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Does towing damage an LSD?

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Just a quicky: tracking has needed doing for a while but I've been super busy and haven't been able to get it done. Went for my first long drives in a while over the last week and my n/s wheelbearing is now howling.

 

Bearing in mind I replaced this with an OE VW bearing about 3 months ago, could my tracking/camber being a bit out accelerate the failure of the bearing this quickly?

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you'd chew your tyres up well before you do any damage to anything else, new bearings must have been damaged on fitting or something I reckon

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you'd chew your tyres up well before you do any damage to anything else, new bearings must have been damaged on fitting or something I reckon

 

I have worn my tyres down a fair wack very quickly, but evenly across the tyre and the car goes in a straight line ok so I didn't worry too much, I've got two new tyres ready to go on anyhow.

 

I'm gonna speak to my guy at VW about warranty, as there's no way it should be making this noise already!

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UPDATE!

I swapped the rear tyres with full tread onto the front hoping the noise would go. It didn't!

 

I've taken the passenger side hub off this evening and the Bearing seems nice and smooth so I'm a bit worried. I guess it may be coming from the driver side but I'm pretty sure it's not. I picked up a bearing earlier so will get that pressed in tomorrow.

 

It's got me wondering: my car was towed for about 3 miles last week, I had my foot on the clutch the whole time but could this have damaged my Wavetrac LSD at all?

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I took my hub into my local garage this morning and they agreed with me, the bearing is still fine on the passenger side.

 

They reckon it could be the rear bearing, but I can "feel" the droning through my feet at the front so I don't think it can be the rears.

 

Does anyone have any info on whether towing can harm an LSD?

 

I'm loathe to remove the drivers hub just to find thats still good too but really need to get to the bottom of this asap.

 

I swear this car hates me.

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Yeah I have heard people say things about jacking cars up and towing with LSDs and it being a bad idea etc etc, but it's not done mine any harm in the 5 or so years it's been fitted.

 

Having said that, the wheels spin so easily I wonder if it is actually working sometimes :lol: It's just gears connected to gears at the end of the day, it either works or doesn't, so I can't see what towing would do to it tbh, if anything. I know the Wavetrak is different to a quaife in that it has preload on the output flanges, but it's just the same as the Quaife otherwise.

 

I think maybe the myth comes from plate LSDs?

 

Anyway, did dipping the clutch when you felt the droning change anything?

 

You'd be surprised how noises from the rear can feel like they're coming from the front but it's bound to be something simple...

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Yeah, I can't see how it would hurt the diff but just wanted to check. The noise is the same with the clutch in or out, and gets louder with speed so it can only be a bearing really.

 

I've ruled out N/S front bearing, I span the rear N/S wheel and it seemed nice and smooth, a little bit of float as it should be.

 

I guess I'll try the O/S after work.

 

It just really annoys me as I replaced all the bearings about 2000 miles ago.

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Did the noise reduce / change pitch when you loaded it up round a corner?

 

I can always tell when my rear bearings are worn / out of adjustment because the discs make a rubbing noise round corners.

 

Front bearings are harder to diagnose, but sheddy steering feel, general wonkiness and wobbles + noises, usually = fooked front bearing/s.

 

I seem to recall someone on here having nightmares with front bearings and it was only finally fixed after replacing the hubs (the bit the bearing is pressed onto). I don't remember the exact details but there's something about old and worn hubs that seems to keep eating new bearings. IIRC they were £80+VAT each when I replaced mine.

 

I think the Vento Cup Challenge VR6s had uprated hubs back in the day I seem to remember Vince telling me once (Stealth used to race prep them), so it could be a known issue?

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You could just take it to your local Corrado people :wave:

 

Might have to take you up on that mate, it's driving me a bit crazy.

 

Swapped tyres front to back and noise still coming from the front I think. Front wheel bearings feel fine, I've taken the passenger side hub off and the Bearing is fine.

 

Really thinking it's a diff problem possibly as the noise isn't affected by dipping the clutch, but does get louder with speed.

 

Is it ok to put the Car up on a couple of axle stands and run it up to speed? I should then be able to get out and see exactly what's whining m

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Noise going away when dipping the clutch would involve a gearbox shaft bearing imo. SO that's good that it's not that. If the differential id the problem, I would have thought it would get louder when you go round corners or roundabouts (at least the legal way!!)

