by "Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
Published 09/22/2017 at 09:42
by "Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
Published 09/22/2017 at 09:42
Tags: autoxmcss
; auburn posi
; positraction
; PSA
; oppo psa
; Tripod
; Whoops
; Oops
STARS: 22
This past Sunday I got up early to go an Autocross about 1.5 hours from my house. I loaded up the Monte and got on the road. About an hour in of mostly just cruising up the highway, no screwing around I felt a shimmy in the rear of the car, my tach and speedometer started to climb at the same time. I looked behind me expecting to see a trail of transmission fluid... Instead I saw sparks, and my passenger rear wheel and axle slowly passing me. I pulled off the road to safety. Thankfully traffic was very light and the runaway wheel and axle didn’t contact any other cars. A bad situation went as good as it could have.
After a call to AAA, they had a flat bed on its way. I was able to run down the Axle and wheel, so that we could push it back into the housing, and get it on the flatbed. I had the car towed to my folks house because it was closer and they have a bit more room to work on it.
Got the car up in the air and worked on dropping the rear axle.
Now it was time to crack into the diff and find out why my car turned into a goddamned tripod while doing 70 mph.
So much metal in the oil. It looked like liquid anti-seize.
The ring and Pinion were surprisingly intact, but the spider gears were incredibly chowdered.
The spring plate for the clutch was also broken
And here’s the C-clip that let go and sent my axle out of the tube.
Now the car sits like this while I wait on my rear end to be rebuilt with some better parts, hopefully I get a call today that the rear has been reassembled with a Torsen diff, 28 spline Moser Axles, a Proform Rear Diff Cover Girdle and a new 3.73 ring and pinion gear.
In doing some research, an Auburn Posi unit, if the unit wears to an extreme extent, the wear of the clutches allows the side gears to move, and lets the c-clip escape. So, if any of you are running around with 30-40 year old auburn Posi units, you may want to pop the cover and take a look at your posi unit.
I’m just lucky that A: I wasn’t hurt, B: No one else got hurt, C: Short of this poor shock mount which was forced to be a skid plate and the axle failing, there is not any damage to the car.
This event could have been far worse. Check your LSD’s people.
"Party-vi" (party-vi)
09/22/2017 at 09:48, STARS: 4
Fucking evil ghost-of-a-Dana-35 c-clip axle bullshit. Glad you’re alright.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
09/22/2017 at 09:50, STARS: 1
7.625 GM 10 bolt actually, But thanks!.
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
09/22/2017 at 09:51, STARS: 4
Code brown!
Great pics and write-up.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
09/22/2017 at 09:51, STARS: 1
Actually, It wasn’t so much scary as it was embarrassing.
"Party-vi" (party-vi)
09/22/2017 at 10:00, STARS: 0
I figured, but this kind of shit is something anyone with a Dana 35 has experienced as well.
"lone_liberal" (token-liberal)
09/22/2017 at 10:03, STARS: 1
I’m glad nobody was hurt and the car was relatively ok! I sometimes worry about the 8.5 inch ten bolt in my Camaro but then I remember that it doesn’t have enough power to break anything.
"Wacko" (wacko--)
09/22/2017 at 10:03, STARS: 3
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
09/22/2017 at 10:06, STARS: 1
Yeah, but that doesn’t matter if the posi clutches wear out and the side gears develop extra clearance.
"Rico" (ricorich)
09/22/2017 at 10:06, STARS: 1
WOW! Good thing you were okay and overall the damage is manageable/fixable.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
09/22/2017 at 10:07, STARS: 0
Some of the G-bodies in Mexico got Dana 40's
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
09/22/2017 at 10:08, STARS: 0
Yeah, that makes sense...
I’ve forgotten to latch my hood after wrenching a couple of times, and it was more embarrassing to pull over than it was scary to deal with.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
09/22/2017 at 10:08, STARS: 2
I mean when you’re the asshole who lost a wheel, showering the highway with sparks.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
09/22/2017 at 10:09, STARS: 0
I’m sorry, I don’t get this joke...
"Wacko" (wacko--)
09/22/2017 at 10:11, STARS: 0
Kenny Rogers Lucille
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
As a child of the 80s, when ever my dad would listen to some Kenny, we would always change the lyrics of Lucille to loose wheel.
