Ok, so I decided to go with the OBX LSD after ruining my second trans due to the diff. pins popping out. After much searching, I was finding anything from: "I just replaced the washers and threw it in, works perfect!" to "I have decided to ditch this piece of shit obx due to having to shave my axle down... blah blah blah... You get the point.

So, being the ambitious person I am, I ordered one and decided if anyone can make one work, I can make one work. And I figured everyone would appreciate some UP TO DATE information.

It seems that obx's quality control is the main downfall, and its always a gamble whether or not your lsd will be *fixable*?

This is what I had to do to get mine to work (to my standards):

First thing I did was tore it completely apart, remembering where every piece went. I was looking for anything obvious that couldn't be fixed. First thing i noticed, is that some of the helical gears were in upside down. Not sure if it matters, but one side of each gear had a shiny side with a small shallow hole, and the other side was rough with a slightly bigger, deeper hole. This just goes to show what kind of quality control obx has, I mean how hard is it to see that 3 gears facing one way, and 2 gears are facing the other? Next thing I notice is all the extra metal burs and sharp rough edges due to poor machining. Washers were all intact, but did seem rather cheap. The passengers side axle splines appeared to be broached slightly off center, and the lip for the axle clip was machined at a 90*, whereas the drivers side was machined at a 45*, allowing the axle clip to collapse and pop out. (Like it should) Other than that, everything APPEARED to be fine.

So, I decide to order new spring washers, and case hardened bolts right off the bat. (Available at turbosunleashed.com ~$36) I then went to fleet farm, and got a couple of green grinding stones for my dremel. I went around the whole inside and outside of the housing and removed all the burs and smoothed all edges. Then just for good measure, I took it to work and glass bead blasted both case halves. Luckily I have access to a lathe, so I re-machined the 90* angle on the pass. side gear, to a correct 45*, allowing me to use axle clips. (Yes, some people don't use them) Then, I pressed new cone roller bearings on both sides of the diff. They seemed to go on rather easily with a simple arbor press. It is now a good idea to test fit the splined gears on the axle. Even though one was broached slightly off center, it seemed to fit smooth enough for my comfort. Then try to slide each half of the lsd housing over the smooth portion of your axles. Mine wouldn't even go on a centimeter, and it needs to go in about 3" when its all said and done. So I sat there with a brake cylinder hone and slightly enlarged the hole on each side of the housing until they both slid easily over the axles. Took a good hour of honing to get them to fit. Maybe the bearings being pressed on constricted the opening, or they were just not machined to spec, either way, its no surprise with obx. I sprayed out the housing with break cleaner, and blew it out with compressed air.

Once the spring washers arrived, I was ready for assembly. I coated the inside of the housing with assembly lube, and inserted the helical gears into the lower half of the diff, including the pass. side axle gear. I then inserted the center retainer, with two cups that hold the spring washers together. You should see it visably sitting higher than the center retainer, thats how it gets the preload. Next comes the other set of helical gears, along with the drivers side axle gear. Place the top of the housing over the assembled bottom half, and torque bolts to 25 ft. lbs. (I used ARP torque lube)

Now it was time to test fit the diff. in the trans, to determine if the preload was correct. This must be done before putting the ring gear on the diff. They say use all these special tools, blah blah. I just cleaned my eclipse bellhousing and neon gearbox (mating surface), and torqued every other bolt around the diff to 21 ft. lbs. Turn the diff. back and fourth a few times. It should turn relatively freely, but shouldn't have any play from side to side. (Technically, it should take 6-12 in. lbs to turn the diff) Mine seemed to fit perfect, so I unbolted the two halves, and took the diff. back out. If there is too much play, or its real hard to turn the diff, you may need to re-shim the bearing races to obtain proper preload. Now you can bolt your old ring gear to the diff. Remember to use new bolts. (Dealer)

Next I greased all bearing surfaces, and applied a thin bead of anerobic sealant to the mating surface of the bellhousing. Drop in the diff. and make sure output shaft bearing is fully seated in its race and not upside down. Put some grease on the plastic washer for the reverse gear and slide it on the reverse shaft. The grease will hold it in place for the next step. Now slowly lower the gearbox onto the bellhousing, making sure that the reverse gear washer doesn't fall out, and all shift fork rails are lining up. Also make sure the output shaft is fully in its bearing and the ring gear teeth are lined up with the teeth on the output shaft. Tap it down on the dowels with a mallet, and torque all case bolts to 21 ft. lbs. Good time to pop in some new axle seals.

