Jump to content
Click here if you are having website access problems ×

BMW/Titan LSD Viability


Geoff Brown

Recommended Posts

In gear the other wheel will turn in the opposite direction unless the engine resistance to turning provides less torque than the LSD preload (generally not the case). In neutral if the other wheel is not turning in the same direction and remains stationary, you have some preload. but it isn't very much. Best to have one wheel chocked on the ground, remove the other wheel and check with a torque wrench on the 42mm axle nut how much torque is produced by the preload when in neutral, below 20 lb ft indicates rebuild time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Area Representative

FORTY THREE PAGES, 429 POSTS & 29,146 VIEWS from October 2020 !

I expected this post/thread to have expired by now but with the 'problem' still out there I guess it will endure.

Have exceed 300 mile with SPC LSD. Still eerily quiet - well maybe a little background noise from CWP in certain situations - but delivering as it should without any dramas.. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Hi Scott

Your maths was correct I was there with a new non LSD complete diff assembly for Steve to convert and me to pick up on Friday. He was doing another one before mine so he showed me how he sets them up in the casing with the big circlips that act as shims. He also explained the difference in setup compared with the Ford ones.

I'm not sure if I hold the record for the lowest mileage at around 3K.

I hope it gives Steve some good business.

I would be grateful if you could give me details of the magnetic filler plug you used.

The diff will be fitted in the car I hope next week by Nick Potter when he services and Mot's the car.

Mrp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The mag plug is a Gold Plug AP22. M22 thread, 26mm hexagon, available from Demon Tweeks. It's handy to have a 26mm ring spanner to fit. 

I've been in touch with Jason who's diff was the one before yours, he told me if someone else there with a 2017 car <4000 miles which I connected to you!

Jason had someone else assemble and fit the BMW/SPC originally and it wasn't correct so Jason had removed himself and taken to Steve for setting up properly. It's back in and running much better now. 
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Scott plug ordered.

I didn't mention Jason as I wasn't sure he wanted to make it public until he had spoken to the other assembler.

It was correcting Jason's diff that allowed Steve to explain to us both about the circlip/shims and how careful you have to be setting them up and he used my new one for comparison.

It was an interesting couple of hours. I'm pleased Jason is happy with the result.

Mrp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi James

All I can say is Steve said he sees them in different thicknesses and he has to grind them down with a surface grinder and occasionally shim them as BMW won't supply them to him.

I'm not sure about the side float but I think he said 2.5 thou is what he likes to get them to. I think the shim/circlip he was using from Jason's diff had 0.14 stamped on it but he was having to skim it with a surface grinder.

Hope this helps

Mrp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi MRP, if he can't get the local BMW dealers to sell them, they are generally available online, places such as Racing Diffs sell sets of them: https://racingdiffs.com/products/bmw-differential-backlash-adjustment-c-clip-set They are normally in the 3 to 4mm thickness range in increments of 0.02mm, so the one that was shaved down was probably 3.14mm. The only problem is that if the same bearings are used, shaving one down will probably require the other to be thicker to end up with the right tolerances in lateral position of the CW&P relative to the bearings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve aims for .0025/3". The diff he was rectifying yesterday was apparently assembled with the correct backlash but the circlips had just been put back in without correctly gauging the preload and was over loading the side bearing. That's why Steve grinds the clips, to get the right bearing preload. Wrong terminology, I know, it's a ball bearing etc but you'll get the gist. You'll know better than me James. 
 

Oil? I've used RRT 90 and Redline 75/140 GL5. No difference that I can tell. Some say the RRT quietens the Titan's cacophony but it wasn't my experience and the SPC doesn't need that anyway. I'm told the RRT does that because of a high level of friction modifiers. I think Steve's right, any good quality 90 GL 5 will be fine. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see over on Pistonheads Caterham forum someone has posted about having bought one of the gearbox spacers that tilts the engine down at the front, hoping it is going to remedy, as he puts it, "banging and clattering on low speed turns" of his 2018 420R. He says CC have introduced this spacer to 'virtually eliminate" the banging and clattering.

Is that really what it's designed to do, because I can't see how it can? I can see how it might ease some prop vibration but not stop the normal Titan noises. 

Anyone on here?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, it was but Chris didn't seem to think it was diff noise that it stopped, though he didn't say what he thought the noise was, that was cured: 

"'It seem in 2021 Caterham introduced a spacer to lift the tail of the Mazda gearbox 3mm. This stopped 90% of my noises, which was suspected by Caterham themselves as diff noise, but obviously not."

I am assuming the "banging and clattering on low speed turns" is the usual Titan symphony. It would be interesting to really know what noises this spacer is helping to cure and learn if it might be possible to do something similar with the 6 speed. 

I've looked on the CC online store but they don't actually say what the purpose of this spacer is. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, it was but Chris didn't seem to think it was diff noise that it stopped, though he didn't say what he thought the noise was, that was cured: 

"'It seem in 2021 Caterham introduced a spacer to lift the tail of the Mazda gearbox 3mm. This stopped 90% of my noises, which was suspected by Caterham themselves as diff noise, but obviously not."

I am assuming the "banging and clattering on low speed turns" is the usual Titan symphony. It would be interesting to really know what noises this spacer is helping to cure and learn if it might be possible to do something similar with the 6 speed. 

I've looked on the CC online store but they don't actually say what the purpose of this spacer is. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...