Limited Slip Differential / Axle Stub C-Clip questions - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

theultimatehero · 06-28-2014, 04:49 PM

EDIT: I have learned a lot and finally figured this out. If you are having a similar problem check out my update thread HERE.

I am in the midst of installing a Cusco MZ limited slip differential and I am having a hell of a time figuring things out.

First off my car had a 5-bolt VLSD which I was told came out of an R33 GTS-t. It seems like the same diff as a Z32 has, but I honestly don't know that for certain. Anyway the VLSD didn't work so I decided to get a clutch diff.

I bought my Cusco MZ used, it had been in a pumpkin and operating previously. I soon realized my axle stubs didn't seem like they would work (splines were the wrong length for the Cusco carrier) and that is what lead me to getting axles and axle stubs with the 6-bolt 240sx pattern. At this point I have the carrier installed in the housing. I will admit I completely winged that installation so I never checked backlash or tooth engagement, I hope its good.

The problem I am having right now is with these damn axle stub c-clips. One side has the c-clip installed inside the diff. That side is no problem and in fact both axle stubs will slide in and seat with the clip. The other side has no clip inside the diff, but I can clearly see a groove for it. I happened to have a C-clip from when I first took things apart and I am trying to use it with this axle stub and diff. It WILL NOT FIT. No matter how much bashing I do the axle will not slip into the diff with the clip installed. I tried putting the clip inside the diff first, which failed. Tried putting the clip on the axle and sliding it in, that also failed.

I don't know what else to do, it seems like the standard clip just isn't compatible. Has anyone ever had a similar problem?

Is there any way to know for sure I have the right axle stubs for my diff and which side they are supposed to go in?

I may be in over my head with this diff thing.

UPDATE (Video included):

I have now frankensteined the diff into the car and guess what, more problems! Here is the set up:

^These are the standard 240sx open diff axles. I have one of these installed on the driver side of the diff, I am pretty sure its the shorter one.

On the other side I have the shorter of ^these two which came from my old VLSD. Of course mine is the 5 bolt version, but from my research it seems they are identical. Mind you from the VLSD this specific shaft actually came out of the driver side of the diff, and now it is in the passenger side. There is a ring installed in that groove. It fits really damn tight and seems like the ring engages inside the splines, so I felt like it would work.

Ultimately it actually moves the car and for the first 5 miles of driving it seemed like I had struck gold. It worked flawlessly. Or so I thought. I noticed a rattle or rumble sound begin after a while and it was especially loud and scary when moving from stopped or going slow on both acceleration and deceleration. I stopped the car and lifted up the back end. I have seemingly determined all of the bolts for axles and driveshaft are tight and the rattle is truly coming from the diff somewhere. I have 3 potential problem points and I can't even figure out which it is:

1. The diff is not installed correctly. Backlash is bad, tooth contact is bad, its not shimmed correctly. All of these are possible.
2. The Cusco carrier is messed up itself. Remember I bought the thing used and the previous owner also had problems with it. Though it had been inspected by certified techs and given the "all good".
3. The axles are wrong and somehow causing the problems. Maybe the axle is moving in and out of the diff? I know the splines match up fine and the axles look like they would function, but what the hell do I know.

Here is a video, might help:

If ANYONE can help me figure this out I will legitimately Paypal you some cash. At this point I am utterly frustrated and if this was over I would be enormously grateful.

dbeiler · 06-28-2014, 10:06 PM

I had a welded diff in an S13 housing with 6 bolt axles. When I switched to a JDM R200 OS Giken LSD, I could no longer use the C-clips with my axle half-shafts. With the C-clips installed in the differential, the 6 bolt axle half shafts could not be installed with any amount of pounding. Ended up installing my diff with zero C-clips. Contrary to common advice, THIS DOES NOT WORK! After the diff warms up, the unsecured axle half-shafts start sliding in and out of the diff. Slow, tight turns make a racket sound like the back end is falling apart. My only fix is buying JDM 5 bolt axles and half-shafts. Or possibly have the axle half shafts machined to be able to fit OEM USDM clips. Lesson learned: Don't mix USDM and JDM diff parts.

theultimatehero · 06-28-2014, 11:10 PM

That sounds familiar. I believe I have regular USDM 6-bolt axles. I guess you are saying my differential requires JDM axles in order to use the c-clips? I have 5 bolt axles but I guess the VLSD stubs are different.

