so I have this dumb question. How do i know the diff. is getting bad?

 

Are you still able to drive your car. Some people post about not being able to go foward or backward after their diff goes boom.

You should be able to find some posts in the search.

 

you will know when the diff goes bad. when it first goes bad you will hear a loud pop from the rear. after this, you will hear a loud clunking noise when you try to drive.

 

You will start to hear noises, ususally a grinding or whining sound. Whining is more common with aftermarket gears, but some gears can whine and the diff is fine... most of this is my experience with GM 12 bolts, Ford 9", and Dana 60s (danas are notorious for gear whine).

You can test your posi by doing a burnout. If only one tire spins, then reverse the car about one revolution of the tire (about 4-5 feet) and try again. That should make it spin both. If it doesnt, then your clutches are probably going out in your posi/lcd unit.

Other than that, you can drain the diff fluid and pull the cover off to inspect. There should (again, not much experience with S2K diffs, but most I have worked on) be a magnet inside there. If there is alot metal shavings on the magnet, then you are about to grenade it.

I hope that helps.

 

Swimshady Posted on Jun 25 2007, 08:37 PM
Well.. you made a good start
Whining = normal up to a point.
Grinding = not good.

There you "lost it"
The S2000 Torsen LSD doesn't have clutches.
The Torsen is a mechanical Torque Sensing limited slip differential.
Besides, "testing" with a burnout... I don't think so.

Yep, drain the oil and look for shavings or bigger particles on the magnetic drain.
Have new oil ready.
To pull the cover you need to do a lot of wrenching.
It's not wrong but a little over the top IMO

My tips:
First & foremost : use the proper diff oil.
Honda recommends a SAE 90 GL-5 (and that is a single weight oil)
Do the diff test: jack up rear, be secure, engine off, car in gear, turn 1 wheel, other wheel should turn opposite without crunchy noises or too much effort, perform on both wheels.
Listen for loud whines while driving, on and off the throttle.
Drive figure 8ts on an empty parking lot (or simular).
Expect a little "growl", that's normal.
On the throttle during tight cornering should NOT push the front out of the corner.

 

Well, most of my information is from domestic rear ends which have clutches and easy to remove covers...

 

if we jack up the cars with LSD, and spin one tire, the other one should be spinning at the same direction. like my friend's lsd. but how come our cars spin the opposite direction like the cars without lsd?

 

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I have a 2007 with about 800 miles and when I put it in first gear, it makes a clunky noise and it feels like it goes forward a bit. Is that normal?!

 

i have the same feeling too....but its not all the time

 

retorque your axle hub nuts to 220 lb/ft

or try shifting into first a bit slower/smoother