So I finally get the trans in my car. Put in nearly $40 worth of t350 trans fluid (2.3 quarts) I read somewhere that doing a few figure eights in a parking lot will help break in the lsd. I dont know, but thats all I could find on it, so I figured it would'nt hurt. After that, it was time to rip!

Started at a stoplight and just ripped first through about half way through third. DEFINITELY worth all the dickin around. No more wheel hop, or doing one wheeler peelers. Best part is the corners though. It's a rather different experience, you kinda just point, mash the gas, and go. Drove from where I live, to Milwaukee, WI and back, probably put on a few hundred miles. I was ripping on it the whole time. Never heard any strange noises, and it was hooking up just like it should. It has now been a few days and so far, its nothing but smooth operating.

I will keep you guys posted in the days to come and update my progress with the obx unit. Plan on taking the whip to the track within the next month. See what I can do in the quarter... lol
All I can say is 6k, slip that clutch, launch that bitch.

Hope this helps. Sorry if I was long winded, just didn't want to leave anything out. Peace!

What, no pictures?

J/K

Good writeup. Put it in the WIKI

Right on man!

Please put it in the wiki.

I was going to go this route, but I acquired a Quaife.

Yeah, I wish i could have taken some pics, but my pos samsung camera died :(

Most of the info I found on the obx, was in threads from 3-5 years back. Still good info, however things do change.

Took my car out of storage for the winter, and thought within a week, I could have the lsd in. I was wrong. I would honestly plan on a little more downtime than that. Had problems sourcing ring gear bolts. Had to call several dealerships after being told that they stopped producing them. Finally found a dealership an hour away, that could order them from out of state. Between re-machining, honing, cleaning, test fitting, ect... It can be time consuming. It's not a job to rush though.

I've had this car for 5 years now, and I've never taken it to the track. So I'm pretty pumped for that. And if anyone is curious, some of my mods include, but are not limited to:

Built bottom end
Treadstone mani w/ turbonetics T3 Super 60
Custom 3" dp and 4" catback (4" in/out vibrant straight thru muffler)
Hahn Portfueler w/ 480's (Tuned by Me)
Neon trans w/ 3.94 final drive, 0.72 5th (VS 2gnt 0.81 5th)
Larger fmic w 2.5" piping
Spec stage 4+ clutch
Msd wires and ngk plugs (I know, ignition is my weak link)

Currently running 12 psi. Car feels balls to the wall fast, even tuned at mid 11's afr@ WOT on the wideband. I need to do some leaning out once I get my new laptop in order.

I have heard that stock ignition should be limited to 15psi, but I don't know if I'm comfortable at more than 12. What do you guys think?

Maybe just buy an MSD coil and DIS-2 and turn up the boost?

Good for you for getting one that was "workable". As you said, its hit or miss on quality control.

As for functioning, I loved it when it was in. I just would have liked to keep my fluid INSIDE the tranny (Um, by tranny, I mean transmission, Tim).

As for coils; I used stock and MSD coil up to 24 pounds on a BW366 before blowing out spark. I got a "Screamin' Demon" (sp?) and got her to 29lbs before blowing out spark.

Yes I agree it is much better to keep your transmission fluid inside you trans... LOL

I realized that this was one of the main problems, which is why I re-machined the bevel allowing me to use axle clips on both sides. Both of my axles go all the way in, click, and stay in. They can also both be easily removed from the diff with a small pry bar.

I have looked under my car every time I park it and haven't seen a single drop... Knock on wood...

I just really hope this isn't something that's gonna work for a while and start having problems. I think I took all the necessary precautions and made sure everything was done correctly. Possibly maybe even overkill. Whatever, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best!

So 2 days without a leak and I go outside this morning to find a decent size puddle under the trans. One firm tug with both hands and my drivers side axle popped right out.

So I spent a good amount of time grinding about 1/8" off the end of the axle and replicating the bevel that was on the end of it. Finally got it to click into place and stay there. I can no longer pull the axle out with my bare hands.

Filled the trans back up and drove across town. No spot under the car yet...

Hoping for the best on this one, lol.

Originally posted by fresh95
... Hoping for the best on this one, lol.

Good luck.

Good read, and good luck dude! Hope it all works out.

So far so good. Took it on a 2 hour cruise to downtown Milwaukee and back. Went to a few stores, and there were no spots under the car when I checked. I really like the feel of the lsd though. Makes my car feel WAY faster!

