kaito Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I installed a obx helical a few months ago and everything was good with it except that it clunks a little bit. I noticed a big puddle of gear oil under the diff and thought, oh I guess my seals are leaking from the shaft. I drove it home about 30 miles. Almost home I notice a burning smell like hot gear oil and there is a noise now. I look under the car in the garage and see my diff cover hanging off!!! F**k! I put some more oil in and go for a spin and its making a bad grinding noise that gets faster and louder with speed and it stops when I let off the gas. No noise at all when coasting. I just tore it down and I can see no discernable damage or problems aside from the stub axles being backwards. (oops) I now think that was the noise I have been hearing and the clunk I have been hearing was probably from the loose driveshaft (I know it sounds like Im a bad mechanic but dont judge please! lol)My question is, is there any way that a guy can tell in his garage that his diff bearings are bad with the diff apart and sitting on the table? All the bearings look good and rotate smoothly. any help on this subject would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 You leaked oil out of your diff, then drove it and finally blew off you're diff cover. And you expect it to be ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaito Posted September 9, 2012 Author Share Posted September 9, 2012 No thats why I was asking about the signs for bad bearings. If you don't have anything to help, don't say anything at all. That's one thing I dislike about this site. People will always say search or post a smart ass comment before they eventually help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidnightRider Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 The rear end clunk is like the most classic Z car problem ever, along with exhaust fumes. As far as your other problems..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Well the rear end clunk could honestly be a lot of things like a torn diff bushing or strap, but knowing you drove about 20-30 min without oil should be a no brainer to replace all consumables in your diff. Just because you don't see any visible shrapnel doesn't mean the races of the bearings aren't toast. Honestly how much can they cost anyway. Maybe some pics would help us also. As for the smell, gear oil has a very distinct smell, so it you say it's gear oil I believe you there. On top of that you don't list the diff (r180 or r200) and don't list the car so that we could even guess. Also what kind of axles? the regular half shaft or did you upgrade to CV's (assuming you're using an r200) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Kaito, help us help you. Otherwise we can only speculate. Some of what you say seems outlandish for example: my diff cover blew off? There are like 8 bolts that hold the diff cover on-how could the diff cover off? Be specific and send pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaito Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Thanks buddy, that's more like it. It's an r200 you are absolutely right, I want to replace all the bearings but the pinion bearings are now and the axle bearings alone are $60 each. Like you said just because there wasn't anything visible doesn't mean they didn't get lunched so I'll just pick up a new one at the junkyard. One more question, does the pinion and ring gear come mat he'd together or can I put a 3.54 ring gear into a diff that came with a 3.73 gear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 You can swap pinion and ring gears but the las can be messes up so either be safe and do it by the book or bring it to someone. For the price of bearings you can easily pick up a "new" junkyard diff. And yes, I stand by the "I'm not a very techincal person, but I'd rather be safe than sorry", meaning I'd replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280Zhunter Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 You can swap pinion and ring gears but the las can be messes up so either be safe and do it by the book or bring it to someone. For the price of bearings you can easily pick up a "new" junkyard diff. And yes, I stand by the "I'm not a very techincal person, but I'd rather be safe than sorry", meaning I'd replace it. I've been told the ring gear and the pinion are matched, the ONLY way you can interchange is with the SAME ratio. The clunk however are you serious about the strap?? I've had 3 Z's and all had the tell-tale clunk, the ONLY fix is a solid differential mount but if the diff is old/worn it could generate some noise. The clunk is caused by the front differential mount rubber going soft. GOOD LUCK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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