UN1/369 Diff bearing preload and Quaife ATB help

[Ed]

Hello everyone,

I'm working on my 369 transaxle out of my 82 DeLorean. I have fitted my car with a Toyota 2JZ-GTE engine and just fitted a Quaife ATB with new bearings in my transaxle.

OK, the manual says to adjust the bearing preload so that you have to have a 6 Kg-force to turn it. That is 13lbs force.

So if i wrap a string around the diff and tie a 13lb weight to the other end this would be correct right? This just sounds like a lot to me. Someone please fill me in on this.

The other thing i am concerned about is the axle hubs sealing on the new ATB diff. The OEM Diff had a machined area for an O-ring to sit and the hub would seal around it. This ATB does not have this. does the UN1 have anouther way of sealing that i don't know about? What are people doing to seal the hubs so they don't leak.

-Ed

 

[Ed]

So after getting a response from a few people that have done this, it is in fact a 13lb force that is needed. I guess it is because of the aluminum case and the amount it can expand with heat. I set the preload with 13lbs worth of water bottles at the end of a string and it feels fine.

For the axle seals, I did two things. I went to my local hardware store and purchased two thinner O-rings (2.5mm) that fit a little loose in the hub, just a little. With everything clean and free of oil, I lubed the O-ring with grey silicone and smothered the splines on the inside of the Hub with it too. Do not put it on the diff splines first so you don't get silicone inside the transaxle. It worked perfect. The O-ring formed a seal around the splines and the silicone gave me the added protection.

The thing i like about adding the Quaife ATB is that the axle hubs are not loose and stay centered when not under a load. The weight of the axle can pull the OEM diff shaft down and deforms the radial seal. The hub seal will start to leak if left for long periods of time without driving (a few days). It is common to see new seals on DeLorean leaking because they sit for long periods of time. It's very common to see less that 20K miles on these cars with this issue.


On anouther note. For people looking for custom axles for their car, contact Frank at Driveshaft Shop in the U.S. He made me axles that i'm runnning at 10deg and have had no issues with 400ftlbs of torque launching at the drag strip. He can make it whatever length you need. 1000hp rated...so say 800ftlbs to be conservative on torque. I think i paid less than $1K for the set. I have one joint that feels a little loose but makes no noise. Frank wants it back to rebuilt it at no cost. This is a year and a half later too. These people are great.


-Ed

 

[Danny]

Where did you get the Quaife from? Quaife won't sell it directly. I only know of one place in GB where it's about GBP680.

 

[Ed]

I go it through an online shop who knows some people at Quaife I paid US $1,200 shiped to my door for it.

Quaife ATB Differential LOTUS ESPRIT 1997 - 2004 QDF5M

Other sites show a price but can't really get them, these people can.

 

[John W]

Not trying to hijack a thread, but this places claims to have them in stock:

WC Engineering : Lotus Esprit and Toyota MR2 Performance Parts