Not yet. But i plan to do it.

Make up a new thread with pictures when you do.

 

Idasho:

Not sure why you would need aftermarket support? You can find them with the right ratios, and the locker is as good as anything the aftermarket could turn out. The rear diff is supposed to be good for 250hp on its own, so it should be stronger than the subaru one to start with. With a little fabrication, it's a selectable locker for a subaru for <$150. People offroading Subarus are cheap bastards, so that's the right price range.

Edited September 1, 201114 yr by WoodsWagon

PS audi half shaft connected with subaru half shaft, teeth fit.

 

So when you say the teeth fit with the subaru shaft do you mean that you were able to put the Audi inner CV joint on the Subaru axle shaft. Because that would make fitting this really easy.

 

You got me all excited with this info I need to get down to the pick and pull and start looking for Quartos and Syncros to pull a diff out of.

I forgot to mention, that rear audi half shaft connected wich front subaru half shaft photo should explain everything

 

don't forget that audi drive shaft turn in opposite directions, so when u instal it, u should turn it over. If u don't do this, wheels turn in opposite directions.

 

this monster have audi diff and MTZ t-40 portal gears.

So would it be less of a headache to just get the Audi one instead of the VW one or are they the exact same? Apparently, the Quantum Synchro rear diff is hard to come by up here in Michigan. I called around to two jobs and one said they hadn't seen one in 2 years and the other hasn't had the rear diff sonce 2001... buuuut the second shop is going to call around for me and see if they can find one...

 

EDIT: BTW, this is great info... I'Ve been following it eVer since I looked into lockers, welded rear diffs, and LSD's. Figured of all people to haVe them or haVe a custom one would be this site... soooo thanx guys! This is great news!

Quantum Syncro's are 4.11 gearing, which only works with the EJ AWD 5spd transmissions.

 

The d/r 4x4 transmissions are 3.9 geared, so you need one out of a Audi 5000, or one of the other Audi's listed on that page I linked with the right 3.9 ratio. The turbo audi 5cyls seem to have the 3.9's, while the non turbos have 4.11's

I haVe a 99 Impreza OBS 4eat with the "on-damand 4 wheel drive mod" done. I do want a dual range trans in the Impreza though.

don't forget that audi drive shaft turn in opposite directions, so when u instal it, u should turn it over. If u don't do this, wheels turn in opposite directions.

So it does... that's just like the Germans to put the ring gear on the opposite side and spin the driveshaft the opposite direction of everyone else.

 

So, I will have to change the vent on the top to a drain plug, and the drain plug on the bottom to a vent. I'm a little concerned about the pinion bearings getting enough oil with the diff upside down, but I suppose they are only under load when in 4x4 so they should last fine.

 

It doesn't fit quite as nicely under the car upside down, but it's workable. Actually tucks the driveshaft back up in the tunnel more that way.

Running it upside down will make it a high pinion diff, looks like an added bonus to me.

Running it upside down will make it a high pinion diff, looks like an added bonus to me.

 

which means the pinion bearings will no longer be submerged in gear oil......not good.

 

 

You could probably make some sort of slinger to attach to the ring gear and sling oil up onto the pinion, but it might not work.

 

It might work, but hang on.....having a rear diff seize on the highway is not a fun experience

There's plenty of oil slung around by the ring gear, the problem is that it's not getting thrown into the middle of the two pinion bearings but sloshed onto the end of the rear pinion bearing. So the front pinion bearing may not get enough oil.

 

I suppose the reason for running the driveshaft backwards was because it eliminated the need for the rear transfer gears in the transmission.

The pinion bearing oil problem shouldn't be hard to sort out if you can tap a couple of tapered nipples in there/that area to pump oil from the bottom of the diff up to these bearings with the use of an electronic pump.

 

Is the pinion shaft centred or is it the same funky helical cut gears (correct name, I'm not sure that's it) that subaru use in all their diffs?

If it's set up the same as the VW's diff in the gearbox you could get away with flipping the carrier and ring gear inside the diff housing - but you would have to look at how the R&P gears interact and are orientated to each other.

 

*Edit* How much larger is the Audi locking diff centre compared to the subaru one? Just think aloud on this one - maybe possible (long long shot!) to retro fit the audi locking centre into the R160?? That would be awesome if it is possible!

 

Where there's a will there's a way!

 

Cheers

 

Bennie

Where there's a will and a lot of money there's a way!

 

Cheers

 

Bennie

 

Fixed that...

not that thats the right thing to do or anything. But could you just overfill the diff to solve the oiling problem on the pinion bearings? fill it all the way till the oil reaches up to them through the vent hole. I bet that would work.

which means the pinion bearings will no longer be submerged in gear oil......not good.

