slippin' diff

[bubblejunky]

One of my cars had a loose diff(stealth) not too long ago and I was wondering what, if any, damage this does to the diff. Does it heat up and cause the gear(s) to slightly warp? Do the rings become unevenly worn? How would a very slightly damaged diff be noticeable? If so, can it be made like new again? I just remember reading threads about a slipping diff and how it would never be the same again. Any comments would be helpful.

[bubblejunky]

Howie? Jeep? Somebody?

[outsider]

A loose diff can cause flat spots on the balls (I have the Ultima RB and they share the same diff gear with the B3) and maybe groove the rings. If your car makes a rough noise when you are at mid to high throttle then you might have a bad diff. What you can do is replace the diff balls and flip the rings over. If your gear is warped (and that shouldn't happen) then you can replace it with an aluminum one from Robinson Racing or someone else. they should hold up better.

[jeepinator]

Yep, what outsider said. Even in pretty bad cases, all that is needed is regular diff rebuild parts (balls, rings, etc). In really double extra extreme cases a bottom gear may need to get replaced. I have seen this a few times.
In my experience, the Stealth tranny tends to slip between the diff halves and the drive rings, not between the balls and the rings. This is why AE rings are not keyed (pretty smart, eh ?). Of course this only happens when it is set too loose !

[outsider]

Right-o. And tighten the diff like the book says. Turn the diff gear until you can't anymore then hold the outdrives with 2 flatheads or similar (I made a jig for this). Then make sure the gear doesn't turn. Put it in the car. Run it for a while (2 minutes), take out the diff and repeat the process. Then it should be good. There is another good thread here about the same thing. Look at the suggestions there too.

[xxxlosi]

I have a xxx and my diff was tolosse about two days ago and it mealted the diff gear in half. Just thought that it might help you.
See Ya.

p.s. it makes a noise when you put it to full throtle. You will know what the noise sounds like when it happens. :eek: