I called the dealership to price the C-Clip. I think it was $4 each. Special order so it would also be 5 days wait on that.

I pulled the C-Clip that was in one of the planet gears from the open diff. It's a bit tough but doable. Dimension-wise, it looked to be the same C-Clip that is used for the "flat-ended" stub axles. Getting the C-Clip on the machined "tapper-ended" stub axle is a different process than you would use to get it on & off the flat-ended stub axle:

• On the flat-ended stub axle, you put one side of the C-Clip into the groove and "slide" the other side over the end of the stub axle into the groove. You can get it on by hand easily, it was intended to be done this way. It expands the clip very little, doesn't cause the material to yield. That's why the end is machined so close to the groove.
• When you attempt to slide the C-clip onto the end of a machined tapper-ended you can try to expand it over the splines (I couldn't figure ou how to do this). Or you push it onto the axle by causing the opening in the C-Clip to expand over the grooved (narrowest) portion of the stub-axle. I noticed that this method (the one I used) caused the C-clip to yield slightly. As a result it was quite a bit tougher to get it seated into the differential than the "flat-ended" one. If I were to do it again w/ a new C-Clip, I think I'd probably remove a few millimeters off one of the ends so it wouldn't have to expand as much.

 

I finally got around to really testing the improvements from the LSD yesterday. I'm very happy with it.

OS Giken Super-lock LSD Review

 

Thank you so much for this thread. I know exactly what I need now... Also, thanks Jason. You're THE ****, man.

 

I finally have my OS installed.

I ran into some problems because I didn't read this thread thoroughly and I couldn't install the LSD into my VLSD. Fortunately Adam from Z1Auto stepped in and overnighted me a replacement output shaft to get everything working. Bravo Z1!

 

I just got mine off the slow boat from Japan, about to replace my stock VLSD with the OS superlock.. hope all goes well. To be safe I ordered new bearings and seals, as well as the new axle stub from nissan, planning on reusing the old pinion bolts tho.

 

Well worth the wait, and the bolts are only $30 , just get them.

 

super glad i googled this. I think 90% of the things i google for my car i end up on this site. lol. i use google though just cause its easier. im turning in my 04 roadster next week hopefully for either an 06 fairlady Z or 04 or 06 track edition Z and wanna swap the diff for a 1.5 or 2 way OS Giken probably. I talked to the guys at the OS giken booth when i was at SEMA for 30min or so and after hearing reviews think im gonna get it for drifting that is

 

Update, Lucas Oil now makes a straight 140w diff oil http://www.lucasoil.com/products/dis...g%20Gear%20Oil and a straight 250w oil http://www.lucasoil.com/products/dis...g%20Gear%20Oil I need to try. It is a hell of a lot cheaper then the OS Giken oil and will probably work better. Right now i run 85w140 Amsoil in mine.

 

great write up

 

^ Thanks. It's been over 5 years since I've done this. The diff is still smooth as an the day I installed it, still locks up strong and doesn't seem to need oil changes as frequently as other clutch type diffs I know of.

 

how often do u change the fluid. just ordered my diff last week.

 

^ I've only changed it twice since I've installed it. I probably only needed the first one. It's been about 4 years now since I last changed it. I used Redline brand, I forget the weight.

 

Every 20k for me , got another 3k till my next change. Mileage doesn't rack up very fast when it sits between track events

 

Nice write up... Im thinking I don't have the tools for tackling this project but if I get a confidence booster maybe Ill give it a go.

So a quick question I have an 04 touring edition... And im buying a base differential to have as a backup... The touring diff had 70k miles on it and the base diff supposedly only has 18k on it... Which one do you think I should build up?

 

Base, some fool will gladly pay good money for a VLSD

 

Well, I went the way of having this installed by someone else. I've only driven it about 50 miles on the street so far. All seems well except a clunk when shifting quickly. This doesn't logically seem connected to the diff itself.. could the drive shaft have been installed in a way to produce this? Doesn't matter which shift 1-2, 2-3, 3-4..etc.. if it is done quickly there is a noticeable clunk. Most easily reproduced in the 3-4 shift.

Edit - The clunk is heard/felt when the shifter hits 4th (or 2nd, or 3rd..) - before I release the clutch and give it gas.

Other mods done to the car along with the OSGiken Diff - Whiteline diff bushings, subframe bushings, front tranverse arm bushings, SPL front compression arm bushing, front lower ball joints.

Service manual description of the drive shaft install seems pretty straight forward.. so I'm hoping this is just another new nuance of the go-fast parts.

Edit-Edit-3/19 - Nevermind.. I think this was just me being hyper-sensitive to the noises in the car after these mods.. The clunking seems to happen when applying/removing power with the clutch - causing clunks in the diff.. which I think is normal. Sometimes a little louder than others.. Car drives great. Can't wait to really test it at the track.

 

I drove one today and heard a little of the differential, besides the clunk noise.

The owner has a OS Giken limited slip differential.

The noise is the typical, whan, whan, usually when release the clutch coming out of a light. It was a TT 350z track edition, gripped extremely well.

He said it is normal to hear the sound, its like the one heard on trucks?
Is there any kind of test to verify the diff, transmission is healthy?

 

How tight was your diff side to side?

I've been trying to tackle things out of my comfort zone mechanically lately. I figured I'd try the OS Giken install myself. Everything has been pretty straight forward until I tried to put the OSG into the carrier. Side to side is a little tight as in it doesn't want to go back in the with shims that were in there. The shims start at .200 and go to .265. The ones in there appear to be .245. I was in Nissan trying to order one and an tech told me that they are usually super tight in there and I may not have had it lined up perfectly or have not been using enough persuasion to get it in.

Thoughts? Did anyone else need different shims side to side?

EDIT: I think I was doing this too late at night. I bought a micrometer and found the shim to be only .220 so it was on the smaller side of the shims Nissan offers. That convinced me to take another crack at it. I positioned the diff on its side so gravity helped compact the unit. I was able to get the shim half way in by hand and then just used a bolt and an hammer to gently tap it the rest of the way in.

I put the bearing caps on and torqued it down. Tested with gear dye and the pattern looked great. The diff actually went back in pretty easy with just myself and a jack. Key is to do the back bolt first. I just need to finish up bolting the axles in and put the rear sway bar back on.

 

Why are none of the pictures showing up. I am getting ready to do this myself