 

 

You could probably make some sort of slinger to attach to the ring gear and sling oil up onto the pinion, but it might not work.

 

It might work, but hang on.....having a rear diff seize on the highway is not a fun experience

 

more than likely the diff would not seize on you on the highway with no warning at all. It would probably at least make some noise first. usually parts like that just dont seize. and even if it did it would more than likely just shear a part off in the diff not make you crash.

Why not just drill and tap a new fill hole, and "over-fill" the diff enough to submerge the pinion bearing?

more than likely the diff would not seize on you on the highway with no warning at all. It would probably at least make some noise first. usually parts like that just dont seize. and even if it did it would more than likely just shear a part off in the diff not make you crash.

 

when the gear oil leaked out of the rear diff in my XT6 a couple years ago. it locked up without any warning. I came to a screeching halt, sideways in the road (thank goodness there wasn't any traffic), I was able to rock the car a bit, and by abusing the crap out of the clutch, get the car out of the lane.

 

That pinion is still one with the case. 12 ton shop press couldn't separate them.

this is what I was talking about. you did have a warning. your diff fluid leaked out before that happened. if the thing is full and not making any noise it is very unlikely to lock up. you must be very unlucky to have yours lock up. I am sorry for understating the possibility of diffs locking up. I just have seen at least 50 bad diffs in different states of broken ness. Never has one of them locked up.

this is what I was talking about. you did have a warning. your diff fluid leaked out before that happened. if the thing is full and not making any noise it is very unlikely to lock up. you must be very unlucky to have yours lock up. I am sorry for understating the possibility of diffs locking up. I just have seen at least 50 bad diffs in different states of broken ness. Never has one of them locked up.

 

Bearings will seize up surprisingly quickly when they run out of lubrication.

this is what I was talking about. you did have a warning. your diff fluid leaked out before that happened. if the thing is full and not making any noise it is very unlikely to lock up. you must be very unlucky to have yours lock up. I am sorry for understating the possibility of diffs locking up. I just have seen at least 50 bad diffs in different states of broken ness. Never has one of them locked up.

 

It was the middle of winter, little dribble of gear oil just looks like road grime. No noise, no strange symptoms. Were any of those failures caused by insufficient gear oil? That's the issue we're talking about here.

 

A friend of mine had a Subaru 5MT slowly leak dry. No alarming quantity of leakage. Again, zero noises or other strange symptoms. One day he got to work, and the car never rolled again until we pulled the center diff out of it (disconnecting the axles from the output shaft in the trans).

 

 

A subaru rear diff (and by the looks of it, that VW/Audi one as well) has the pinion mounted at the bottom so the bearings stay submerged in gear oil. flipping it will have the exact same effect as slowly leaking dry. I'd bet money that without doing something to keep it wet, it'd seize up.

 

"but I suppose they are only under load when in 4x4 so they should last fine." This comment is what worries me, and prompted me to post. The issue with an under-oiled pinion has nothing to do with load, and everything to do with the speed. If you had hub disconnects, you'd probably get away with it for quite some time (diff not spinning on the road).

 

 

 

That said, overfilling it MIGHT work. The electric pump idea to circulate some fluid up to the bearings probably has a better chance of preventing failure on the highway, but sounds like a recipe for failure on the trail.

^this is all true.

 

I try not to let anything leak. and if I have a leak no matter how small I constantly keep an eye on my fluid level.

MOST failures I have seen still had SOME diff fluid in the case. and would be similar as the small amount that would get on the pinion bearings that got thrown up there by the ring gear.

 

No fluid is obviously very bad. but still you are the exception in that respect. usually things will still not lockup until you stop. most the time when you are doing highway type speed the parts just keep spinning until you stop or shear off. when you stop like your friend did the ************ just welds together. It gets so hot that the metal just melts and when you stop it welds up. that is the normal thing I see.

 

I suppose I should shut up though because there always is exceptions to everything and it is impossible to tell exactly what people are trying to say on the internet.

When i look to one project, i found audi diff, man told that diff is from VW. but dif was placed up side down, and man said that diff in this position placed original i the car.

So I thought bout it and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I haVe the closest thing to a "locker" already done. I haVe this mod...

 

Torquemada Lite

 

It "locks" the "center diff" and keeps a torque split of 50/50.

Um, don't ea82 fwd/hi4/lo4 transmissions already lock the center diff when engaged in hi or low 4?

Um, don't ea82 fwd/hi4/lo4 transmissions already lock the center diff when engaged in hi or low 4?

 

Yes.

 

This thread is about locking the rear diff, not the center.

I'm considering just swapping the locking spindles and hubs from a Toy or Nissan or somethin. Hoping I can just find something with a matching spline. Otherwise, could frankenstein a CV I suppose. Doesn't sound like anyones found a good entire diff to swap over.