[ZachM31]

yeah man, that was exactly what i needed...i had the general idea of how to do it...but you took it a few steps further and gave me a detailed description...thanks again...anyways, i guess when i have a weeked off and it warms up around here, i will see what i can do...