Chance for a MFactory Rear LSD for Golf R/A3/TT

[TimS]

Alright, I picked up the car today with the new rear diff. There's a vibration through the chassis at highway speed that doesn't feel like the wheels, which is pretty concerning. I'm waiting to hear back from the shop that did the work, but the first thing that comes to mind is they didn't get the propshaft and Haldex input flanges in the correct orientation when they reinstalled it.

The drive home was a pretty boring highway cruise, so I don't really have any driving impressions just yet. It's supposed to snow this weekend, so I'm excited to take it out and see how it does.

 

[GIACUser]

Oh man, I can relate. Jeez, hate driving off only to discover things aren't right, Hope it is something simple.

 

[TimS]

You and me both. In any case, I'm glad I had the diff replaced anyway - there's a huge amount of lash in the ring and pinion gears of the old one. No wonder it was making so much noise.

 

[TimS]

Power Zone suggested the vibrations could be from lack of lubrication, either the diff or Haldex unit not being filled correctly. I have a hard time believing NGP didn't do the job right, but the fluids are easy enough to double check. They recommend not driving the car until I can sort it out. I hope the miles it already has on it haven't done any permanent damage.

But it's fucking cold out right now, so the car will stay parked for a while. Will report back when I have something to report.

 

[GIACUser]

Power Zone suggested the vibrations could be from lack of lubrication, either the diff or Haldex unit not being filled correctly. I have a hard time believing NGP didn't do the job right, but the fluids are easy enough to double check. They recommend not driving the car until I can sort it out. I hope the miles it already has on it haven't done any permanent damage.

But it's fucking cold out right now, so the car will stay parked for a while. Will report back when I have something to report.

I hope it is just a fluid issue. If not and you take it back, I would insist they drive it for a while, surprised they didn't notice it.
Good Luck, thanks for posting

 

[TimS]

They did note it on the work order, but they didn't realize it was a new vibration and put it down to the winter tires.

 

[TimS]

Alright, the weather finally broke and I was able to get the car on ramps to check it out. The Haldex unit was full, but the diff ended up taking another ~400ml of oil. The vibration has calmed down a lot now, but it's still juuust there. I wonder if the Haldex pump needs to be cleaned/replaced - I didn't think to ask the shop to check that while it was in. It's not throwing a code, but I'm wondering if the pump's filter screen is clogged enough to make it struggle and the coupling doesn't get its proper pressure.

All in all, I'm happy with the diff so far. I've only driven it on dry pavement, but the car seems to track better through corners now, especially under throttle. I'm not sure we'll get any more snow this year, but I'm looking forward to testing it in inclement weather.

 

[Former Honda Guy]

Alright, the weather finally broke and I was able to get the car on ramps to check it out. The Haldex unit was full, but the diff ended up taking another ~400ml of oil. The vibration has calmed down a lot now, but it's still juuust there. I wonder if the Haldex pump needs to be cleaned/replaced - I didn't think to ask the shop to check that while it was in. It's not throwing a code, but I'm wondering if the pump's filter screen is clogged enough to make it struggle and the coupling doesn't get its proper pressure.

All in all, I'm happy with the diff so far. I've only driven it on dry pavement, but the car seems to track better through corners now, especially under throttle. I'm not sure we'll get any more snow this year, but I'm looking forward to testing it in inclement weather.

Are you going to swap the filter just to be sure?

 

[TimS]

the haldex cartridge filter was replaced during the service, so it only has about a hundred miles on it. The screen on the pump is a 'clean and reinstall' part, so I should just need another bottle of oil.

 

[Former Honda Guy]

Ah, I didn’t realize the screen was a clean and reuse part. Good to know.

EDIT: realized I wrote “filter” instead of “screen”.

 

[TimS]

Just as an update, the car is headed back to the shop soon to have some other adjustments done. They think the Haldex input flange moved from its original orientation relative to the propshaft, and that's causing the vibrations. There's also a speed-dependent scraping sound at low speeds that I hope is just something rubbing on an axle.

 

[GIACUser]

Just as an update, the car is headed back to the shop soon to have some other adjustments done. They think the Haldex input flange moved from its original orientation relative to the propshaft, and that's causing the vibrations. There's also a speed-dependent scraping sound at low speeds that I hope is just something rubbing on an axle.

I hope you get it resolved. I know the feeling of going deep into mods and having issues to deal with. Once you get it sorted it should be pretty awesome for autox and a curvy track.

 

[TimS]

Well, I was driving up to the shop today, and one of my tires exploded on the highway. So I guess it's time to swap over to my summer set and try again next week.

The good news is, the noise and vibration didn't seem as bad today, especially after a couple of hours of driving. Maybe it has to do with the temperatures in the rear end. Maybe it just has a break-in period. I'll keep an eye on it over the next week.

 

[TimS]

After swapping over to my summer tires, it seems like the vibration is totally gone. I guess my winters were in worse shape than I thought.

Hopefully this means the car is good now. Fingers crossed.

 

[TimS]

Nope, the vibration was just softer on summers, it's still there. I got under the car to take a look, and it turns out the shop installed the rear propshaft coupler incorrectly, so it's out of position and causing issues. I'll get that fixed and see how it goes.