How to fix a limited slip differential

This is the second of a two part video set, showing how to diagnose and fix a broken limited slip differential in a 1998 Dodge Ram. This is the stock Chrysler Trac Lok limited slip differential with the 9.25" ring gear. The Belleville washers on both sides were broken, so I replaced the clutch packs on both sides. Various methods of installing the new clutch packs are discussed and shown.
Part 1 is here • Dodge Limited Slip dif...
This video is an amateur demonstration done for entertainment purposes but is not a qualified instructional video. The results are offered in good faith, for free, but with no guarantee as to accuracy or safety. Before you decide to attempt this kind of repair you should honestly appraise your skill set and your willingness to accept risk. Any misadventure you encounter if you decide to accept these risks are your responsibility.
Music credits:
As I Figure - Latinesque by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Bass Walker - Film Noir by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-... Artist: incompetech.com/ /
River Meditation by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/

[@notamechan1c]

This helped a ton! I'm replacing Belleville springs in mine too and the thrust washers are a pain! Thank you.

[@colereid1870]

Thanks for posting this awesome video! I had to do this job while restoring a rather sentimental 08 Ram. Everything differential and limited-slip were good except one of the 4 clutch pack keeper keys were broken, I can't figure out what would cause enough force to break one. Your Video was a godsend and made life easier. Your bench set-up was fantastic - super easy to replicate and worked seamlessly!

[@benniedonald]

Great job explaining your way versus other ways. I am looking at replacing my wheel bearings and seals. I am not sure what to look for but I will keep this video close by. I am in hopes nothing needs replacing but the seals and bearings. Oh and of course grease and fluids. Thank you for making this awesome video.

[@garyparent6762]

Love this video. Your attention to detail and great explanation of every action are terrific. THANKS!

[@writtenpieceopaper1]

Thank you so much for your in-depth explanations! I'm using it to diagnose my 2008 Jeep Wrangler non-Rubicon with the dreaded Trac-Lok.

[@schraubenschussel]

Great video, thank you really much. I always wanted to know what's the thing with these LS diffs and you gave me all the Infos AND hacks for it ❤

[@MattBrownbill]

I didn't even know I had an LSD until today, and now I have almost finished rebuilding it. Thanks for the help. 👍

[@joerives6823]

Great tutorial video thank you very much it had been great great help 🙏🙏 for my project

[@elcheapo5302]

That was great, Dave, thanks for doing this video. Reading the instructions in the dealer repair manual didn't make a lot of sense, especially with the compressing of the gears. But it does now that I've seen it. Take care!

[@spelunkerd]

Thank you for following along, your response makes the effort worthwhile! I believe the real secret to this is at 9:06 of the video, it would be easy to make that tool. By using a tool that compresses both clutches from one side, you leave one side gear open to mount and rotate the housing in a vice. Having both clutch packs compressed from one side would make the most difficult part of this much easier. If you ever do it, bring the camera along, to date nobody has shown that on KZbin.

[@shawnmrfixitlee6478]

Great share , Glad it is working good now ! Not an easy task for sure .. ENJOYED

[@SVImpavidus]

These have been two really good videos. Thanks for sharing. Sail Safe mate. Ant, Cid & the pooch crew.

[@jeremymoreau4814]

Great video... thanks. It helped a lot.

[@jefftraf1418]

Thankyou for the video, Your Awesome!!

[@spelunkerd]

What a kind remark, thank you.

[@michaelbezoski3096]

If you could explain how you've developed such patience with a repair such as this I may attempt it "but" probably not, I know me too well. Thank you for filming this. Great job & many thanks!

[@rudyhunter8493]

Tech tip: use a dab of grease on the clips for the clutch packs to keep it stuck on while installing...

[@INOMORETHNU]

Nice vid from a nice guy! Good show ol chap

[@ThePracticalMechanic]

Great video. I wish all differentials had the side bearing adjusting screws. I did bearings on two chevys and one ford last week and all of them required changes to the shim packs to achieve the proper backlash and preload. Adjusting screws would have made that much easier. At least most of my Toyota’s have side adjusters.

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks, Chad. It's always nice to get a visit from a guy who does this professionally, especially one who takes the effort to give back to the KZbin community with his own videos. Cheers, Dave

[@nofortunatesonII]

I get a laugh out of mechanics marking both caps. If one is marked, it is obvious where it goes. Thank-you for posting the video.

