L-series / Vortex AWD box

SuBaRiNo · Post by **SuBaRiNo** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 11:22 pm

I know a guy who says he has a Vortex (ea82) AWD gear box... i had a real quick glance at it at the time but now it seams i may be able to get my hands on it for the hatch.

I have a few questions as i know nothing about these. Do they look any different than your normal Ea82 4wd box. I thought they ver vacume operated or something. How can i tell if it is a AWD box and not just your normal L series box??

Is there more parts i will need to make this thing work or is it a simple box swap. Center Diff things or anything weird??

Also i realise the ratio may be different... can someone remind me again how to work out what ratio it is again. I know i have to open something and count something.

Dave

sublime · Post by **sublime** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 11:47 pm

The EA AWD (single range) gearbox obviously does not have the hi-lo shifter ‘stuff’ hanging of the side and there is a ‘centre differential lock selector lever’ at the back of the transmission for the diff lock. If the gearbox is complete you should also have a vacuum actuator for the diff lock.

Hmmm... Not sure that makes any sense without pictures! Just look for the diff lock lever, it is pretty hard to miss.

SuBaRiNo · Post by **SuBaRiNo** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 11:58 pm

So it has some sort of extra lever there... and this lever is meant to have another part to it to move the leaver via vacume?? I assume this is a part not bolted to the box itself and its an additional/seperate part.

Dave

mattl200 · Post by **mattl200** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 11:58 pm

there are some dual range ones out there and most of the ones in aus had 3.9diff ratio

if it has the vacume actuator on it it bolts accross the top behind clutch cable close to the front
if not theres a lever hanging out of the drivers side of the rear extention housing and a sw just below (looks the same as the reverse sw indecates diff lock engaged)

also has a neuteral sw on the passenger side if you have an ecu that has spit about not having it

mattl200 · Post by **mattl200** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 12:23 am

pic extention housing

didnt realise the one in my shed is dual range

SuBaRiNo · Post by **SuBaRiNo** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 12:35 am

Awesome... so if it has that lever in the pic then it is AWD. And does the lever simply just turn AWD on and off? Wouldn't you just want it on all the time or is this different from the never AWD systems.

I assume it still has the normal 4wd slector lever? Or does this AWD system do away with that?

Has anyone been able to rig up some other actuator if the factory vacume one is missing?

I heard something about just the back part of these boxes can be swapped over from a normal L box to make it AWD... anyone know much about that.

Dave

mattl200 · Post by **mattl200** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 1:18 am

the lever locks the centre diff going from awd to 4wd
the center diff is also not the viscous type its planetry and gives a 50/50 split

the old 4wd lever becomes low range only

and putting the rear housing on an lseries box is not possible

i have to pull this box apart soon to put in the l low range so ill take some more pics

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 7:04 am

Contrary to what mattl200 has posted, every unmodified constant EA 5MT should be 3.7:1

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 10:14 am

Dave.. I have both AWD (with diff lock) and Dual Range EA82 gearboxes on the floor at the workshop if you want to check it out? But there is another box out there that comes from the 85/86 L.Series models that is a single range and they have the vacuum module (I don't have one to show you) on the side, so it might be best to get a picture of the box you have found and we can go from there.

BTW.. I'm yet to every hear or see about a EA Dual Range with Diff lock unless it's been made out of 2 boxes. I know that Subaru did this combo but it was in the EJ models.

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 10:42 am

All the d/r constant EA boxes I've seen (which probably only amounts to half a dozen) have had a centre diff lock.
Conversely, no EJ box ever did.

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 10:49 am

brumbyrunner wrote:All the d/r constant EA boxes I've seen (which probably only amounts to half a dozen) have had a centre diff lock.
Conversely, no EJ box ever did.

Not doubting you that Subaru never made a D/R AWD box for the EA.. I'm sure there is a lot of stuff haven't seen but I can tell you that Subaru DID make a EJ AWD with centre diff lock. As I had 3 of them in the US

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 10:56 am

I dont know if Australia got them, but JDM and USDM series II RX turbos got dual range FT4WD boxes with centre diff lock.

mattl200 · Post by **mattl200** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 11:21 am

in the photo you can see the low range slector shaft go through the housing

and you can get these boxes in 3.9 ratio but there rare and were never imported into aus

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 11:52 am

Yeah i think the XT6 had the 3.9 ratio box didnt it

discopotato03 · Post by **discopotato03** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 5:04 pm

Yes Brumbyrunner is right , all the EA82 AWD boxes have 3.7 ratio diffs in them .
The ONLY exception is the AWD Vortex XT6 with the ER27 2.7L flat 6 , they ALL have 3.9 ratio diffs .

The options go like this .

1) AWD Vortex XT4 (EA82/T) 3.7 diff and wider L Turbo gear ratios . SR only .
2) JDM/USDM RX L Series , as above and with with taller RX low range ratio .
3) AWD Vortex XT6 , same as (1) with 3.9 ratio diff .

Fact : L type AWD gearboxes use a unique front diff pinion which doesn't fit any other gearbox period , inc the later EJ AWD gearboxes . The only production ratios available for them are 3.7 and 3.9 .

Fact : All the 80s and 90s EA/ER/EJ AWD centre diffs use bevel gears much like the front and rear differentials do .
With these instead of a crown wheel driving the hemisphere what would normally be called the cross pin drives the side bevel gears via its planet gears . The difference here is that instead of driving a left and right axle the side bevel gears drive the front diff pinion on one side and the riser gears to the rear output shaft on the other side .

To lock the center diff you have a sliding dog clutch which locks the hollow counter shaft to the center diffs hemisphere making the front diff pinion and the riser gears turn at the same speed .

Note in the picture posted above , the diff lock linkage is on the drivers side of the box adjacent the lower shaft because that's where the center diff is .

The give away with the conventional push button selectable 4WD box is that the RWD engauge linkage is on the other side of the gearbox adjacent the top shaft . The selectable 4WD gearboxes have a dog clutch here to transmit drive to the gearboxes rear output shaft and therefore the tail shaft .

The reason I know these things is because I have a converted to DR Vortex AWD L box in my RX Turbo and a spare SR Vortex AWD one as well .
I also have an Australian spec factory 87 WSM and it covers the JDM/USDM DR RX Turbo AWD gearboxes in fine detail .

These gearboxes are a great addition to any L Series , straight away you lose all the front wheel skip/spin nonsense you get with front wheel drive cars . God only knows why they didn't come with them here given that the Rally cars would have been better with it . Maybe it was a cost issue with a limited volume import model .
Just on the Group A Rally cars , people I know who raced them did use low range most of the time because handily the tall Turbo low range effectively makes the diff ratio 4.44 . 3.7 was really too tall with a rally engine and the weight of the cage /bash plates etc .

A .

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 6:45 pm

discopotato03 wrote: Fact : L type AWD gearboxes use a unique front diff pinion which doesn't fit any other gearbox period , inc the later EJ AWD gearboxes .

Are you sure?

Wasnt there a thread on the USMB about a guy (WJM) putting an EJ front LSD in a EA FT4WD box?

mattl200 · Post by **mattl200** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 7:03 pm

that can be done because its only the centre

but the ratio of the diff cannot be changed because the ej pinion is differant

SuBaRiNo · Post by **SuBaRiNo** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:17 pm

Would i be wasting my time getting one of these boxes if it doesn;t have the vacume actuator?

Dave

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:59 pm

Dave.. It all depends on what type it is and what price they want for it??

Can you get any pictures of it? Mainly around where the cable from the vacuum module goes.

SuBaRiNo · Post by **SuBaRiNo** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 10:06 pm

PM sent paul.

Dave