clutch packs..difficulty level?

[BrianO]

how hard is it to replace the clutch packs in the diffy?

That moaning sound I've had for a while that I thought were the brakes I found out my buddy with the 86 has the same sound and he says it's from worn clutch packs. his description of how it happens goes right along with that I'm hearing and feeling.

I have no leaks in the axles or the diffy and I have friction modifier in there as well. The gears are loud so I planned on doing those again to get them quiet, but curious who has experience doing the clutch packs? how hard is it..

and yes I searched..one post.

[tateg]

I've done several and it's not difficult. You just have to get really creative with visegrips and a hammer to get the spring back in. It's much easier if the carrier is out of the rear end.

Describe the moaning sound. Is it at speed or turning slowly in a parking lot? Decelerating or accelerating?

[BrianO]

thanks, the moaning is only going from a dead stop..seems to be even louder when I turn right. after about 5mph or so it goes away. My buddy says the clutch packs and fluid sometimes grab when they are warm.warn causing that sound. As far as I know it's only accelerating.

I can't find too many rebuild kits for the 7.5, but new differentials are the same price as rebuild kits for the 8.8... hmm

[tateg]

Sounds like clutches. There are a couple of online tutorials on how to improve the performance of the ford differential by recombining the way the clutches are installed and removing some of the clutch material. I did this some years back on an 8.8 that I was mostly doing quarter mile stuff but drove occasionally on the street.

[BrianO]

what do you think...for the price of a rebuild kit I could get a new diffy all together.. since I'll be removing it anyways to adjust it again for the gear whine.. rebuild kit or new diffy?

[tateg]

If you are removing it anyway go with new. Do you have the tools and know-how to reinstall the differential? It is a specialized kind of job that not everyone can do. I'm a pretty good shade-tree mechanic and actually know how to do this, but I'd still pay someone else really qualified to set up any rear end I planned to use. It's pretty easy to inspect for wear using dial indicators but setting it up using the proper paint and reading the wear pattern is an art.

If you have gear whine and not bearing whine, it's time to replace the gears too because they will only whine if out of adjustment or worn. If they were installed properly and are now whining they probably need replacement due to wear. If you are removing the carrier I'd replace the carrier and pinion bearings... If you are replacing the bearings, gears, and carrier, I'd just go ahead and take that last step and buy an new 8.8. That's what I did and don't regret it. By the time you pay a qualified mechanic to do all the work it will only run a little more but it's a great upgrade. You can get a new 3.73 unit for about $800 and a 3.55 for somewhat more. I got mine from Summit and they only charged about $70 shipping.

The only downside was that my slapper bars don't fit anymore.

[BrianO]

my buddy has all the provisions to do the gears so I'm good on that end. The pattern after the install was actually really good and we didn't need to do any adjustments, but it did start whining after a month or so. I replaced bearings when I did the gears. the moaning was very subtle at first, but has gotten louder especially after it sits for a while and then move it.

Torsen? is that a brand of differential?

[NavySVO]

Torsen? is that a brand of differential?

http://www.torsen.com/products/products.htm

[BrianO]

holy smokes, those are expensive. nice part though!

I ended up finding a 7.5 clutch rebuild kit really cheap and newer gears for even cheaper. that should stop the moaning and whining.. LOL

[Alex L]

they are a very nice part. ive got a type2 under the front of the svt contour. amazing on dry pavement, pretty much worthless in the wet.

[Alex L]

You need better tires.

ive been hearing that a lot lately. its the wife's car, so its tire budget isn't highest priority. i still stand by my statement that a torsen diff's limiting capacity is reduced when the tire -> road traction is reduced. its not necessarily 'worse' then a locker or clutch type diff, just different behavior. I actually prefer the way the torsen 'eases' into its limit, unlike the clutch type in the SVO, where it goes from stick to over steer quite abruptly. (we'll ignore FWD vs RWD and all that rot for this thread)

its just really annoying when the snow falls and the car starts doing the one wheel spin dance. but if you're tossing that kind of cash at a diff for an SVO, i would guess its not going to be seeing much snow duty.

[RTStabler51]

they are a very nice part. ive got a type2 under the front of the svt contour. amazing on dry pavement, pretty much worthless in the wet.

Really? What other mods to the CSVT? I had a Quaife in mine, but it was far from stock. However the LSD was the best mod I ever did in that little turd.

[Alex L]

Really? What other mods to the CSVT? I had a Quaife in mine, but it was far from stock. However the LSD was the best mod I ever did in that little turd.

thats pretty much it. put the LSD in when the tranny went south under warranty. money well spent IMO.