Roc Doc

I've got a '76 Targa that was originally sold in Seattle, and according to a former mechanic, it has a LSD in the transaxle. How rare is this and is there a way to verify it without taking the transaxle apart? This is the original diff and it has over 200k on it, so there is little or no lockup, so the jack-it-up-and-spin-a-tire-test doesn't really tell me much. Will the VIN tell me anything?

Thanks

theiceman

I just went through this . My COE stated I had LSD , but needed to prove it . With both rear wheels jacked up spin the rear tire, with no LSD the tire on the other side will spin the opposite way because some gear is floating. If you have LSD when you spin the tire the gear is "locked" and the opposite tire will spin the same way .
That's the way it was explained to me anyway and that is what happened with my car.

Roc Doc

Well again with 200k on the tranny, I think the clutches, (if it IS indeed a LSD), might be so worn that they won't lock up under any condition.

Maybe if I could get a Kardex, that would tell me, eh?

theiceman

My car has 170 on it ( km ) but I would imagine the test with both wheels off the ground should work. But you just never know ... but if they don't lock up at all , it really maks little difference if your car has that advertised option or not ... until repair time.... Well I have a 78SC so if you want me to check anything for you I certainly can

Peter Zimmermann

roc doc: I've repaired some badly worn LSDs over the years and have never seen one that doesn't pass the test that Ice mentions - that is, even a worn LSD unit should slightly turn the opposite wheel in the same direction. Many older cars required an additive designed to work with LSD, do you see anything like that on the car's service records at intervals that show a trans oil change? FYI: Is a '76 915 trans w/LSD rare? I should think so, I don't think that I've ever seen one, during a career that spans 35+ years! That said, somebody out there must have one!
Pete

Roc Doc

I have not done the spin the wheel test lately, and right now the front wheels are up while I do a MC replacement, so it might be a while until I can test it. I was just kind of thinking about it recently. The service records are incomplete, other than the 13 years I've owned it, and it could have potentially have had a tranny replacement in it's first 140k miles.

Thanks for your reply.