Is it an LSD?

[Roscoe]

I ran my car in the FFCC Night Sprint at Calder last week and did about 25 timed laps, finished up third in class behind an MX5 and a Capri. On my last run the clutch slipped so I pulled in to thr pits to find oil all over the clutch and a nasty noise from the gearbox. Something fairly serious has happened to it judging by the bits of metal I have drained from it!

I have just unwrapped a spare gearbox which I bought in the UK, I think the car it came out of was a bit newer than mine (1988 8V GTI Mk2) but only by a year or two. When looking it over and checking it selected gears etc I noticed that it feels like it has an LSD. I can't turn the drive flanges in opposite directions unless I have a bar on each of them for leverage. When they do turn everything feels smooth.

Does anyone know how to tell if there is an LSD? The box has a number cast in the bell housing 020.301.107.H and a number stamped at the bottom of the bell housing AUG14129 3 maybe just a serial number. The gearbox in the car has number ACD15088 3 stamped in the same place.

[Golfwise]

Gearboxes

Golfs are great at track days enjoy
I doubt its a LSD .VW put springs in behind the output flanges which would cause this and its popular to put stronger springs in to give a minislip.It only helps at low speed or low torque and under harsh sprint conditions it wouldn't work.
Aside from pulling your new box apart for a check I would advise changing the gear oil its probably been there for 20 years and use a good synthetic gear oil.
Good luck!

[Roscoe]

I don't think this box has ever been apart so I doubt it has been modified. I need a 30 cm bar to turn the flanges in opposite directions which seems like a lot. The one in the car is not like this. Don't think I'll be tking it apart to find out though! I guess the first burnout will tell the story! I have already flushed some fresh oil through it. If it is LSD I gurss it will need special oil.

[static1800]

Ive always thought my box has an LSD also but, a friend of ours said there is something in the 5 speed box's (ive got a Mk1) that acts like an LSD under 60 kays, can anyone confirm or disprove this? im interested to find out.

We had it jacked up to change the tyres, and the wheels spun like an LSD and im sure ive had both tyres spinning on tarmac but im not sure about it now

[h100vw]

I have seen kits that alter some shims or something behind the drive flanges to give a bit of lock up.

Trying to think if it was Jeff Moss, Velocity tuning in the States that did the kit.

It could just be a lot of drag in the box, if it's not been used in a while.

Just searched and found Velocity Sports site is down.

http://www.europeancarweb.com/projectcars/

A few interesting projects. There is soem LSD info in the Project GTI.

Gavin