[@spelunkerd]

That's a good point, I'm a belt and suspenders guy, ha ha. In this case I believe those caps can be accidentally swapped both left to right and also top to bottom. So if you don't mark the opposite side you won't know which side of each cap is up. I can be a klutz at times, and it wouldn't be rare for me to accidentally kick a box of parts over. If you are certain that won't happen, you don't need to mark at all. Thanks for stopping by!

[@nofortunatesonII]

@@spelunkerd If you look on the underside of the bearing cap you can see a stain in the shape of the bearing race area. Match up the stains. Most caps I have removed have an indicator of which way is up. I can match caps up if they are not marked using the arrows and the stains on the underside of the cap.

[@johnhhinton5473]

@@nofortunatesonII Witness marks

[@jackt6112]

You are correct in putting them back where the way they were, especially if you don't know for sure. What matters is if they are hunting or non-hunting gear sets. Using an example at the ring and pinion level, the Ford 3.00 gears have a 13 tooth pinion and a 39 tooth ring. 13 x 3 = 39. This is a non-hunter, and it is critical to get back back the way it was. The same situation holds true for spider/differential pinion to side/axle gears. Assembling other than the original will result in dissimilar wear patterns and excessive wear. These little gears need all the help they can get. If you know the ratio, an easy way to tell if you have a non-hunting ratio is to find out whether there is a whole number that can be multiplied by your ratio to come up with a whole-number. For example with a 3.55:1 ratio, nothing can be multiplied by any whole number to get a whole number, so it is hunting. But a 3.50:1 ratio can be multiplied by many whole numbers to get a whole number, 2 for example, yielding another whole number 7.0, so it is non-hunting. So "you done good" by putting it back the way it was, and for those who don't know which way to go, put it back like it was. If it is a non-hunter, you save a lot of wear, loss of strength, and noise. If it was a hunter, it was an "exercise" but there will be no negative consequences.

[@spelunkerd]

Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment, I didn't even think of this. Remarks like yours are why I scan the comments section, they are mind expanding. I imagine the same repeating patterns happen with timing chains.

[@nickschreibman600]

Thank you!

[@CHIBA280CRV]

Man I have to say fantastic job “👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@brucerazor5202]

Thanks so much

[@AlijahLeexZooGang]

Great video! New friend 💚 Can’t wait to see more!

[@dwoodog]

We need some visual confirmation. At least in some soft dirt/sand do a burn out so we can see both wheels spinning. LOL!!! Nice work on the repair.

[@SSMan-jo6tf]

Great video as always! My question is did you test the amount of torque it takes to turn one tire (30-200 range)? I suspect my diff is not always working but it passes both of your test

[@spelunkerd]

All I did was what was shown in the two-video set. The torque to turn one wheel, with the other on the ground while in neutral, was 35 ft-lbs. It's not a great test, too wide a normal range. I haven't yet tested the torque since completing the repair.

[@Dunecoones]

Thanks man!

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks. Check out the channel WatchWesWork here you youtube, he did a very similar video, this week, in a Ford. It turns out the standard LSD in that vehicle is very similar. I really liked the way he used a bolt and two nuts with an end cap and washers to compress both side gears at the same time without losing the ability to prop it on an axle shaft held in a vise. The method is much like I allude to at the end of this video. Good luck!

[@kirkdunn1379]

Smart dude!

[@spelunkerd]

What a kind remark, thank you.

[@nofortunatesonII]

If you switch left and right side gears (if they are the same) the axle teeth will now be contacting the side of the side gear that got very little use (coast side).

[@QuantumMotorWorks]

I am rebuilding my 9.25. I replaced the pinion seal at 90k miles, but didnt fully understand that there was a bearing preload required. It didnt last long before making noise, but didnt fail after about 30k miles. I spun the inner pinion bearing race in the housing, and now that I'm rebuilding my rear end, I've had to shim my pinion out from .028" to .070". The carrier assembly and adjuster are a couple of thousands off from where it originally sat. My question, if you've experienced this, would be the side clearance on the axle shaft ends and secondary pinion gears/ spider gears. If the axle clearance is to excessive, the axle retaining c-clip could pop out, and cause a major failure. You would correct the side clearance by shimming the spider gears. Did you have to do that?

