LSD rant

[mike-tracy]

No, I'm not on drugs, just having a heckava time finding a genuine, factory VLSD.

1st diff, I bought an 03 WRX 5mt rear diff, from a reputable shop - I observed them removing it from that car. Don't mess with it until I have my car's diff open, and ground down the nubs that let the vlsd fit. Open up the WRX diff, and WTF, it's open? 96WRX on Nasioc also mentioned getting an open GD WRX diff.

2nd diff: a friend of mine wrecks his 2000 2.5RS 4eat. He buys it back from insurance and parts it, so I pull rear diff and axles off the car. Before I install it, I find diff #3, which is a 4.11FD unit that I was looking for. So I sell #2, the new owner opens it up and finds that it's an open? WTF again? I refund the guy's money and apologize profusely. Another friend of mine had the same thing happen - he bought a 2000 RS 4eat rear diff from a wrecker, observed them remove it from the car, and upon cracking the cover it was open as well.

3rd Diff: A 2000 Legacy Outback with the "cold weather package." Getting wiser, I ran the vin by the local dealership, which told me that the car in question DID come with rear vlsd. I installed it in my car after swapping flanges with the older type, and swapping to shorter studs. Getting paranoid, I pull the diff off my car, open the cover, and guess what, it's a $%#@ing open!

In my years of junkyard trawling, I've found only 3 actual vlsd units - 2 from 4EAT 91 Legacy turbos, and one from an early (92? 93?) SVX. Needless to say, I sold them for profit since I had the above "vlsd" diffs. All those real vlsd diffs had the sticker on the back saying the final drive and vlsd. The RS, WRX and OB had no stickers.

I've learned my lesson about not opening the covers before buying (and relying on info gleaned from cars101 and nasioc). Did Subaru really put VLSD into 00-01 RS's, 02-07 WRX's, 2000+ Outback's with the "Cold Weather" package, or Limiteds, and I just got unlucky 3 times, or was it hit or miss on which models got em?

/rant

[kimokalihi]

Yeah it's frustrating. I think the RS did not come with a VLSD and if it did it must have only been an option. I think someone has the facts wrong on the interwebz. I've had 3 people tell me they had an LSD, two of which I bought for way too much money only to find out they were all open diffs.

[subaru_styles]

well its just the 00-01 2.5rs's that came with an lsd, did you get a 99 by chance?

[mike-tracy]

well its just the 00-01 2.5rs's that came with an lsd, did you get a 99 by chance?

No, I'm sure. It was Club SIL's blue RS that got rearended on the way to the last WCCS. 87k miles on it, thing was mint.

[kimokalihi]

Oh I actually saw that video. I was the guy he mentioned who went to I5 Auto Junkyard down in Napavine, wa and waited for over an hour for them to go pull it since they don't allow you to do shit there. It was a 2000 2.5 RS 4EAT (or so they told me) and they unbolted the cover and it was an open diff and they wouldn't even come down on the price. They still wanted like $125 for it. Pick a part you can get one for $40.

[MikeyMeyagi]

those diffs were all VLSD which means Viscous limited slip. they still have the spider gears and thats why you thought they were open diffs.

thats what makes it a vlsd, its not like a clutch lsd or a helical lsd

one on the left is vlsd one on the right is open.

heres how it works
http://www.scoobyenthusiast.com/subaru- ... -vlsd-work

[kimokalihi]

I thought VLSD was a sealed unit with it's own fluid?

[mike-tracy]

HMMM interesting. I've never ruled out the possibility that I'm a complete blithering idiot. Going to do some checking (I haven't thrown them out yet)

WRX diff:


RS diff:

[kimokalihi]

I thought subaru LSDs look like this. Open on the right, LSD on the left.




From this thread: http://www.rs25.com/forums/f105/t99509- ... -vlsd.html

[MikeyMeyagi]

the 2 diffs mike tracy posted are VLSD's. you can tell by the narrower spider gear area in comparison to the true open diff.
the viscous unit is sealed, but can be dissasembled once the ring gear is removed, you can see the split in the flange where the ring gear mounts on the vlsd as opposed to the solid flange on the open diff.

[MikeyMeyagi]

the picture kimo posted was a svx lsd, which is mechanical not viscous. the mechanical lsd's came in some svx models, 91 SS's and a few older gl turbo models. As far as i know, all the R160's in the US after those few mechanical diffs were VLSD.

[mike-tracy]

the picture kimo posted was a svx lsd, which is mechanical not viscous. the mechanical lsd's came in some svx models, 91 SS's and a few older gl turbo models. As far as i know, all the R160's in the US after those few mechanical diffs were VLSD.

Yeah I remember seeing that type LSD in the SVX I grabbed. Didn't realize it was a mechanical lsd? I'm pretty sure the cover said "VLSD," and I'm positive my 91 SS (I've owned 2)'s diff said "VLSD" on it.

[Zap]

This is indeed a learning experience for me. Not like I think I know everything about a Soob, but I'd like to think I know quite a bit. Mike's a good guy, it was me who thought (and asked others who agreed) that it was an open diff that he'd sold to me. We were baffled, he probably a bit suspicious of me while he scratched his head and refunded my money. doh.

Now see, if I woulda just installed it in my car, it woulda worked fine. And it will when I do. Sorry Mike for the hassle.

[Zap]

Stumbled onto this thread while googling images.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... ?t=2055870

But this one makes me wonder. . . I thought they looked like this, what got me wondering the first time.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/sho ... p?t=116720

But then I found this. . . ?

http://www.rs25.com/forums/f8/t76752-an ... -diff.html

[mike-tracy]

Thanks to everyone who helped.