Re: torsen wear (was Re:More torsen discussion by C1J1Miller)

["Graydon D. Stuckey" <graydon@apollo.kettering.edu>]

On Fri, 27 Feb 1998, Phil Rose wrote:

> >Although we all know that Audi parts never wear out, is it possible that

Hahaha

> >due to different levels of use, especially with extra horsepower, that
> >some observers' torsens might have non-standard internal frictions at
> >critical points, thereby behaving differently than those of others under

I'd have to think about that for a bit, but I doubt that the Torsen would 
be as susceptible to wear as a clutch-pak style LSD.  Don't quote me on 
that...

In a conventional LSD< the wear tha thappens is in the clutchpaks.   
SInce there are no clutch paks in a Torsen, adn all of the friction takes 
place in regular gear contacts, I suspect that the life of a Torsen is 
more akin to the life of a gearbox.

> >experience with this list over the last 1.5 years, the torsen is about
> >the last thing anyone considers taking apart, so I suspect we do not

No, don't take yours apart unless you have the directions f reassembly.   
The order and orientation of the transfer gears is important.

> Deja vu Kirby! Last week I posed a similar question (about liklihood of
> significant torsen wear) but there were _no_ responses. My question was

Sorry, I missed it.

> >Anyway, now that I've read about the function of the thrust washers
> >(bearings) >that Graydon referred to, I wonder if these are a normal
> >"wear" item. Will >these washers tend to wear and cause the friction to
> >change over umpteen+ >Kmiles of use--i.e., to the extent that the

In a stock Torsen the thrust bearings are needle bearings, so given the 
_very_ low rpm that they turn inside the diff, the needle bearings shoul 
dlast a looong time.   Now if you modify it and sub bushings instead, 
then you have a very real wear potential.

> the same lines as Kirby did: Are well-worn torsen diffs likely go a little
> "quirky" (e.g., hunt) when pushed into some situations that a newer (less
> worn) torsen can handle without problems? Just a thought.

I doubt it.   I think that a Torsen is not sensitive to wear.   AS it 
wears, the character basically remains.   If it does wear out, then the 
gears will bind up, and then you have basically a locked diff.   If 
somehow you got very slick oil in there, it would act more like an open 
diff.

Later,--------------------------- -   -   -   -
Graydon D. Stuckey		 / \ / \ / \ / \
graydon@apollo.kettering.edu	|Mr. Muffler... |
810 733 0255			 \ / \ / \ / \ /
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