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hi guys im new here and i just recentley picked up a 1990 sportswagon with a ea82t swap with a microtech mt4 ecu , some sort of bigger turbo runing 15psi , front drive shafts removed and after 2 days of owning this little fun beast i managed to smash the rear diff centre in high range but mild launch , think iv stripped a tooth ( clunks like shit hesitates to roll when out of gear ) now i didnt think i gave it to much of hard time but it let go pritty easy and i was wondering if any other diffs are a direct swap for the 3.7 diff thats currentley in it now or maybe if it was already worn badley ( owner had acutley hit a curb and i had to replace the rear driveshaft assembley ) storys about your l series diffs might help me determin there strength and if there worth sticking with?

cheers guys love the site

try and nab a LSD mate. Mine cops a hammering offroad and from a ej22, hasnt missed a beat.

alex

lsd from a l series ? i think this was a lsd or atleast welded

ok iv done abit of research from what i can find it seams the r160 diff isnt so bad and can handle abit of torque and lsd was available in the 1985 l series , was this a vlsd or a proper clutch lsd ? will this bolt up to original axels? , r180 diffs fit but require mods to the axels as the input on the diff is larger as is with the r200.

Impreza, WRX (Not STI) Forester and Liberty/Outback all use R160 rear diffs.

If you can find a diff (preferably an lsd unit) from any of these models, apparently the centre will fit straight in. I believe early libertys even had a 3.7 ratio

teh RX turbo which was a sedan realised with your engine also had a clutch pack lsd but there are getting rarer to find ( along with its AWD gbox). so a swap from a later model car is the best way to get an lsd four your wagon as mentioned.

yeah sounds like the way to go but im pritty sure the later r160 diffs had a different drive shaft spline more teeth or something ... can anyone confirm?

another question i have for you guys is what would be the quickest way to drop the diff center ? unbolt the tailshaft unmount the centre and pull it down and take out the shafts and reasemble . cheers guys im new to this irs stuff and mechanics in general (19yearold lol)

ea82t_sports wrote:another question i have for you guys is what would be the quickest way to drop the diff center ? unbolt the tailshaft unmount the centre and pull it down and take out the shafts and reasemble . cheers guys im new to this irs stuff and mechanics in general (19yearold lol)

Hey ea82T sports,

Sounds like someone wanted a drifter with the ol' L series - no front shafts... Would be fun.
your description of the diff removal is spot on, the driveshafts to the wheels won't come off til the diff is dropped a little to allow some movement in the shafts.
If the diff is an LSD you can swap this centre into anyother L/Lib/Foz diff as mentioned in the list above. Do a search on the forum for a write up on how to do this.

Cheers

Bennie

In the middle there somewhere you'll need to add about an hour of hammering the DOJ cups on the driveshafts to get them off the diff lol... Well in most cases I've had to do this.

Phizinza wrote:In the middle there somewhere you'll need to add about an hour of hammering the DOJ cups on the driveshafts to get them off the diff lol... Well in most cases I've had to do this.

haha i do hope you remembered to take the roll pins out

I'm suprised you broke the diff, and not the gearbox.
It seems to be the transfer gearing that will let go when running on rears only.
Welcome, search around and you will find answers to your every question. Just about everything that can be done to a Suby has been tried and discussed on here.

Subafury wrote:haha i do hope you remembered to take the roll pins out

Yes we did. We used a 7lb hammer on the diff while it was out of the car and still took about 10mins of hitting.
When I done my Brumby's diff I got some new side seals and brought out the gas torch. Was a lot easier and in the end didn't end up needing the seals. But the grease in the joint was toast.

op here , managed to replace my diff this weekend and put in some subaru vortex front drive shafts wich aparentley wont snap ( will see about that ) but the downside is the gearbox seemed to cop a beating at the same time or after the diff let out and has decided it will only function in fwd and i seem to be missing a second gear? is there a stronger gearbox i can replace this with or was the previouse owner just a lazy bastard who never changed the oils on anything? ( could be true given the engine oil and diff oil was toast)

Just swaped over a open diff to a lsd last weekend as you wrote sounds about write. Bolts that hold the crownwheel are a different size with viscous lsd. Bolt holes in lsd are larger so there is no worries changing it over but wont change over the other way (Lsd crown wheel onto open centre diff).

I think you might be up for new gear box. Second gear seems to be the first gear to go in many subaru boxes. Suby gear boxes are not knowen to be overly strong. Glass box is a common term for them as they are okay if treated with respect but not so when you abuse them. THEY BREAK.

If you go for hard launches get used to replacing gearboxes.

May be cheaper to find a l series 5 speed from wrecker etc

yeah ive learnt my gearbox and diff lessons after thrashing the car too much. i give her an easier time now when offroad.

well looks like iv found a new second hand gearbox with low ks on it for $100 with clutch lol i love older cars so much , thing is iv never swaped one before but hay im willing to give it a shot , in my head it seems to work like this disconect the tailshaft from the gearbox drop it down , undo the clutch line , undo other associated lines , disconect the front drive shafts , unbolt it from the bellhouseing and hey presto box comes out then new box goes in ? sounds about right does it? i was just wondering what kind of sealant id need to use for the gearbox to bellhouseing i have some old manifold sealent recon thatl do the trick fellas? p.s getting some pics up tommoro

p.s anyone taking a diff out try using a screwdriver the same thickness as the driveshaft pin to knock it out (also loctite freeze and release helps imensley) if that fails buy a pin punch set from supercheap for $10

ea82t_sports wrote:well looks like iv found a new second hand gearbox with low ks on it for $100 with clutch lol i love older cars so much , thing is iv never swaped one before but hay im willing to give it a shot , in my head it seems to work like this disconect the tailshaft from the gearbox drop it down , undo the clutch line , undo other associated lines , disconect the front drive shafts , unbolt it from the bellhouseing and hey presto box comes out then new box goes in ? sounds about right does it? i was just wondering what kind of sealant id need to use for the gearbox to bellhouseing i have some old manifold sealent recon thatl do the trick fellas? p.s getting some pics up tommoro

Hey '82T sports,

Glad you got a box sorted. To get it out is pretty much as you describe. The CV shafts will be a tricky part as you need to put the car on jack stands and drop the ball joint out from the bottom of the hub to allow the hubs to swing - giving you plenty of room to get the CV shafts off the gearbox.

Putting it back in is the opposite to taking it out. Lining up the splines on the intake shaft to the clutch can be tricky at times. If you don't touch the clutch it will be easier to do. No sealant is needed between the bell housing and engine as there is nothing to seal in...

Just remember that the gearbox can be heavy, best to use a trolley jack to get it out unless your in a pit with two or three people (I've done it this way before.). If you drain the oil the box will be a little lighter.

Good luck with the swap. Once you got the old box out you should split it open to see what the damage was. Then go 4wd'n with the new box

Cheers

Bennie