Ok, to make a long story short, my tranny was leaking oil ever since i bought it and no matter what i did it never stopped leaking...so obviously i need to check out the differential carrier bearings and probably the differential itself...Now I want to do this myself...I've never done it before, but i'm getting really into the idea tearing it all apart and fixing it myself. As anyone here(expet frank from motorvate) done this themselves? If so, can you throw in some pointers which are not obvious that might help me out??(Frank where,ever you are ) I'll be starting this very soon(within a week or so). Also, i really would like to get a new differential istead of keeping the old one...might aswell since it's opened up...I'm not looking for the super duper type differential for track use, but the stock VLSD would be fine. Do you guys know where I can get OEM Parts for not too expensive?? Screw the stealership, but want good quality....I just dropped like a grand an a half on the car(parts and some labour) and it's a real shame the tranny took a dump on me now...this sucks
whatever, i'm keeping the car for a while, so it'll be worth it

Thanks in advance
Edward

 

I highly doubt you will find a viscous LSD just separate from a transmission to buy - anywhere. Perhaps from nissan directly, but the cost would be extraordinary. If nissan DOES offer it - it wouldn't surprise me if the cost were $750 or more. There are no other differentials offered that would replace the VLSD.

I'm assuming that you've checked and determined that the leakage is coming from the differential seals and not the input shaft seal, correct?

My advice is to get ahold of the FSM and read through the appropriate section to make sure you have the required tools and ability.

 

Pretty good guess Neal.

$792 US from Pinnacle
$815 US from WorldPartsExpress

That does not include the ring gear, speedometer gear or carrier bearings.

There should be no need to replace the differential itself unless it is noisy or the viscous coupling is no longer functioning.

I replaced all of the bearings and seals in my 98 VLSD tranny last year. It is not too bad of a job. I picked up a hydraulic bearing puller for pretty cheap which made getting the old bearings off the shafts a lot easier.

If you are just doing the differential bearings, you will need a dial gauge to measure your bearing clearance without the shims installed. You will also need a small cutoff tool (die grinder, dremel, etc.) to cut the old carrier bearing inner races off with.

Of course you should inspect all your other bearings and races for wear while you are in there.

Some people also opt for doing their synchros while they have it open.

As Neal mentioned, the FSM is a very good reference for this job. It details every step through dis-assembly and re-assembly.

 

Just take the diff, mainshaft, and input shaft to a tranny shop and have them press off the bearings. No cutting or tools or crap like that.

Also, get the housings washed there in the parts washer.

Best advice I have is to plan a couple weeks to do the job. No point in rushing this one.

Dave

 

The car used to whine when accelerating in first gear...my friend said it was cool and I replied "It worries me"... I hope I don't have to change the differential, but I read that the viscous type differential wears out over time and acts like an open diff...Is that true? Cause if not, i'll just keep it....Tools wise, all I'm missing a is a torque wrench and the dial gauge...which I can get without a problem....My other idea was to remove the tranny itself from the car and get the garage to fix it. The reason I wanted to do it myself...apart from wanting to learn as i go on...tranny shops charge like 5 hrs to remove and install everything and 2 hours of bench work...WTF?? I figured longer benchwork and less on removing the tranny, but whatever, i'm getting different quotes now and still keeping my options open...I have my own warehouse with a nice work table, ample room and lighting and even a sink...

 

Yes viscous couplings can and do wear out over time. How long it takes the maxima viscous coupling to wear out, I don't know. You can check to see if it's still working by just jacking up the front end of the car and rotating one wheel to see if the other wheel rotates in the same direction or not. If it does then the viscous is still working.

 

I know it does work thankfully...I tested it this morning...thanks Neal...I think I just need bearings