Hi all - I have seen a few ppl with broken R200 diffs on this forum Is there a common thing in NA R200 diff that breaks Is it axles - teeth off crown or pinion or bearing failure What happens to the VLSD's Is the fluid in the VLSD changeable or is it throw away item Do the cases fail What would be the RWHP limit for a R200 diff Thanks
VLSD units wear out and are a non-servicable item. You can shim the centres to put more preload on the spider gears but this is more of a band-aid fix. Unless you're launching at the track with slicks and a bad suspension setup chances are you won't break an r200. Generally the axle stubs are the first thing to shear off I believe (though that might be on the cv shafts themselves).
Half shafts break the splines off inside the diff. Also effects R230's. Only seen it on cars with a lot of time at the drags. Never heard of one failing from normal use other than excessive k's with bad oil, and then they just get noisy with too much free play.
Diff half shafts break easily if you have any axle tramp issues. I'm going to try some bias-ply tyres for my next trip to the drags the wrinkle walls should be easier on the driveline. I have broken 2 in 3 trips to the drags on street tyres.
Is this what can / does happen to a Nissan VLSD in a R200 diff Any sustained load which overheats the silicone results in sudden and permanent loss of the differential effect. They do fail gracefully, reverting to semi-open differential over time The silicone oil is factory sealed in a separate chamber from the gear oil surrounding the rest of the differential and is not serviceable When the differential's behavior deteriorates, the VLSD center must be replaced. I cant remember where I read but the article said something along the lines of the silicone fluid could be changed and depending on viscosity varied the LSD effect Also any estimates of RWHP capacity I dont dump the clutch but rather get it rolling and then flatten it thanks
Can't put a rwhp figure on it, as its driver/tyre/suspension related. You can break one with stock power if you try hard enough.