 

tbh,I've never been able to feel the play in a dead wheel bearing (or at least one only just beginning to howl) I think it's beyond the feel of human fingers(!) Mine seems fine but I know it moans.

 

Anyways, feel free to drop a PM and bring it by. We don't have much VR knowledge, but we're alright at diagnostics.

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Is it ok to put the Car up on a couple of axle stands and run it up to speed? I should then be able to get out and see exactly what's whining

only if you do it with the car in a safe place, like this :D

 

FerrisBueller.jpg[/attachment:2vboqekv]

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Is it ok to put the Car up on a couple of axle stands and run it up to speed? I should then be able to get out and see exactly what's whining

only if you do it with the car in a safe place, like this :D

 

FerrisBueller.jpg[/attachment:1qkcay3t]

 

haha - Ferris

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Swapped tyres front to back and noise still coming from the front I think. Front wheel bearings feel fine, I've taken the passenger side hub off and the Bearing is fine.

 

Really thinking it's a diff problem possibly as the noise isn't affected by dipping the clutch, but does get louder with speed.

 

Is it ok to put the Car up on a couple of axle stands and run it up to speed? I should then be able to get out and see exactly what's whining m

 

Yeah I've done that before but sometimes engine noise can drown out any droning / whining noises.

 

Is it a drone, or a whine? Who installed the wavetrak? If you're positive the bearings are OK, then it could be the preloads in the diff not quite right and / or possibly worn diff bearings. If Vince installed it I'd be very surprised if there were any issues tbh.

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Yeah I've done that before but sometimes engine noise can drown out any droning / whining noises.

 

Is it a drone, or a whine? Who installed the wavetrak? If you're positive the bearings are OK, then it could be the preloads in the diff not quite right and / or possibly worn diff bearings. If Vince installed it I'd be very surprised if there were any issues tbh.

 

My friend works at Ricardo in Leamington and he got one of the guys there to fit the diff for me, so I'd be very suprised if they did it wrong!

 

I'll give it a go at lunchtime and report back my findings!

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I would agree with that, they did after all design the 6 speed kit for that very gearbox for VW :-)

 

Vince used to work there as well, well, when it used to be Gemini Transmissions.

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Are we gonna talk about the Gemini box now? I may need to sit down... :D :D :D

 

Edit: just read second line of your post.... LOL@me :/

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There was a GB on them a couple of years ago as one of the ex-Gemini guys caved in and agreed to run off a new batch. £1300+VAT I believe, for the 3-6th kit. Adding the 1st/2nd shaft nearly doubled the price back in the day.

 

You won't get one now, unless one of the GB peeps parts with theirs.

 

TBH, an 02M conversion makes better financial sense and there are gazillions of them for spares.....

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Still at a bit of a loss with this one.

 

I've had the car running up to 60mph with the wheels in the air, and been for a few drives in the passenger seat trying to find the source and I can't track it down properly.

 

By my reckoning a bearing on the way out should be a lot hotter than a good one. So, my neighbour lent me a laser temp gauge, I took my wheel-caps off and went for a drive, then measured the temp of all the hub nuts: they were all the same.

 

Gonna work on the car tomorrow and try and sort some of the niggles out, hopefully will come accross something useful to get this sorted.

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Hope you track it down fella, mines been faultless since the steering rack was put in. forget sometimes how good it is on roundabouts no hint of understeer any more

 

You checked your CV joints i know then tend to make noises going on full lock etc but worth a check. All 4 of mine were replaced when the gearbox was put in just to be on the safe side and i heard with a lsd cv joints wear out faster whether thats true or not i dont know

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If I weave across the road, the drone seems to diminish as I turn right so I'm thinking passenger wheel bearing again. I've put a wanted Ad up for a spare hub so I can get the bearing pressed in, and then just swap hubs.

 

I think my current hub may be a bit past it maybe...

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Just to check as I'm confused:

 

If the bearing noise stops when I turn to the Right, that means the left hand bearing is the one to blame?

 

Also, Hub nut torque is 265Nm, correct?

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