Jump to content
HybridZ

R200 CLSD Disc repair kit or OBX


gvincent

Recommended Posts

I know a few years ago there was somebody here making these discs and selling them but I haven't seen anything in a couple of years. 

I need to rebuild my differential this winter and found this rebuild kit online from FRSPORT.COM the kit can be viewed here: http://www.frsport.com/L-S-D--Repair-Parts-Mechanical-LSD-R…

Is it worth it? Are there any other suppliers anybody knows of?

I have never rebuilt a differential but I am willing to give it a try.
They want $290 for the clutch repair kit.

Should I go with an OBX? I see that they require a bit of work as they are not ideal out of the box, needing all bolts replaced and reconfiguring the clutch/washer stack and some difficulty getting everything aligned for re-assembly

I am hoping for somebody with more experience than me to chime in with their opinions.
Thanks,

 

Greg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Savage42 on this site makes replacement clutches.  Send him a PM.  It is easy to do the 6-clutch upgrade-you don't need any special tools, although a vice is handy and so is an air impact wrench for breaking the ring gear bolts loose.  You may want to hit those bolts with a propane torch some too, as that will soften up any locktite used in assembly.  The phillips screws that hold the carrier together (under the ring gear) can be tricky, and a hammer-style impact wrench with a screwdriver fitting can help with that-dont be afraid to hit those screws with a little heat too.  You want to avoid rounding those screws out as they probably can't be replaced easily.  I recommend 4 new clutches and re-use the 2 stock clutches in your R200.  I also recommend NO shims.  If all your bearings are smooth, you just need to replace the rear cover seal.  If there are no chunks out of the side axle seals, you probably don't need to replace those.  I've never needed to replace the pinion seal.

 

There are constantly posts on this forum about trouble with the OBX.  I've held one in my hand that was broken-in my mind they are junk.  The CLSD is pretty trouble-free, but be prepared for a little banging on slow turns-you will get used to it.  There will be less of that if you avoid shimming it to a high static breakaway torque and as it wears in a little.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree, Gary Savage is your guy and he should be able to hook you up so you can rebuild the CLSD, which is superior to the helical IMO.

I still think the OBX is fundamentally workable, it's just those stupid spring washers that screw things up. Replace them with a solid spacer and it should be OK.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 3.36 diff that I need to swap a CLSD carrier into.  It has been on my bench for a year and I just need a little nudge to make this the "job of the weekend."  I already have a CLSD carrier and new clutches from Gary on-hand.  Please give me a call at 256-366-4685 when you are ready to jump into this and we can do it together at the same time to help fight thru any issues that come up for each of us.  I may run into ring-bolt size issues as some older ring gears have 10mm bolts and the newer ones are are 12mm-that's the only delay issue I can see for me once I open this diff up and get it apart.  I have done this work twice in the past but haven't had to replace any bearings-the one diff I have bought that had bad bearings, I just gave it away or took it to the salvage yard.  Good open diffs are just too common to bother changing out expensive bearings that can be damaged when installing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

The clutches are on their way from Gary. this weekend is the last weekend of the car season in New England. I am lining up everything for my winter Project list which is growing.

I will be swapping out the LT1 for another I built this year, will do clutch and a lightened or aluminum flywheel, Ground control coilovers on all 4 corners, Pull the CLSD and replace the clutches, If I can find a good deal on companion flanges adaptors I will swap in my 300ZXT CV axles and finally still debating and if I have the money to go to discs in the rear or stay with the drums for another year. John gave some good arguments on front to rear bias being more important than brute braking, i'm not ready to start playing with Proportioning valves yet.

RebelahsZ I will give you a call when i get to the diff, probably doing the struts/coilovers first, will pull the diff the same time I remove the rear struts and axles. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IME the OBX does not work at all out the box - like as in it was basically a spool since one of the gears was machined wrong. Looked liked all the gears were machined with a torch and one was too long. Actually bought the washer / bolt kit and the 'upgrade' bolts actually looked worse than the original ones so I did not change then. The washers need changed and it's a crap shoot the orientation. Need to deburr everything and actually tighten the bolts. This worked really well for several years road racing behind an LS1 but gave up last year. Haven't taken it apart yet to see what happened. Before used the Nissan clutch and it was ok but was pushy. Replaced OBX with OS Giken clutch and it's back to pushy again so have to work on set-up. Overall I like driving the gear type better but hopefully after tuning suspension to the pimp diff it will be better but way too early to say yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

Finally getting around to rebuilding the differential and encountered something weird the diff had NO Spacers????

I am going to try and put the cover back on and it seems like there is not enough room for everything to fit.

I have only the old clutch plate left over if I follow the sequence of :

spring disk

spring disc 

new clutch

plate

new clutch

plate

new clutch

center section

new clutch

plate

new clutch

plate

new clutch

spring disc

spring disc

I did a trial assembly and the last spring plate is not in the tab slot, I am guessing that I am going to have to use 3 bolts in the ring gear holes to squeeze the cover on and hope I can compress the spring plates enough for the last spring plate to go in the tab? this seems awfully difficult to do without that last spring plate moving around but I guess with enough attempts it will go together.

Having no spacers to remove sound normal to you? I looked up the factory manual and they do show a spacer.