[@spelunkerd]

If the contact pattern and ring gear backlash are good, I wouldn’t worry about the C clips. However I have no experience with a spun pinion bearing at all. Good luck!

[@andrewhelmer7710]

Excellent video I have turned the rear wheel on a Colorado land cruiser and the opposite wheel does not move at all in either direction and vice versa could you please tell me if these broken washers or something similar could be the reason thank you ?

[@spelunkerd]

Maybe try it with the diff in gear, since the opposite wheel should always try to turn the opposite way if the axle is held stationary. Depending on the style of differential these are designed to have enough slip to allow turning around a corner without bump slipping. Yeah, it sounds like yours is abnormal, for some reason. There is wide variance in the design of these systems. I don't know enough about the land cruiser to say.

[@andrewhelmer7710]

@@spelunkerd Thank you very much for your help I will have to ask a local mechanic and investigate it further the LSD does appear to give trouble on some models . Keep your videos coming they are very informative .

[@Threefiftylegend]

I have a 17 ram and the left side axle is slipping out so bad the speed sensor is not reading and eating up break pads and the rotors.. i need your opinion on what the issue may be. I ordered new c clips just wanted to know what else could let it slip out that far

[@spelunkerd]

Newer trucks have sensors in each wheel, not a single one in the diff as shown here. I'll guess it is a mechanical issue, hard to say what. I would doubt it is as simple as a C clip, although it is possible the C clip was not installed correctly when last serviced. I've seen broken axles behave like this. You'll find the cause when you get in there.

[@Keeter94]

Spelunkard? Is this possible to do in side the carriage?

[@spelunkerd]

Yes, I've heard that some guys do it that way. It seems like a more awkward option, but I suppose you could use the wheels to apply leverage to get those new shims into place.

[@Keeter94]

Where did you get new belville springs at sir!! Mine look identical to yours and I can’t find anywhere!!!! Please help

[@spelunkerd]

If you go to the video just after 2:30, you'll see the box from Summit Racing and a website, part number and phone number. The tricky thing is to be sure you're getting the correct parts for your vehicle. More than once I've been confused because Dodge changed some hardware midway through a production year. There are aftermarket websites that will classify differentials based on the outward appearance, cover plate bolt numbers, and ring gear diameter. Pay attention to any metal tags or stickers on your diff.

[@Keeter94]

@@spelunkerd unfortunately the previous owner open the pumpkin up before I did, and there were no identifying tags. It’s a five lug 925. Could that be 321? Or 373?

[@Keeter94]

Unfortunately, we have no type of knowledge and this rear end has 139,000 miles on it so the previous owner was smoking tires every corner. Me and my pop think it might be cheaper to just go buy outright rear end from the wrecking yard and doing a swap lol there goes $60 in bearings and seals.

[@Keeter94]

The rebuild kits alone or $300 plus and we don’t know how much metal shavings from those broken washers have caused

[@KP11520]

Sure hope all is still well and QUIET too! Bearings don't seem to be as high quality as the old days!

[@spelunkerd]

It's working great, better than ever. I'm amazed at how these old tanks won't die, but they sure are thirsty.

[@KP11520]

@@spelunkerd Good for you! I lost my rear in my 99 Durango when something inside kicked out and broke the Diff housing. Oil all up the back as we were doing 60 mph.. Paid a Dodge "Certified mechanic to get me on the road again. Finds a used OPEN drive. On a 4X4? Idiot. Then made me buy everything new to rebuild it. Yukon bearing kit (Timken Bearings), Mopar LSD. 3.92 Pinion gear and ring and seals and everything. Don't know what he did, but it was noisy and brought it back. He replaced a bearing or two and sent me home, and it is real noisy again in 10K. $3800 total it cost me. He "retired". A transmission guy said I need to replace everything again and it needs to be rebuilt right. Does that sound legit? Nothing can be reused? He said the Diff and gears wear lop sided when done wrong. Something about poor shimming? OUCH!