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
09/22/2017 at 10:12, STARS: 1
It kind of adds insult to injury, huh?
"vondon302" (vondon302)
09/22/2017 at 10:14, STARS: 3
Whew scary stuff. Your real lucky on that one. I’ve seen them come loose at the dragway and take out the rear quarter. At least it didn’t happen at the auto x. Happy wrenching.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
09/22/2017 at 10:15, STARS: 0
"Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever" (rustanddust)
09/22/2017 at 10:16, STARS: 3
Glad you and the car are OK.
It’s never a good feeling when you see a part of the car that you’re driving pass by you.
"Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit)
09/22/2017 at 10:18, STARS: 1
The damn 10 bolt is the weak point in my Trans Am as well. It’s on the list of things to go through when I get my 6.0L eventually. Glad yours didn’t get any more out of hand.
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
09/22/2017 at 10:25, STARS: 2
Glad you are OK, Travis. And glad the Monte did not get damaged too badly.
Going to go with C-clip eliminators as well? Maybe worth it if you AutoX a lot.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
09/22/2017 at 10:28, STARS: 1
No, No C-clip eliminators. The aftermarket ones suck for road racing/autox and tend to leak. This diff is kind of an interim fix until I put a Ford 9 inch underneath it. I do plan of putting disc brakes on this rear which should at least keep the axle in if i were to have a similar situation, but the Torsen diff has a good way of keeping the C-clip in as well.
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
09/22/2017 at 10:32, STARS: 0
Yeah, I don’t really like them too much myself- I’d rather go through putting on Ford ends. Just knew it was cheaper and easier for the elims.
Looks like it will be a good interim diff though! Rear discs get moved to the top of the to-do list?
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
09/22/2017 at 10:44, STARS: 0
I have a set of LS1 rear brakes I pilfered off the doner axle that the Torsen came from. Just need to figure out if they will fit and what is necessary to swap them over, Or if it would be in my best interests to sell them and buy a kit like this.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ssb-a127bk/overview/year/1986/make/chevrolet/model/monte-carlo
My concern is that I dont want to put a bunch of money into brakes that arent compatible with my eventual upgrade. Maybe I’ll call Baer or Wilwood and find out if they make a kit that uses a caliper which can later be used on a Ford 9.
"SpeedSix" (speedsix)
09/22/2017 at 20:55, STARS: 8
Glad you’re alright!
That said,
"Bandit" (2bandit)
09/22/2017 at 23:00, STARS: 2
Woo matching!
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
09/22/2017 at 23:05, STARS: 0
That’s nuts! Glad you and the car are OK.
"Tristan" (casselts)
09/22/2017 at 23:28, STARS: 0
The last time I saw this happen, the poor third gen Camaro got pretty bruised up. The escaping axle beat the hell out of the side of the car as it passed by. I’m sure glad that didn’t happen to your pretty Monte!
Bonus 10-bolt carnage:
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
09/22/2017 at 23:57, STARS: 0
So this is basically GM selecting the wrong pieces to put into the car.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
09/23/2017 at 01:15, STARS: 2
I DD’d my ‘66 GMC with a factory LSD for a year. I eventually burned up the TH350, and haven’t driven it since. I have a new transmission, but am now thinking I should look at the rear end a bit. Thanks for the heads up.
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
09/23/2017 at 15:53, STARS: 0
I hate to blame this on GM, and every passenger car axle with the exception of the Ford 9 inch uses C-Clips, but GM should have never put a 7.5 inch 10 bolt in a V8 powered car. The 8.5 would have been a much better choice and uses a different type of Posi. Ultimately Auburn Posis have in my mind an unacceptable failure mode, I wont have one again, that’s for sure.
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
09/23/2017 at 16:01, STARS: 0
I remember draining and refilling the diff on my 300D - 185BHP on a good day, and that diff could have handled twice that ...
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
09/24/2017 at 10:30, STARS: 0
assuming you’re talking about a W123, the Ring gear is only 7.26 inches vs 7.625 in the Monte.
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
09/24/2017 at 10:52, STARS: 0
W124.
"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
12/18/2017 at 11:58, STARS: 0
Hi Travis! Glad you’re okay, off-topic but I’ll be heading to Detroit soon if you want to meet up!
"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing)
12/18/2017 at 12:02, STARS: 0
Sure! Ill shoot you an email with my Contact info!