It might be possible the previous owner had it apart some time and removed the spacers? what for and why did my diff seem fine until it developed a clunk?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could be the PO removed the spacers, could be a Japanese diff. The R31 or R32 (forget) diffs that Arizona Z Car was importing years and years ago had the NISMO competition LSD, which has more aggressive ramps and no spacers.

 

Re getting that last clutch in, I found it easier to flip it so that the teeth were in the housing than to try and compress and finagle the teeth in correctly. YMMV.

 

Not sure what you mean about the clunk. If it chatters add more friction modifier. If it's the old diff clunk on and off the gas, this thread may help:

http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/105207-the-dreaded-diff-clunk/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Jon,

I'll try and get it together tonight, it is the last spring disc that will need to stay put over the tang slots as I squeeze the cover down slowly and pray it stays aligned.

Not sure what you mean by flipping the housing, I flip it to get the first set of plates in then flip it back put the center section in and then the stack of plates and the cover? 

I'll post some pictures.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer helical but can't claim to be anything more than a casual weekend racer. However I was talking with a very experienced racer, among his credentials was winning the 2016 Beijing to Paris rally in a 240Z, and he was adamant that a helical was preferable on both tarmac and dirt, he was racing a Audi (S3?) when I spoke with him. To each their own though, personal preference does come into it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here s a series of pictures of the removal and rebuild, first the teardown

post-1241-0-15897400-1498106547_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-36823600-1498106582_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-26230100-1498106619_thumb.jpg

post-1241-0-68836500-1498106655_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-35489100-1498106727_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-17255400-1498106763_thumb.jpg

post-1241-0-21629400-1498106843_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-23835600-1498106878_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-94522000-1498106914_thumb.jpg

post-1241-0-65311800-1498106973_thumb.jpg

 

I reloaded the diff in the order I posted earlier, here is how much the last spring plate stuck out over the housing.

 

post-1241-0-22715200-1498107220_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-92838800-1498107240_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-90083500-1498107267_thumb.jpg

 

I oiled up the plates, clutches, and spring plates and attempted to put the cover on, it took me three times to get it on, i used bolts through the ring gear holes to SLOWLY and GENTLY compress the cover on. When I felt the cover giving resistance that seemed like pinching the tabs I stopped and started over again. Finally on the third try it compressed all the way without the spring plate tabs getting out of alignment.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here s a series of pictures of the removal and rebuild, first the teardown

post-1241-0-15897400-1498106547_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-36823600-1498106582_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-26230100-1498106619_thumb.jpg

post-1241-0-68836500-1498106655_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-35489100-1498106727_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-17255400-1498106763_thumb.jpg

post-1241-0-21629400-1498106843_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-23835600-1498106878_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-94522000-1498106914_thumb.jpg

post-1241-0-65311800-1498106973_thumb.jpg

 

I reloaded the diff in the order I posted earlier, here is how much the last spring plate stuck out over the housing.

 

post-1241-0-22715200-1498107220_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-92838800-1498107240_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-90083500-1498107267_thumb.jpg

 

I oiled up the plates, clutches, and spring plates and attempted to put the cover on, it took me three times to get it on, i used bolts through the ring gear holes to SLOWLY and GENTLY compress the cover on. When I felt the cover giving resistance that seemed like pinching the tabs I stopped and started over again. Finally on the third try it compressed all the way without the spring plate tabs getting out of alignment.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here s a series of pictures of the removal and rebuild, first the teardown

post-1241-0-15897400-1498106547_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-36823600-1498106582_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-26230100-1498106619_thumb.jpg

post-1241-0-68836500-1498106655_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-35489100-1498106727_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-17255400-1498106763_thumb.jpg

post-1241-0-21629400-1498106843_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-23835600-1498106878_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-94522000-1498106914_thumb.jpg

post-1241-0-65311800-1498106973_thumb.jpg

 

I reloaded the diff in the order I posted earlier, here is how much the last spring plate stuck out over the housing.

 

post-1241-0-22715200-1498107220_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-92838800-1498107240_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-90083500-1498107267_thumb.jpg

 

I oiled up the plates, clutches, and spring plates and attempted to put the cover on, it took me three times to get it on, i used bolts through the ring gear holes to SLOWLY and GENTLY compress the cover on. When I felt the cover giving resistance that seemed like pinching the tabs I stopped and started over again. Finally on the third try it compressed all the way without the spring plate tabs getting out of alignment.

 

Picture of bolts used, Half turn of each bolt until it closed

 

post-1241-0-93337800-1498108060_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-11553800-1498108152_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I made a tool to measure the break-away torque using the old R-200 diff stub axles a piece of Uni-strut and a large nut welded to the uni-strut.

I elongated the holes in the Uni-strut to bolt up the stub axles. Actually the hole spacing works out so I can test again later at the wheel studs later once it is all installed.

The test of just the CLSD assembly as shown in the pictures was 62Lbs.

 

post-1241-0-87836100-1498111435_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-25888800-1498111477_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-70030700-1498111601_thumb.jpg

post-1241-0-46036500-1498111634_thumb.jpgpost-1241-0-16844500-1498111680_thumb.jpg

 

I then used my torque wrench and started at 25Lbs and increased it in 5 pound increments until I reached the point where it turned the axle then backed off a pound at a time to the point where it no longer turned the axle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...