Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Transaxle LSD inside?

Just a quick Q for the transmission gurus:

Is there any way to tell, with any degree of certainty, if a trans (uninstalled, of course) has an LSD installed- without cracking open the case?

If you DID open the case to look, would it just be a simple matter of opening & closing- or are other steps involved? e.g. realigning/reinstalling shims, bearings, bushings, gaskets, flux capacitors, etc....

TIA

Jump in anytime if I'm wrong..

Put the tranny in gear and spin one on the outputs(where the axles/half shafts go. If the other side spins the sames way there is an LSD. If it spins the opposite way its an open dif.

Hope that helps.

Nope..

It will do that same with an open diff as an LSD.

You'll have to compare driving an open vs. closed diff equipped car and then you'll easily see the difference.

I can tell you my experience when I put my stock tranny and a tranny with a quiafe in it side by side:

You could tell the difference by looking into the tranny where the driveshafts slide in. IIRC, the quaife had a shaft obstructing view through to the other side of the case or something, the stock one didn't. That may not be right, but I do remember there was definately a difference because I wanted to be sure the tranny I was about to put in really had the quiafe, it was the only way I could tell without driving it.

lol, I guess that probably doesnt help you at all

If you can look inside of the hole where the CVJ goes in if you can see a big shaft and the spider gear. Chances are you have an open diff.

Thanks for the replies fellas,

I did some more searching and found this recent thread .

In it, Demon states that you should immediately be able to tell by pulling the intermediate shaft. This ought to be easy since the tranny in question is not on the car .

What I'd like to know is, what am I looking for to differentiate an open diff v. an LSD? A metal casing, (in)ability to see through to the other side? etc.

TIA, again.

If it's an open diff, you'll see the side of the cross pin/shaft when you look into through the opening that the axle shaft is inserted through.

With a Torsen there is a spacer plug in the center, so when you look though, the view will be blocked except for a 3/8" or so hole that is in the center of the plug.

I can't speak for the Quaife though, but a previous post suggested it might be clear all the way through the opening.

It was easier with old car: a normal diff would spin the wheels opposite ways in gear with the engine off. A clutch-type would spin them the same direction in neutral, and probably not at all in gear. With a torsen, you're out of luck. In the car, driving is an easy test: redline first, and take a hard (left!) corner as tight as you can. If the inside wheel spins, you have an open diff. Also, if you can lay down one strip of rubber, odds are you have an open diff.

I forgot he had a 98.5. My high-quality machined '95 diff can take anything my 165 crank lb-ft and 205/50 street tires can give it.