Lsd
 

I heard that you could tell if your car had an LSD by reading the VIN number? Is that true, and how would you be able to tell? Also, how do you change the tranny oil on a manual trans? What I found in the TSRM wasn't very helpful, but maybe there is more info somewhere else? Can someone point me in the right direction.

thanks,

Scruffboy

ref: scruffboy's LSD
 

on UK cars, there is a letter in the VIN number which denotes diff type, but that doesn't guarantee you'll have one, as they often get swapped for open units if they fail. best way to tell is jack the car up even (on the diff housing) leave handbrake off and turn one of the wheels, if the other turns in the same direction you have an LSD. It's possible that you still have an LSD even if it doesn't turn the same way: it could just be that it's stuck open (which is what tends to happen when they stop working). To be sure, get right under the car with a torch and look up to the floor pan on the right side of the diff. The LSD has a finned aluminum oil cooler. I recently broke a '91 car here in the UK and was pleased to find that it had an LSD, but mine even had the original red and white sticker on the back cover, saying "use LSD oil only" always a good sign.
hope this helps
Barton

quoted from heckler
 

1. Go for a cruise to warm up the transmission oil if it's cold out. This is not required, but it's a convenient excuse!

2. Take off the "Instrument Center Cluster Finish Panel" (TSRM - Body Section). Six screws.

4. Take out the shifter itself. Move the rubber up the shifter. Eight screws.

With the R154 transmission, both the drain and the filler plugs are sideways. Size 24mm wrench needed. You do not need to take anything else off the undercarriage to get these bolts off.

5. Drain the oil, replace the drain plug, and refill through the shifter hole until oil starts to come out of the filler hole

6. Put everything back together and take 'er for a cruise to make sure everything is good.

usually the vin plate will say stuff like
g319 or g299 etc

let us know what ya numbers are :)