Matt,
For that price I think I would try to pick up a used spare that is in half
decent condition and see whats going on. That way you could leisurely repair
one or the other differential if you wanted to or just see if your differential
is really what is causing the problem. You could probably buy two or three
spares and not come close to the prices you mentioned.
My two cents.
Aaron
Aaron Cropley
71 TR6 (Throttle Body Injection!)
http://www.triumphowners.com/108
Topsham, Maine
-----Original Message-----
From: mjmullin@juno.com
To: 6pack@autox.team.net
Sent: Thu, 12 Oct 2006 9:13 AM
Subject: Differential rebuild
Hi all:
For the past 12 years or so, my diff has been making a rumbling
noise/vibration that is especially prevalent around 70-75 mph and becomes
noiser while decelerating. It could also be the drive axles or prop shaft,
but I'm guessing it's the diff. The rear hubs were rebuilt in that timeframe,
and no changes were noted.
In a perfect world, I'd spring the $1000 for Richard Good's Nissan
limited-slip diff and get a balanced driveshaft included. Always up for a
mechanical challenge, I'm looking at $350 minimum to rebuild the stock unit,
that is if the bearings, seals, and shims are avalable. A pinion and ring
gear would be another $300 (if available, and as priced in the TRF 2002
catalog) at which point the Nissan diff becomes a no-brainer.
Based on the "slop" that I believe is present in the gears, I don't think that
I could just throw new bearings and seals on the unit; I'll need to eliminate
some of the free play too.
The Bentley manual details all the special tools needed to determine shim
thicknesses in one try, while the Haynes manual talks about using layout ink
to "see" the gear meshing and determine shimming directions (but not amounts)
for the pinion and differential carrier (which would include a lot of
trial-and-errror - assembly, re-assembly, and lots of orders for different
sized shims).
Long question longer - does anyone have experience with this vibration and /or
rebuilding diffs, and what are your recommendations? Any special tools
available?
Thanks in advance, Matt Mullin
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