Limited slip diff

[Teebird]

Hi everyone, new member here. Been lurking for about a month or so, good forum. I have a 97 swb terrano bought about six weeks ago. Need info on the diff, the limited slip is working ok under light loads but when you cross Axel it the wheel with the least resistance will spin. Its the same if you get one wheel on a grass verge on a bit of an incline, in 2 wheel drive it just spins the wheel on the grass. The diff is not noisy and I changed the oil in it last week. Yes I did use LSD specific oil (Castrol.) Should this happen or should it lock solid and drive both wheels no mater what? is quite impressed with the truck so far, good value for money compared to most 4x4,s. Cheers, Tony.

 

[Darwin]

Its a LSD not a difflock , you will still get some spin but as the name suggests its limited.

 

[danielj]

Don't rely on my thoughts as I'm no expert but my experience is that the Limited Slip Diferential is just what it says on the tin--limited slip. It allows each of the two wheels to turn at different speeds t a limited degree. This also means that one wheel can slip a bit and power will still be retained at the other wheel on the same axle. But beyond a certain limit if one wheel loses grip altoether, say in mud or snow, then all the power to that axle will go to the slipping wheel as the power is taking the path of least resistance. It has ben my experience that in 4wd if one wheel on each axle starts to spin I will go nowhere. That said except in deep mud or snow on a tight upwards incline there are very few places you wont get in Low4wd in first or second gear if you sit back, take your foot off the accellerator and let the motor pull itself along slowly. I have found that I may get a little slip at the wheels but the T2 will amble away slowly through almost anything.

 

[Teebird]

Thanks for the replies, my thought was that it slipped so much then locked up. Forgot to mention that it selects 4w high easey on the move but will not come out of it unless i stop and reverse 2 feet even on snow and ice. Any ideas, its got free wheeling hubs. Tony

 

[Adz]

Take a look in the DOWNLOAD SECTION & theres a how to use 4WD :thumbs

Just a personnal thing but i only change between 2WD / 4H / 4L when stationary :thumbs

 

[ocelot]

Just to add my 2p'wrth............

I thought that the limited slip diff means that in order to allow the car to corner, the diff gives a little, but when one wheel loses grip and spins, the drive is transferred to the stationary wheel in order to move the vehicle.
I got rather stuck in snow yesterday (about 2') and had to turn round, I took the opportunity to see the car driving in reverse as it wasn't going anywhere (bellied out in snow) to see if the wheels were all driving, in reverse as it happened.
One rear wheel was driving, the two front wheels were both driving, in reverse!

I didn't check the forward drive as I had passengers to get home. .........

I did get the car stuck in 2wd and found that both wheels drove tho at the same time.

 

[lacroupade]

Thanks for the replies, my thought was that it slipped so much then locked up. Forgot to mention that it selects 4w high easey on the move but will not come out of it unless i stop and reverse 2 feet even on snow and ice. Any ideas, its got free wheeling hubs. Tony

Thats exactly how its supposed to be on a tucuk of that vintage, which is fitted with auto hubs....they engage automatically when you select 4WD but you need to reverse 2-3 metres normally to disengage.

Have you got any instructions stuck on your sun visor - they often fall off....

 

[danielj]

Thanks for the replies, my thought was that it slipped so much then locked up. Forgot to mention that it selects 4w high easey on the move but will not come out of it unless i stop and reverse 2 feet even on snow and ice. Any ideas, its got free wheeling hubs. Tony

Your thinking could be right Tony but I would have thought that it would only lock up as you mention if it was some form of locking differential and that the Terranos/Mavericks don't have that. With mine also I can select 4wd high on the move but supposed to only be done under 40 km/ph. Have to stop and reverse to disengage 4wd also. Do you have the instructions for Transfer Case Use on the back of the driver's side sun visor. This would explain what is proper workings and what might be odd.
As Adz said, there are copies of instructions for use of the transfer case on the download section. There are two items there at least. However, the instructions there seem to be a bit different from the set on the back of my sun visor. Will see if I can post a photo of the set I have.

