clunk, clunk, boommm.. goodbye rear end

so i was driving to get some stuff for work i acelerated from a stoplight i heard a big nasty clunk..hmmm wtf was that i thought.. so i accelerated up to speed and as soon as i started to cruise i had very loud and continous clunk, clunk.. im talking loud... so i limped it home...

before i say more i'll give alittle history here.. about 3weeks ago i met with a guy locally that owns a nice s12 notch and i gave him a ride.. i did a few launches and on the last one i noticed that i had a faint clunk, and it would got faster the faster i drove.. my first thought was that it was the halfshafts since the boots on them broke a while back....

so since i thought it was the halfshafts i decided that i would just take the whole rear end out since i needed to replace the crossmember bushings and the the oil seals one the diff itself...

so heres the rear end out..(this pic is after it was ready to go back in)
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_img_a/243105_264_full.jpg

heres what my crossmember bushing looked when i drooped the rear
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_img_a/243105_263_full.jpg

heres what i saw when i pulled the rear diff cover off after realizing the halfshafts where ok
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_img_a/243105_262_full.jpg

and heres what the damage really was I LOST 2 TEETH on one of the spider gears.....not sure why but thats what 200k miles and drag racing on drag radials will do....
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_img_a/243105_260_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_img_a/243105_266_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_img_a/243105_267_full.jpg

luckly i had the other s12 so i just gutted the rear carrier from that and swapped in the hlafshafts as well.. all in all becarful when using drag radials on a very tired rear end..

Glad to see it wasn't the coilovers! :rofl:

Wow, you actually broke an R200. That's impressive.... You almost need to have a T-shirt made up now.

"I Broke an R200 differential"

Guys walking by would read it and give you the thumbs up. :)

Wow, you actually broke an R200. That's impressive.... You almost need to have a T-shirt made up now.

"I Broke an R200 differential"

Guys walking by would read it and give you the thumbs up. :)

lol i was thinking alone the same lines when i realized i broke it..

That is so true! I have never actually met anyone who's broken an R200. I know guys running 350+ hp in 280Z's running R180's, and all they ever break is halfshafts. Guess our halfshafts are not much of a weak link.

Bart I think I may have the same problem with mine. It started on my way home from California. I should be able to just replace the spider gears then huh and get rid of the problem.

It is a clunk upon acceleration right?

Where did you get the new crossmember bushings from?

We can get new bushings from our local Nissan dealerships. Is it not the same for you in Sweden?

Sounds like a good time to weld the spiders, and make a posi out of it :twisted:

Wow, you actually broke an R200. That's impressive.... You almost need to have a T-shirt made up now.

"I Broke an R200 differential"

Guys walking by would read it and give you the thumbs up. :)
I just about laughed my ass off when I read that

You should make one up, Bart, and wear it to all the import events.

I just about laughed my ass off when I read that

You should make one up, Bart, and wear it to all the import events.

but remember arro that most of the import scene will have no idea what a differential is...lol...ricers

Bart I think I may have the same problem with mine. It started on my way home from California. I should be able to just replace the spider gears then huh and get rid of the problem.

It is a clunk upon acceleration right?

not really it was constant and got quicker the faster i went.. but i think i lost one tooth way back and just this past sunday i think i broke another one and thats why i had the second loud clunk and really nasty noise after that

not really it was constant and got quicker the faster i went.. but i think i lost one tooth way back and just this past sunday i think i broke another one and thats why i had the second loud clunk and really nasty noise after that

Yea I think that the dealer can get a set, but I was thinking if some heavy duty stuff where available. Like something from a Z31

nice pics...wish i had a GOOD digi-cam when i took apart my tranny, lost one whole bearing, and 5 teeth total...all b/c of the WRONG gear oil!!!

So any guess on when your s12 will be roadworthy again?

nice pics...wish i had a GOOD digi-cam when i took apart my tranny, lost one whole bearing, and 5 teeth total...all b/c of the WRONG gear oil!!!

So any guess on when your s12 will be roadworthy again?

i started on sunday and finished on tuesday

It is a clunk upon acceleration right?If you have a clunk upon acceleration, your bushings are toast. Either your differential bushing, transmission bushings, or possibly both. You can replace them with ones from the Nissan dealership, or look into the Z31 guys who are installing solid diff and trans mounts. More road noise, but no driveline deflection and more torque put to the ground.

If you have a clunk upon acceleration, your bushings are toast. Either your differential bushing, transmission bushings, or possibly both. You can replace them with ones from the Nissan dealership, or look into the Z31 guys who are installing solid diff and trans mounts. More road noise, but no driveline deflection and more torque put to the ground.

more then likely its your rear cross member bushings.. mine was shot and wold clunk everytime i acelerated quickly

If you have a clunk upon acceleration, your bushings are toast. Either your differential bushing, transmission bushings, or possibly both. You can replace them with ones from the Nissan dealership, or look into the Z31 guys who are installing solid diff and trans mounts. More road noise, but no driveline deflection and more torque put to the ground.Just FYI, the Z31 solid diff mount doesn't work. I learned the hard way after buying it. The Z31 diff mount is completely different. However, the solid crossmember bushings work great.

