here is a OBX LSD failure. it was carefully disassembled before installation and carefully re-assembled following weeks and weeks of research on honda-tech and information given to me by other users who have done the same. all bevelled washers were installed correctly and all the bolts were torqued to 40ft/lbs with red loctite.

the LSD was making loud clunking/binding sounds around turns right away after installation.. it was fine when driving in a straight line even though it was NOT working as a LSD anymore. it would one-wheel-peel on hard acceleration.

i decided to pull it out and replace it with a real LSD (quaife) before it totally blew apart and caused major damage to the tranny and even possibly cause an accident if it locked up the wheels.

in total i put about 1000miles on this LSD......but it was making lots of clunking sounds right from the time of first installation.

all in all i do regret buying this LSD because it failed for me.......i see about a 90% success rate with these LSD's so i figured it would be fine but i guess i was part of that other 10%. for all other OBX uses who have no trouble with them you are lucky and i envy you and i hope you have good long term reliability with it.

most people are going to argue the fact that it was not installed correctly but if you ask anyone who knows me and my car i take extreme caution when working on mechanical components. the helms is my second bible and all specs and clearances were perfect.

as always colourful criticism is always welcome.

Modified by non-VTEC at 7:52 AM 10/17/2006

http://www.dynamotorsports.ca

i disassembled the OBX LSD.

couple things i noticed:
1. the allen key head bolts holding the LSD together are 12.9 grade. its stamped right on the head. 12.9 is the strongest grade available (to my knowledge). but I'm wondering if they really are 12.9 unless they are just "stamped" 12.9 but are really "1" grade like earl said from his original inspection.

2. all the bevelled washers were installed correctly.

3. i noticed a couple of the gears were upside down. i don't know if this would affect the performance of the LSD since they are all cut the exact same way but i flipped them around so that they all faced the same way. (I'm referring to the gears on the outer-most section of the LSD. they have a dimple on one side and none on the other.....i reversed a couple of them so that the dimples were all facing one way)

other than that it looks like a pretty strong peice......i don't think anyone should have any trouble with this LSD if they want try one out.

http://www.dynamotorsports.ca

http://www.dynamotorsports.ca

but is there another shim/spacer that goes on the oposite side of the case? or the ball bearing just sits there and the axel seal covers it up?

also which ball bearings should i get. the LS (80mm x 40mm x 18mm) or the ITR bearings (80mm x 40mm x 19.5mm)

http://www.dynamotorsports.ca

i didn't think there was a difference in size but apparently there is......i cant see the extra size of the ITR bearings that much more reliable than the LS bearings........how often do we hear of diff bearing failures in honda? hardly ever....

but when looking at this image:

it shows that there is some kind of shim/spacer (#9) on the opposite end of the diff along side the ball bearing. pictured there is a 2000 Integra LS tranny image from http://www.acuraparts247.com

http://www.dynamotorsports.ca

maybe that washer/shim is for the taperd bearing pre-load adjustments? i have no idea im not a tranny man....

http://www.dynamotorsports.ca

http://www.dynamotorsports.ca

actually the LSD is still sitting in the box on my work bench....i might just toss it out unless someone wants to buy it.

shortly after i removed it i called OBX and explained what happened. i told them i opened the thing just to see exactly what broke inside and the guy told me since i opened it chances are they will not warranty it....so i figured i will save my time and shipping money and not even bother sending it back in.........

even if by some chance they would give me a replacement i would never use it again.

http://www.dynamotorsports.ca

Why don't you just put it back together and send it back? I'm sure they can't tell whether or not it's been opened if you put everything back together correctly.

i might send it back.....but according to a few guys who tried to get warranty from OBX and even the dealer/distributors it's a real pain in the ass to try to get any sort of replacement from them. OBX customer service sucks ass and talking to the guy on the phone he sounded brain dead.

its honestly not worth my time and money to ship it back to them....if i feel like it one day i will.....

also they will know it has been opened anyway one of the bolts got stripped/crossthreaded while trying to remove it and half of it broke in the case of the diff. you can see it in one of the pictures.

http://www.dynamotorsports.ca

http://forums.clubrsx.com/showthread.php?t=520556

I think your gears are in backwards.

Corey

02 NBP Type S • E85 Fueled • CN Turbo • Kpro • RC 750's • CC Stage 4 • Fidanza 8 lb flywheel • OBX LSD • 3” Custom SS Exhaust
Fight for your driving rights - http://www.motorists.com - Member #222205