[@spelunkerd]

@@KP11520 I don't know why these Ram differentials tend to be noisy, but its a very common complaint. On my truck it was noisy on the highway at about 90,000 miles, worse under load, and I asked a pro to look at it. He replaced the pinion bearings but the noise persisted. I lived with it for years, nothing too bad, but a little annoying. Now I don't notice anything, but I don't drive it every day. Now that I know how much work and time it takes to do this right, I can understand high prices. Most demonstrations here on KZbin by general mechanics cut corners that driveline shops take time to do right. From what I know now, I'd be suspicious if it didn't take a lot of work.

[@KP11520]

@@spelunkerd Thanks! There's one place here on Long Island that's supposed to be place for it being done right, including real custom work! Hopefully, it is something more simple and doesn't need everything!. Time to sell it if so. Trans throws codes because the torque converter won't lock up. Won't pass inspection because of this too. Transmission guy said he'd do a complete rebuild and converter for $2800. Said it's so much work to remove and reinstall correctly, just do everything when out! This THING ain't worth $2800. LOL Keep driving to where most can't go! Good Luck!

[@chrismunson4935]

Can I ask for the part numbers for the clutch packs

[@spelunkerd]

Shown at 2:37 of video, on the box.

[@chrisruiz1065]

what would be a symptom of those problem?

[@spelunkerd]

Great question. They say that when this limited slip fails, it usually fails 'open', meaning it behaves like you don't have it. It reverts to an open diff. Poor traction in snow, with one wheel wildly spinning and the other not moving at all. I suppose when those plates break or bind you could have noises or sticking traction on one side. Practically speaking I didn't notice anything, but this truck rarely goes off road. We get snow once a year here, and I never do burnouts to show off, so I haven't had a chance to try it out.

[@whojackson]

When using the dial indicator do you really need a magentic base? cant you just use your hand to hold the dial indicator?

[@spelunkerd]

Yeah, the magnetic base is unnecessary. Some dial indicators have clamps, and often techs have different versions to best suit the situation. Holding it with you hand would be inaccurate and awkward.

[@whojackson]

So I do need to buy a magentic base for accurate measurements?

[@spelunkerd]

@@whojackson They are cheaper than you think, I got my set at Princess Auto, Harbor freight is an option in the US. As I recall the dial indicator with magnetic base was less than $30. You can get the type that use a clamp, but then your diff needs something nearby the jaws can clamp to.

[@maciejolejniczak151]

Can You a metric system please

[@spelunkerd]

That's a good point, I rarely get to use my SAE wrenches any more. Many but not all of the fasteners in this old American truck are SAE, but fortunately metric wrenches usually fit, especially on large bolts. I would have been happy with metric conversion decades ago when Ronald Regan refused. Now the US is one of only three countries on the planet who have not formally adopted the metric system, sharing that distinction with Liberia and Myanmar. The world passed by.

[@homegrownluv8106]

I search Silverado and KZbin gives me Chrysler. Get your life together KZbin.

[@theadventurecru527]

Couldn't you just replace the clutches while it was in the car?

[@spelunkerd]

Good question. The difficult part would be to compress the Belleville washers enough to get the spider gears and washers into place. I used a bolt and nut on each side, which would be tricky in the confines of the case. Removing the diff is easy and you can inspect and clean it more easily with the diff removed.

[@randyb3347]

@@spelunkerd I'm attempting this right now and what a pain in the rear end :) Thinking of breaking down and buying the specially tool if I can't make one.

[@GregariousAntithesis]

Always trying to figure out accents definitely Canadian Mid to East

[@spelunkerd]

Good guess, I'm amazed at how good people can be at that little game. I grew up in Alberta.

[@GregariousAntithesis]

@@spelunkerd you sound like Jordan Peterson alot.

[@spelunkerd]

@@GregariousAntithesis Ha ha. I think I may have met him briefly when we were both at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, back in about 1980.

[@GregariousAntithesis]

@@spelunkerd im neutral on him but i do love canadians in general reminds me of kinder gentler days growing up in the US. Everyone has become cowards, nuts and fantastics.

[@66and72nova1]

A real differential builder would flip the side gears to opposite sides and the same for the pinion gears. Why you might ask.... Since spider gears have a drive side. By flipping the internals you're now driving on the less worn side or what is known as the coast side. It extends the life of the spider gears.

[@MichaelBrown-um8qc]

Thank you !