Just FYI, the Z31 solid diff mount doesn't work. I learned the hard way after buying it. The Z31 diff mount is completely different. However, the solid crossmember bushings work great.

ya i was thinking about getting the solid ones as well but i am going to get the urethane ones once they are avaiable

And He said,

"Let there be T-shirt"
;)

And He said,

"Let there be T-shirt"
;)

lol... count me in im getting one....lol

I don't think you got me guys....it's not one clunk. It does get faster as I accelerate, but I only hear/feel it under load. It's not the bushings. I'm assuming you're talking about the mounting bushings. I also just had the trans rebuilt (auto). Cost me $1600. (ouch)

I did the trans as a precautionary measure because I drove the car to California from Illinois at the end of July. I have ove 193,000 on the car now and I didn't feel like getting stranded somewhere out in the middle of nowhere needing a new trans for a car that requires a special one. (V6 and auto).

I also replaced the gear oil in the rear end and I replaced the diff cover gasket. I inspected the diff and the spider gears looked like they had accessive play in them, but I didn't have the time or money to replace them at the time. I guess I'll have to tear into it again and see what the hell broke in there.

Shoot Bart, you're scaring me away from slicks now... :laugh:

There's a 280Z with a 383 stroker in it that ran the $2003 Challenge down in Florida and didn't break R200. Man that's impressive!!! :banger:

However, the solid crossmember bushings work great.
are you talking about the Transmission xmember? if so, where can i source one?

Shoot Bart, you're scaring me away from slicks now... :laugh:

nah drag radials are known to break tranny's rear ends and halfshafts alot more then slicks.. slick have a better overall grip but the drag radials have a much more aggressive initial bite.. that initial bite is what more then likely killed my rear end and also my buddies maxima tranny as well

are you talking about the Transmission xmember? if so, where can i source one?

no he refers to the rear crossmember that the diff carrier and rear control arms are bolted too

gotta say the rear crossmember bushings made a huge difference.. and the newer diff is alot tighter(well clearance wise)

If you start making shirts I'll need two, one that says "I killed a toyota 3ac engine" (that will raise some eyebrows) and "I broke a detroit locker". If you've ever owner a toyota tercel 4wd wagon you'll know how tough those engines are. I managed to split the block and blow the head gasket on that thing. BTW If you wanna see a mess when my locker broke in my ford the crown gear actually left my differential and fell out on the road with pieces of both my axles. Good family fun.

open diffs, big power and sticky tires = toothless diffs

Say he had a clutch type LSD R200 unit. Would that not break because the torque is dispersed to both wheels rather than mostly one?

Say he had a clutch type LSD R200 unit. Would that not break because the torque is dispersed to both wheels rather than mostly one?

well not neccesarly., since i have a open diff most of the power will load on one side and but alot of stress... moist lsd are built tough to handle high power so they are less likely to break

bart: out of all the mods you have why do you not have an lsd???

With a non LSD diff, you have a lot of inequity.

If you look at the pinion, there is a toothed gear on one side.

When severe stress is placed on it, if we all remember physics class (or I guess can see into the future ... *sigh*) torque across unequal lengths will place all the stress on the longest part. Physics was years ago, so mind my terminology.

For the most part open diffs will just break the tire loose.

But as Bart said, drag radials are brutal. Unlike slicks that pretty much grab OR spin, drag radials usually spin, then grab very hard.

When a non LSD diff loads up with a lot of power and GRIPS, all that power is transferred to very tiny teeth. Something has to give.

Ever see how often Hondas blow out the CV shafts? (the Hondas on the side of the road with one tire pointing away from the car). Same reason; Econobox= unequal length shafts.

An LSD is stronger because it locks both axles, so there is no uneven distribution of power.

But yeah, sticky tires and power will eat most non-LSD diffs in a short time.

speaking of honda's blowing cv shafts.... i had a friend that had a broken motor mount in his integra ls and instead of replacing it he would just replace axles... he could do a axle in like 20 minutes on the ground. pretty slick if you ask me. i also have another friend that changed a transmission on a 1st gen dsm in 40 minutes at the track one weekend.

bart: out of all the mods you have why do you not have an lsd???

1. there spendy
2. hard to find
3. if i find one it will probably be too expensive

1st gen dsm in 40 minutes at the track one weekend.
Now thats impressive.

i could change an 87-88 SE tranny (assuming they're 100% assembled) in 45 minutes...ive done it...5 times..lol

I broke my r200!!! Do I get a shirt too? LOL :)

I guess I didn't break mine lol its one of two things 1 the wheel bearing siezed or my caliper. Damn I guess I don't get a shirt. lol

Hey Bart why dont u put a 240sx lsd guts in ur r200...alot cheaper and around alot more so it shouldnt be hard to find...

Hey Bart why dont u put a 240sx lsd guts in ur r200...alot cheaper and around alot more so it shouldnt be hard to find...

ya im thinking about it but i want a clutch disc lsd not a viscius but i may get a viscious to hold me over since i seem to break tires loose anytime i barly open the throtle open

Well when and if u decide to do the gut swap put up a Picture How To, cause i myself want to do the swap but have never worked on a diff in my life.. It would also be a benifit to the club.

Well when and if u decide to do the gut swap put up a Picture How To, cause i myself want to do the swap but have never worked on a diff in my life.. It would also be a benifit to the club.

oh ya i wouldnt do it without taking pics