 

[Teebird]

Surely the 4 wheel drive is selected via the transfer g/box not the hubs, auto or manual. Thanks for the replies so far. Tony.

 

[lacroupade]

Your thinking could be right Tony but I would have thought that it would only lock up as you mention if it was some form of locking differential and that the Terranos/Mavericks don't have that. With mine also I can select 4wd high on the move but supposed to only be done under 40 km/ph. Have to stop and reverse to disengage 4wd also. Do you have the instructions for Transfer Case Use on the back of the driver's side sun visor. This would explain what is proper workings and what might be odd.
As Adz said, there are copies of instructions for use of the transfer case on the download section. There are two items there at least. However, the instructions there seem to be a bit different from the set on the back of my sun visor. Will see if I can post a photo of the set I have.

Dan do check for me - if is like the one in the Fixed Hub thread then you might have fixed hubs on a MkIII - exciting! :lol

Surely the 4 wheel drive is selected via the transfer g/box not the hubs, auto or manual. Thanks for the replies so far. Tony.

You're right Tony, but the way these trucks work when they have auto hubs is that in 2WD none of the mechanism is rotating. So when you select 4WD at the diff, that starts the drive shafts and CV joints rotating and the hub then locks itself, via a snap ring mechanism. When you reverse, you disengage the hubs from the drive shaft again, otherwise when you just deselect 4WD they carry on rotating.

There been a useful debate recently that when offroading, say, you can leave the hubs locked in and just select/deselect 4WD via the diff......ultimately though you need to do the reversing thing to disengage the hubs and stop the drive shafts rotating.

On the fixed hub version (currently only MkIV onwards we think) you can select 4WD on the fly at any speed because the hubs are permanently locked, but the fact that this means the CV joints and drive shafts are permanently rotating too, loses 2-3 mpg in my opinion, compared to the two auo-hub versions I've owned.....

 

[danielj]

Surely the 4 wheel drive is selected via the transfer g/box not the hubs, auto or manual. Thanks for the replies so far. Tony.

As far as I understand 4wd is selected via the transfer case/box but it engages or disengages the hubs. And how the hubs engage or disengage depends on whether they are auto or manual. Think if they are manual you get out of the car and engage or disengage them yourself at the wheel. If they are auto, which is what I think you have, you don't have to get out of the car to do it. But you do have to reverse to disengage the hubs after you have deselected 4wd at the transfer box. I think in later versions you don't need to reverse to disengage the hubs. lacroupade is on a roll on this stuff in another post at the minute so he'll be along shortly to explain this better I'm sure.

 

[lacroupade]

As far as I understand 4wd is selected via the transfer case/box but it engages or disengages the hubs. And how the hubs engage or disengage depends on whether they are auto or manual. Think if they are manual you get out of the car and engage or disengage them yourself at the wheel. If they are auto, which is what I think you have, you don't have to get out of the car to do it. But you do have to reverse to disengage the hubs after you have deselected 4wd at the transfer box. I think in later versions you don't need to reverse to disengage the hubs. lacroupade is on a roll on this stuff in another post at the minute so he'll be along shortly to explain this better I'm sure.

Dans right - on the later fixed hub version you select/deselect 4WD on the lfy at whatever speed you like. No reversing afterwards but of course your drive shafts are permanently rotating and causing drag/wear and reduced fuel consumption.

 

[Teebird]

Me again. All you guys with the AVM manual hubs, when they are locked on can you come out of 4W>High back into 2W drive without stopping and reversing a bit?

 

[danielj]

Dan do check for me - if is like the one in the Fixed Hub thread then you might have fixed hubs on a MkIII - exciting! :lol



You're right Tony, but the way these trucks work when they have auto hubs is that in 2WD none of the mechanism is rotating. So when you select 4WD at the diff, that starts the drive shafts and CV joints rotating and the hub then locks itself, via a snap ring mechanism. When you reverse, you disengage the hubs from the drive shaft again, otherwise when you just deselect 4WD they carry on rotating.

