avsum Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 I hereby submit my entry for "Idiot of the Year 2005". Everyone else may as well stop competing because I'm afraid I've got you beat hands down. So much so bookies are now refusing bets on me. My diff (3.38 non LSD on a Megablade) seized this morning on the way to my SVA appointment, because I...wait for it...can you guess...surely he didn't...oh my god he did...forget to put any oil in it. I know, I know, idiot/muppet/d1ckhead/. If we could keep the p1ss taking to a minimum, perhaps until the next time you see me in person, it would be appreciated. I am quite happy to be publicly ridiculed at the next club meet, but what I need right now is to know what I am going to do next. Here's what actually happened, so you can get a feel for what sort of shape my current diff is in. The car has only covered 3 miles. Basically as soon as I got it into 5th this morning the car started to slow suddenly and bring itself to a halt. I didn't know what it was at this stage, thought it might be engine related so tried again. Off I set, about 400 yards up the road it slowed again and slowed down a lot more suddenly, so much so it jerked to a stop. Still didn't know what it was...so tried to set off again...and again. Each time it stalled; you have to remember I didn’t have a clue what was wrong at this stage. Took bonnet off, examined brakes/handbrake, checked engine started fine in neutral, tried again but it stalled straight away. Even in neutral and with brakes/handbrake off it wouldn't even roll. It was at this point I phoned a mate who arrived, and within 30 seconds had a very dry diff plug in his hands covered in iron filings. I said "that's not supposed to look like that is it...". The car was recovered by dragging it onto a transporter - not lifted. It didn’t make any mechanical grating sounds at this point but the guy had to rev up his winch to actually move the car. When at home it didn't roll off the transporter and had to be pushed. Going backwards it made an ugly (expensive) clicking noise. When your sides have stopped splitting, and you've stopped rolling about on the floor wetting yourself, hopefully you can help out a very needy club member. I can get another SVA test on the 4th July, so before then I have to decide exactly what to do. So can I ask the following specific questions: 1) Do you think my diff is reconditionable? 2) If it is to be reconditioned, will it be trustworthy or am I throwing good money at a bad solution? 3) Westfield quote £300 to recondition it for me, who could do a good job for less? 4) Should I just bite the bullet and get a new LSD diff instead? I would be very interested to hear from any Megablade owners who had a standard diff, changed to LSD and reckon it's miles better than a standard diff. 5) If I am going to need a new diff, where to get one cheap? I'm keen to keep to a newish diff as using an old diff would likely mean I would have to get a Q plate instead of a nice new reg plate. I know I've been foolish, but as I hope you will appreciate I need this mistake to cost me as little as possible. Your help is greatly appreciated! Jay 07789 877658 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthurs Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Someone else on here has already beaten you to this I'm afraid. Someone else forgot to fill their diff before driving to the SVA. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markg Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 you have a reciept for a new or recon diff, so get one from a breakers, i found a decent lsd for £20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 bl**** hell Jase I don't believe it, sorry to hear about it, one solution I do have is to ring Martin (Mud), he has a new diff that he wants to fit to his car, therefore he will have his old lsd diff for sale. Give him a ring, I think you have his number, otherwise give me a bell & I'll give it to you. Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Yupright Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Oh well, at least you didnt have the Freelander LSD option, cos thats $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Get a scrappy diff. Because you've got a receipt for a new one, and that is all the DVLA/VRO will need to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Jay, Unfortinately it'll be knackered. Head and tail brgs will have siezed, they will then have likely rotated in shaft and on housing causing damage to both. Sorry. Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avsum Posted June 16, 2005 Author Share Posted June 16, 2005 Carl, Don't worry about being sorry mate, my dangler up. Expert advice about the likely shagged state of my diff internals is exactly what I was after. Current plan is to use a 3.62 LSD from a mates car. What do people think this will be like on a Megablade, ie ridculously lowly geared or accelreation so fantastic you'd happily put up with less top end? Jesus getting the diff out is a right A*** of a job...my finished, SVA ready, car now sits in bits on the garage...and I ain't even 25% done yet.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Jay, no idea about the gearing. (I run a proper car engine) Do a google for gearing calculator and pop in the ratio's. Should give you a graph of revs / speed. Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 :snigger: You must be gutted, I feel sorry for you mate. Nearly as funny as the story I heard when someone used silicon sealant on his V8 valley gasket - some came off, blocked the oil pump and is engine literally launched itself. There is not substitute for writing down what you have done and when so you can check these things. Otherwise you do what I do, dream about having left clutch cover bolts loose then spend 3 hours the next evening taking the engine out to check. Of course they were torqued all along. That's no the only thing, I've also stripped the engine in situe and taken every piston out to check the ring gaps only to find I had set all of them right when I put them in to start with. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu.graham Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Jay, sorry to hear the news. I have a spare diff (not LSD) if you want to borrow it. Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KerryS Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Someone else on here has already beaten you to this I'm afraid. Someone else forgot to fill their diff before driving to the SVA. Dan Think that was Flappa - sorry M8 if I'm wrong - but diff was repaired by WF quite quickly IIRC. Kerry S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flappa Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Think that was Flappa - sorry M8 if I'm wrong - but diff was repaired by WF quite quickly IIRC. ...and I thought that I'd managed to live that one down. Yes, cost me £300 (new crown wheel etc.) but WF got the unit back in 2 days. I am fortunate enough to live within easy reach of the factory, so I was able to drop it off and collect it. I had hoped that my posts at the time would have been sufficient warning to avoid this happening again I decided to bite the bullet with mine and go for the repair. It's a brand new full kit, and didn't want any arguments later over warranties and the like. If yours isn't I would probably go for a re-con. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avsum Posted June 16, 2005 Author Share Posted June 16, 2005 my gut feel is that mine is beyond repair. even if my gut is wrong, I still reckon I will be getting back a far less reliable unit, which will probably want changing in a couple of years. they say every cloud has a silver lining, at least this has presented me with the opportunity to replace it with a LSD instead. I've found this really useful gearing calculator and have got the gear ratios from the Haynes manual, which are 1st=2.7692, 2nd=2.000, 3rd=1.5789, 4th=1.4000, 5th=1.2500, 6th=1.1739. This would suggest I will lose 6.7% speed in each gear, which at the top end equates to 8mph giving a new top end of 114mph. I can live with for the sake of better acceleration - but what I can't establish is a way of calculating, or even estimating how much quicker the acceleration would be. Anyone help me with this? just realised the wheels need to come off, and the suspension arms have to swing up to get the drive shafts out, what a bl**** job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smegablade Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 I've got a spare 7" 3.62 LSD you can borrow if you need it but I think you're might be a bit far away. I'm in Northants Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasper Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 At least you didn't damage MY engine pal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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