So I have a 87 Base model (no LSD)...some guy is parting out his 89 TII.

I want the LSD ...what exactly would I be buying besides the pumpkin?

 

Do it right and see if you can get the entire driveline: trans, shaft, diff, axels.
If you just want the rear end for the lsd you NEED custom driveshaft and axels.

Wait...its not that black one on craigs with the reverse vent Carbon hood, is it?

 

Hmm...it was on craigs....andddd the email is equippedmotorsports? or some ****. But yea...it was black....why what about it?

Damn thats a whole lot of ****...tranny too!??! aww mannn so much work.

 

How about this...i get the diffrential...and driveshaft and axels...but keep my tranny?

 

Cheapest you can go is the Tii to Na "conversion" drive shaft from MazdaTrix.com. I think its $350 before shipping+tax. As an NA you'd actually benifit from the slightly shorter Turbo gearing, but to each his own.

If that car is the I'm thinking about, good luck. The dude was trying to seel it with a few bolt ons for a huge price and I'm willing to bet he blew the motor on a test drive trying to hard sell the car. Be wary, take whats good, and get out.

 

Hmm...well I got some S5 tails and front bumper from him yesterday...there was no engine in the car....so maybe he sold the motor. And he did tell me the motor blew ...

So your saying the mazdatrix drive shaft + rear end + axels will work? But my tranny has longer gearing...but I dont mind.

 

My opinion= grain of salt. Sell them to buy the driveline stuff, or take them back/exchange for the diff, axels, etc. Tails are over rated, and the bumper wont make you go fast. /rant.
Yes.

 

Why not just get an S4 N/A limited slip pumpkin and swap it into your housing?

 

Yes, cheapest option is an NA LSD. Straight swap.

 

yeah i just did that. i havnt installed it yet but i am working on it

 

Yea in the FAQ it says...86-88 GXL came with LSD? theres a GXL at a local junkyard right now, so all I would need from it is the rear pumpkin right?

 

Yep, it'll swap right over, but it'd be a good idea to take it apart, check the clearances on the plates, replace the springs and anything worn, replace all the seals and replace the bushings before putting it in.

 

I don't know if I would necessary take it apart. It could still have a lot of good miles left on it. If there is no play, and the fluid is good, it might not have been abused. I guess it all depends on how much time and money you want to spend into it, which might also include replacing the clutch packs. You should also look into replacing the subframe mounts and differential mount if they are damaged. I actually picked up an LSD from an 88 GXL with 110k miles on it about a year ago and haven't had any problems with it. When it does goes, I'll be ready to swap in a Kaaz.

 

It's not that hard to take it apart and check and if nothing else you'll get to confirm that it's still good. It's at a minimum 20 years old for crying out loud! Even if it hasn't been abused, chances are it's seen a lot of miles and could still be worn. The clutches might still be good, but the springs will get soft over time and should be replaced to get it to operate best. For the love of god, at least replace the fluid though.

 

Well im going to the pick-n-pull tomorrow. Theres a GXL waiting there for me =]

Any advice on taking off the rear? or is it straight forward unbolt this and that and voila.

EDIT: I dont know anything about the rebuild of a LSD, so if replacing springs and clutch packs or whatever is needed...I shall find out when I install it!

 

In that case I would suggest a professional to rebuild it. Most places that mount tires can do this, the suspension license is the same as the chassis and rear ends fall under chassis, and its usually between $350-$500. Not bad for a piece fo mind, but most will only set it to stock specs, so no agressive lock up.

 

$350-500? Wouldn't it be worth it to rather buy a kaaz or ms for a little bit more? I think I'll just take black91n/a's advice to drain the fluid, open it ups and check for worn parts. If anything I can just give ray @ malloy a call for the replacement parts. Thanks for the advice everyone, but my new question still is how hard is it going to be to remove this damn pumpkin off the shell at the junk yard? Any tips?

-Justin

 

Disconnect the driveshaft and half shafts then you need to lower the subframe to get at the front mount, lower it as far as you can, it'll make it easier. The holes are slotted so you can push the front mount up and out of the subframe mount. Once that's done it just pulls down and out.

Download the FSM and have a look through the diff rebuild, it won't be that hard if you've got the tools and basic skills.

 

Thanks for the tips! I will for sure write this down, and I appreciate bringing up the option of a more penny pincher option as I don't want to spend more money than I need to.

-Justin

 

Also, seals are cheap and easy to replace and you don't even have to take it apart to get them (the front requires that you take the flange off, but that's not a big deal, just return the nut to its original position and all is well). Be sure to change them.

In all likelyhood the plates are still within spec, but the springs will be tired and replacing them will make the diff function better and won't be very expensive at all.