I think if I modify the c-clip to be smaller I can probably use it. As of now though it literally will not allow the axle to go into the diff. The axle will go in without the clip installed.

theultimatehero · 07-12-2014, 10:49 AM

I am still completely stumped by this problem. Does anyone know what I need to do? I just want to get this diff put together and into the car. I can not get my axle into the diff with the c-clip installed, it physically wont go past the splines. It seems like the recess inside the diff for the clip is too small. Also it seems like there is no information about this anywhere.

dbeiler · 07-12-2014, 10:56 AM

You're using the wrong axles. USDM axles will not work with JDM diffs. VLSD axles will not work with open diffs (or LSD diffs designed to fit open diffs). You need to source the correct axles or buy the correct diff.

dbeiler · 07-12-2014, 11:00 AM

You can use the diff without the c-clips installed. It's not going to fall apart as the axle length will keep the half-shafts inside the diff. You may get some noise like I got with mine.

theultimatehero · 07-27-2014, 11:26 AM

Updated first post with development, pictures and a video. I thought I had things figured out, but nope. Please take a look if you think you can help!

frmdabak187 · 07-13-2017, 08:38 PM

any update with this issue?

06-28-2014, 04:49 PM	#1
theultimatehero Zilvia Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 280 Trader Rating: (11) Feedback Score: 11 reviews	Limited Slip Differential / Axle Stub C-Clip questions EDIT: I have learned a lot and finally figured this out. If you are having a similar problem check out my update thread HERE. I am in the midst of installing a Cusco MZ limited slip differential and I am having a hell of a time figuring things out. First off my car had a 5-bolt VLSD which I was told came out of an R33 GTS-t. It seems like the same diff as a Z32 has, but I honestly don't know that for certain. Anyway the VLSD didn't work so I decided to get a clutch diff. I bought my Cusco MZ used, it had been in a pumpkin and operating previously. I soon realized my axle stubs didn't seem like they would work (splines were the wrong length for the Cusco carrier) and that is what lead me to getting axles and axle stubs with the 6-bolt 240sx pattern. At this point I have the carrier installed in the housing. I will admit I completely winged that installation so I never checked backlash or tooth engagement, I hope its good. The problem I am having right now is with these damn axle stub c-clips. One side has the c-clip installed inside the diff. That side is no problem and in fact both axle stubs will slide in and seat with the clip. The other side has no clip inside the diff, but I can clearly see a groove for it. I happened to have a C-clip from when I first took things apart and I am trying to use it with this axle stub and diff. It WILL NOT FIT. No matter how much bashing I do the axle will not slip into the diff with the clip installed. I tried putting the clip inside the diff first, which failed. Tried putting the clip on the axle and sliding it in, that also failed. I don't know what else to do, it seems like the standard clip just isn't compatible. Has anyone ever had a similar problem? Is there any way to know for sure I have the right axle stubs for my diff and which side they are supposed to go in? I may be in over my head with this diff thing. UPDATE (Video included): I have now frankensteined the diff into the car and guess what, more problems! Here is the set up: ^These are the standard 240sx open diff axles. I have one of these installed on the driver side of the diff, I am pretty sure its the shorter one. On the other side I have the shorter of ^these two which came from my old VLSD. Of course mine is the 5 bolt version, but from my research it seems they are identical. Mind you from the VLSD this specific shaft actually came out of the driver side of the diff, and now it is in the passenger side. There is a ring installed in that groove. It fits really damn tight and seems like the ring engages inside the splines, so I felt like it would work. Ultimately it actually moves the car and for the first 5 miles of driving it seemed like I had struck gold. It worked flawlessly. Or so I thought. I noticed a rattle or rumble sound begin after a while and it was especially loud and scary when moving from stopped or going slow on both acceleration and deceleration. I stopped the car and lifted up the back end. I have seemingly determined all of the bolts for axles and driveshaft are tight and the rattle is truly coming from the diff somewhere. I have 3 potential problem points and I can't even figure out which it is: 1. The diff is not installed correctly. Backlash is bad, tooth contact is bad, its not shimmed correctly. All of these are possible. 2. The Cusco carrier is messed up itself. Remember I bought the thing used and the previous owner also had problems with it. Though it had been inspected by certified techs and given the "all good". 3. The axles are wrong and somehow causing the problems. Maybe the axle is moving in and out of the diff? I know the splines match up fine and the axles look like they would function, but what the hell do I know. Here is a video, might help: If ANYONE can help me figure this out I will legitimately Paypal you some cash. At this point I am utterly frustrated and if this was over I would be enormously grateful. Last edited by theultimatehero; 08-30-2014 at 04:57 PM..

