Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi, just had my car running up on the ramps today to identify which wheel bearing had gone on the rear and it turns out its the diff making the noise, again. I replaced the diff bearings last year as i had play on the shafts which cured the play but didn't cure the noise, i just assumed it was a wheel bearing and ignored it for a while.
Last year after having a quote for around £2000 to replace the bearings i bought another box of ebay claiming to be an S2 box, before fitting i thought i'd check it engaged each gear properly but it would only select half the gears, so, i opened that box up and found not only had the selector shaft snapped it was not an S2 box as it had a standard diff. after a lengthy dispute process i managed to get my money back with paypal and began i stripping my box myself and had new bearings pressed in the case at a cost of £60! All seemed to go back together fine. but obviously its not right. I've probably covered 10000 miles since replacing the bearings and it does run fine, just a whiring noise on motorways.
After my essay of the gearbox saga i'll get to my point, i was wondering if anyone knew about adjusting the LS diffs or shimmys or anything i may have missed. any light shed would be greatly appreciated!
Rich.

Can't help with the noise I'm afraid, but the S2 didn't come with an LSD as standard unless it was specified as an option by the first owner. So the gearbox you bought off eBay could well have been from an S2, just a standard one, although that makes no odds if it was faulty.

Very, very few S2s had an LSD if that is what you mean. I do have one here with LSD & could be persuaded to flog it for money!
All the boxes are noisy, some worse than others. They clatter & rattle especially on the over run probably because of resonance & echo in the torque tube.

Edited to add it is plate diff so will require an overhaul every 60K or so, less if it is driven hard.

The diff was clattering like a gooden' up on the ramps, really noisy, but obviously it had no load so maybe it would, the noise it makes in the car is exactly like a wheel bearing noise but they're fine. there is some play on the shaft on one side.
The diff is quite violent when going round tight corners and pulling out of junctions, by that i mean it judders like its quite locked.
rich.

What was the condition of the oil when you changed it before when you replaced the output bearings. Assuming thats what you mean by the diff' bearings. If there were iron filings you need to search for another gearbox as when one bearing dies the resultant debris will soon kill the other bearings. It is possible to find a good gearbox but it can take awhile. They are becoming increasingly rare. It's not economic to rebuild the box. Your talking thousands. Nobody does though some advertise a rebuild service all they actually do is replace the output bearings & rip you off. I doubt that rebuilding your diff completely will solve your problem as if its that bad then the rest of the box will be damaged. Trick is to buy a gearbox thats still in a running car so you can test it. Or Jims will solve your problem. If it's no good he wouldn't be selling it! All LSD's snatch. Are you sure you really need an LSD? Car is better to drive without one & the S2 not so powerful to need it.

I dont remember there being that much in there, probably quite a bit stuck to the magnet. there was quite a bit of play on the o/s which was the reason i changed them. The other bearings didn't look too bad in the case, seconded by the place that pressed in the new bearings.
I can only assume its still the diff as the noise continues out of gear and is constant whatever gear i'm in.
I think another box is my best option but alas, times is ard! I'm currently looking for a cheap runaround to ease my £100 a week petrol bill to and from work. plus i wont be ruining my '44 taking it to work every day.

Jim how much are you looking for for it? if you could PM me would be great. I'm not looking at right now but in the near future. By the looks of it i only live down the road from you!

Rich.

Does anybody know of any advantages or disadvantages if I was to use something like slick 50 to the box to see if it quiets it down for the mean time until I change it?

I'm not certain, but I don't think that Slick 50 or any other friction reducing additive are compatible with a limited slip diff.

Don't even think about Slick 50. Sawdust would work better!

Ha ha my dad suggested that! They used to do it on the old trucks he worked on!