Differential troubles

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Wrecker
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2003 9:23 am

Post

I was pulling in to a gas station in neutral, coasting in and braking a little. The driveway/gutter was at a pretty steep, off camber angle. As I was pulling over this gutter I heard a metallic pop. I put it in gear, let out the clutch and heard grinding from the diff, but the car was going nowhere.Check the car out the next day and the pass. side axle is just kind-of hanging out. 1/2 inch between the collar on the stub axle and the diff, axle flops around when I pull on it.

I pulled the axle off the stub axle and found the bolt that holds the stub completely loose, but still intact, threads and all. The teeth on the stub are chewed up torwards the end (1/4 inch or so), but otherwise it's fine. It fits back into the diff snug like it should, but when I go to screw in the bolt it doesn't reach the threads. I pull the stub out of the diff and install the bolt with nothing in there and it screws in just fine.. no damaged threads or anything.

Anybody know what happened? I think it's a stock R-160, but it may be an R-180. I'm replacing it with a subie 4:11, but I want to know what happened to this one.


Wrecker
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2003 9:23 am

Post

So I got the diff out, and the stub axle on the other side wasn't bolted in either. That side's splines weren't chewed-up, though.

The shop that installed the diff didn't use the same washers on both sides.. Drivers' side was factory stuff: Fat lock washer, flat washer, rubber o-ring. Passenger side: big, flat washer, smaller washer, rubber o-ring.

I pulled the rear cover, and I can't readily see what went wrong with this thing. no stripped teeth, no chunks of metal, nothing loose.. what should I be looking for?


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