06-28-2014, 10:06 PM	#2
dbeiler Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Lancaster county, PA Age: 33 Posts: 465 Trader Rating: (4) Feedback Score: 4 reviews	I had a welded diff in an S13 housing with 6 bolt axles. When I switched to a JDM R200 OS Giken LSD, I could no longer use the C-clips with my axle half-shafts. With the C-clips installed in the differential, the 6 bolt axle half shafts could not be installed with any amount of pounding. Ended up installing my diff with zero C-clips. Contrary to common advice, THIS DOES NOT WORK! After the diff warms up, the unsecured axle half-shafts start sliding in and out of the diff. Slow, tight turns make a racket sound like the back end is falling apart. My only fix is buying JDM 5 bolt axles and half-shafts. Or possibly have the axle half shafts machined to be able to fit OEM USDM clips. Lesson learned: Don't mix USDM and JDM diff parts.

06-28-2014, 11:10 PM	#3
theultimatehero Zilvia Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 280 Trader Rating: (11) Feedback Score: 11 reviews	That sounds familiar. I believe I have regular USDM 6-bolt axles. I guess you are saying my differential requires JDM axles in order to use the c-clips? I have 5 bolt axles but I guess the VLSD stubs are different. I think if I modify the c-clip to be smaller I can probably use it. As of now though it literally will not allow the axle to go into the diff. The axle will go in without the clip installed.

07-12-2014, 10:49 AM	#4
theultimatehero Zilvia Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 280 Trader Rating: (11) Feedback Score: 11 reviews	I am still completely stumped by this problem. Does anyone know what I need to do? I just want to get this diff put together and into the car. I can not get my axle into the diff with the c-clip installed, it physically wont go past the splines. It seems like the recess inside the diff for the clip is too small. Also it seems like there is no information about this anywhere.

07-12-2014, 10:56 AM	#5
dbeiler Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Lancaster county, PA Age: 33 Posts: 465 Trader Rating: (4) Feedback Score: 4 reviews	You're using the wrong axles. USDM axles will not work with JDM diffs. VLSD axles will not work with open diffs (or LSD diffs designed to fit open diffs). You need to source the correct axles or buy the correct diff.

07-12-2014, 11:00 AM	#6
dbeiler Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Lancaster county, PA Age: 33 Posts: 465 Trader Rating: (4) Feedback Score: 4 reviews	You can use the diff without the c-clips installed. It's not going to fall apart as the axle length will keep the half-shafts inside the diff. You may get some noise like I got with mine.

07-27-2014, 11:26 AM	#7
theultimatehero Zilvia Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 280 Trader Rating: (11) Feedback Score: 11 reviews	Updated first post with development, pictures and a video. I thought I had things figured out, but nope. Please take a look if you think you can help!

07-13-2017, 08:38 PM	#8
frmdabak187 Zilvia Junkie Join Date: May 2014 Location: Orange County Age: 36 Posts: 527 Trader Rating: (15) Feedback Score: 15 reviews	any update with this issue?