There been a useful debate recently that when offroading, say, you can leave the hubs locked in and just select/deselect 4WD via the diff......ultimately though you need to do the reversing thing to disengage the hubs and stop the drive shafts rotating.

On the fixed hub version (currently only MkIV onwards we think) you can select 4WD on the fly at any speed because the hubs are permanently locked, but the fact that this means the CV joints and drive shafts are permanently rotating too, loses 2-3 mpg in my opinion, compared to the two auo-hub versions I've owned.....

Paul, will try to post a photo of the transfer case instructions. I have the model mentioned in the other threads with the spiderman thingy going on in the front grill and the tear drop cut outs at the front. But my front wheels wont rotate when I try to turn them by hand when off the ground even in neutral. But that could just be sticky hubs.

 

[lacroupade]

Me again. All you guys with the AVM manual hubs, when they are locked on can you come out of 4W>High back into 2W drive without stopping and reversing a bit?

I think the answer to that is yes - just that like the fixed hubs, the drive shafts will be rotating all the time, plus you have the pain of getting out of the car at either end to reset them.

TBH the standard auto hubs are perfectly fine - you hear of the odd snap ring breakage because of a bit of silliness, or they can eventually wear out, but most people have never had a problem....the snap ring assembly is just to lock/unlock the hub - once its in they play no part in the mechanism so aren't a weak link in that sense.

 

[lacroupade]

Paul, will try to post a photo of the transfer case instructions. I have the model mentioned in the other threads with the spiderman thingy going on in the front grill and the tear drop cut outs at the front. But my front wheels wont rotate when I try to turn them by hand when off the ground even in neutral. But that could just be sticky hubs.

LOL at spiderman

If your sticker makes no mention of a maximum speed at which you can engage 4WD high, then you probably have fixed hubs - be interesting to know. The auto hub sticker I think says something about a maximum speed of about 20mph or so...?

The other way to tell is that when you engage 4WD high on the fly, there is no clonk if you have fixed hubs, its all fuss-free and just like changing gear really....the auto-hub gives a definite clonk at 20mph.....

Paul

 

[rustic]

I must admit, I have thought about putting a sensor on the front prop shaft with a light on the dash that flashes when the front Auto-hubs are engaged.
(via prop shaft rotating).
Now with that flashing and the truck in 2wd you will know that you can engage 4wd at any speed.
Also lets you know if after reversing they have disconnected.
I just haven't had the time or inclination to do it in the 14 years I have owned my Mav.
Best regards,
Rustic

 

[danielj]

<a href="http://s743.photobucket.com/albums/xx77/danielj2500/?action=view&current=IMG_0005.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx77/danielj2500/IMG_0005.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Paul, that's the instructions on my sun visor. Don't think it's what you are looking for though.

 

[lacroupade]

I must admit, I have thought about putting a sensor on the front prop shaft with a light on the dash that flashes when the front Auto-hubs are engaged.
(via prop shaft rotating).
Now with that flashing and the truck in 2wd you will know that you can engage 4wd at any speed.
Also lets you know if after reversing they have disconnected.
I just haven't had the time or inclination to do it in the 14 years I have owned my Mav.
Best regards,
Rustic

I like a man thats not in a rush :lol:lol:lol

 

[lacroupade]

<a href="http://s743.photobucket.com/albums/xx77/danielj2500/?action=view&current=IMG_0005.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx77/danielj2500/IMG_0005.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Paul, that's the instructions on my sun visor. Don't think it's what you are looking for though.

No thats fine thanks, that tells me theres a MkIII facelift truck out there still running on auto hubs so my guess that fixed hubs came with the MkIV remains sound - at least for now LOL.