need help with LSD, bearings going out?

[merryprankster]

i took it to the dealership and they said it would be too complicated to fix the noise im hearing.
can i just swap the LSD pod? how much would that cost to have someone do it and would it generally fix it?
the parts that are highlighted are all the parts that the mechanic said he needed to replace.







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[zer_gravity]

been a while since i posted here, but here goes.

firstly, i think the dealer is screwing you. that work isn't cheap, but its nowhere near that expensive.

i drive an mx83 cressida up in canada so we have an lsd in them from factory virtually the same as yours. i've been having the same problems and its quite fixable but theres a lot of work involved. what i would do is this:

first, find yourself a spare diff and swap it. by far easiest and most cost effective way of solving this. i did that but turns out my spare is a stinker too. for that reason i decided to fix my old one. i;m guessing you're getting a whirring noise that sounds like its from the back of the car or even near the trans area. as the bearings are trashed they can create a vibration that can travel up the pinion shaft and resonate in the transmission. don't worry, it shouldn't cause any damage unless you count pulling your hair out in annoyance.

if you love your supra and you want to fix your diff, still get the sapre if you intend to drive it over the next couple months. its a lot of work to fix your lsd.

since its bearings, i won't get into if you have bad gearing or bad clutch plates as that doesn't seem to be the issue. all bearings excluding the outer pinion bearing must be purchased through the dealer as well as new oil seals, snap rings and a crush sleeve.

you don't need all the SST's but disassembly will be a bit different than what the toyota factory manual describes. you will also need access to a hydraulic press to get bearings on and off as they're an interference fit. other than that and your usual set of sockets/johnson bar, you'll need the following:

impact wrench (to get pinion flange nut off - its a bitch)

a good length of chain (bolt on drive pinions must fit through the loop, you use this to yank them out)

nuts and washers to fit those bolts (can't remember size, but they're a metric fine thread)

strong set of gear pullers to get bearings off (if you don't want to reuse good bearings)

a hydraulic press and a bearing spearator if you do want to reuse any bearings...

good click type torque wrench, the usual 200-250 ft.lbs max range.
a small torque wrench with a range down to 0 in-lbs and capable of measuring into the single digits. small beam type is best, very hard to find.

metric or imperial micrometer with thimble

dial indicator and magnetic base holder

dead blow hammer

best place i've found to get toyota parts would be www.1sttoyotaparts.com. i saved over $100 on bearings even with shipping!

be warned, a repair such as this is not the easiest job. i'm doing it because i want to learn and i understand the risks. theres a lot of hours involved with it. i don't know what your skill level with repairs is at, so fair warning

if you're currious i've been slowly building up a guide for this job over at www.toyotacressida.net (you have to sign up to see the real forums). its more of a worklog at the moment, but you will probably find it useful.
finally, follow the mk3 TSRM for more info. like i said, dissassembly is slightly different without the SST's but is very doable.

hope that helps.

[merryprankster]

thanks. i didnt quite follow all that, im 16 so im not that good at repairs. ive done my brakes and plugs/wires. lol

if i just swap the lsd pod out, will that generally fix main noise so i can drive it around for another couple years?

[Syris]

Originally Posted by merryprankster

thanks. i didnt quite follow all that, im 16 so im not that good at repairs. ive done my brakes and plugs/wires. lol

if i just swap the lsd pod out, will that generally fix main noise so i can drive it around for another couple years?

Yes it should take care of it provided the replacement is in good condition also.

[merryprankster]

cool, can i just find one and take it to a mechanic and tell him to throw it on?
how much should i expect that would cost?

[zer_gravity]

yeah if you're not following some of what i was spitting out, don't get into the repair unless you want to play one day and learn a lot as in you don't care if you trash the old one. can be fun if you're into it.

yeah getting another lsd and swapping it in is by far easiest/cheapest. as syris said, as long as its good. the problem with that you will probably have to hunt around at scrap yards to get one and there's no guarentee that that one won't have similar problems or even worse problems.

i got one for free off a friend so it wasn't such a big deal that my second one sucks too. they'll usually go for a while before the bearing completely gives out, but be warned when they blow it can be sudden, major and dangerous. for example, the gears can mesh their teeth and lock up. i've seen pics where a guy cracked the housing and that thing is solid cast iron!

that being said, if you have a bearing whine and it isn't overly loud i wouldn't go nuts trying to find a new diff immediately. they're really quite tough.

most mechanics don't want to do the swap as its part of the drivetrain so they like to send you to a transmission mechanic. up here in canada it cost me about $350 with taxes for the swap

you may also have to get oil seals replaced if the new diff has been sitting around for a while, but those aren't too bad price wise. about $25 CAN/seal here and labour is quite minimal. could even be under an hour per seal of they're good. but first things first. start calling scrap yards

[87 Supra]

I have the same whine coming form my rear end. I think mine was caused by the previous owner running it dry or very low on gear oil. I filled it back up and it’s not as loud now. How long can you drive one of these things with that whine? I have other issues as well so the differential wasn’t high on my list. How hard is it to do the swap?

[merryprankster]

how much should i expect to pay for the lsd itself?