Originally posted by fresh95
So far so good. Took it on a 2 hour cruise to downtown Milwaukee and back. Went to a few stores, and there were no spots under the car when I checked. I really like the feel of the lsd though. Makes my car feel WAY faster!

Cant wait to get my LSD in :)

Congrats on making it all work!

Thanks man. I've been driving the car daily and really gettin' on it, and it's working flawlessly. I really never thought I would invest in an lsd, but the time has come.

Good luck with your install, let me know if you have any questions. I did countless hours of research just sorting out the small details, and sometimes you just get stuck.

Originally posted by fresh95
Thanks man. I've been driving the car daily and really gettin' on it, and it's working flawlessly. I really never thought I would invest in an lsd, but the time has come. Good luck with your install, let me know if you have any questions. I did countless hours of research just sorting out the small details, and sometimes you just get stuck.

Awesome! Will do.

Headed to the drag strip tonight. I'll post up some results when I get back... Hopefully all goes swell!

Originally posted by fresh95
Headed to the drag strip tonight. I'll post up some results when I get back... Hopefully all goes swell!

Excellent. Looks like you are on the final test. Don't freak out too much if it gets a little "moist" around the axle seals. Its been my experience that the stockers will do that too sometimes under repeated heavy launch, coupled with high rpm.

Again, good luck.

The obx is still alive and kickin'
It's great lighting up both tires in the burnout box.

Made 9 passes tonight. Did a few burnouts in 1st and a few in second.
The obx worked perfectly smooth. I brake-cleaned everything below my axle seals, and it stayed completely dry. I checked it again after driving an hour back to my house, still bone dry.

I was dealing with a lot of wheel hop. I tried everything but I was having trouble getting a smooth launch. Didn't wheel hop at all in the burnout box, just launching.

Any who, my best time was 13.73 @ 110.9mph

I'm sure with more practice, my et's will go down. Like I said, this was my first time at the track. It was fun, and the dsm got me home.
So, no complaints here.

Originally posted by fresh95
Didn't wheel hop at all in the burnout box, just launching. Any who, my best time was 13.73 @ 110.9mph I'm sure with more practice, my et's will go down. Like I said, this was my first time at the track. It was fun, and the dsm got me home. So, no complaints here.

Excellent. Looks like you got a good workable unit.

As for wheel hop on the launch but not in the box, not unusual. The box has less friction because of the water being put down.

Nice start on the times. What are your launch times? I suspect that you will probably gain there.

What is your suspension set-up (as well as tires, wheels, air pressure etc.)? Do you have a upper strut bar installed? Oh yeah, what's your power level?

Originally posted by bullettdsm

Originally posted by fresh95 Didn't wheel hop at all in the burnout box, just launching. Any who, my best time was 13.73 @ 110.9mph I'm sure with more practice, my et's will go down. Like I said, this was my first time at the track. It was fun, and the dsm got me home. So, no complaints here.

Excellent. Looks like you got a good workable unit. As for wheel hop on the launch but not in the box, not unusual. The box has less friction because of the water being put down. Nice start on the times. What are your launch times? I suspect that you will probably gain there. What is your suspension set-up (as well as tires, wheels, air pressure etc.)? Do you have a upper strut bar installed? Oh yeah, what's your power level?

Not sure how much power I'm making, I've never dyno'd the car yet. See above post for the basics of my setup. No, I don't have a strut bar. But I would like to get one. As far as wheels/tires I have 17x8 rims with 215/45 tires. Suspension wise, I use the tokico hp blue struts with sprint 2" lowering springs. I used a variety of air pressures, and I saw a definite improvement the lower I went. My reaction times varied, but on the 13.7 run I had a .041 R/T. I'm sure once I get rid of the wheel hop and practice launching some more I will see my times go down. That and maybe some slicks:thumbsup

Originally posted by fresh95

Originally posted by bullettdsm

Originally posted by fresh95 Didn't wheel hop at all in the burnout box, just launching. Any who, my best time was 13.73 @ 110.9mph I'm sure with more practice, my et's will go down. Like I said, this was my first time at the track. It was fun, and the dsm got me home. So, no complaints here.

Excellent. Looks like you got a good workable unit. As for wheel hop on the launch but not in the box, not unusual. The box has less friction because of the water being put down. Nice start on the times. What are your launch times? I suspect that you will probably gain there. What is your suspension set-up (as well as tires, wheels, air pressure etc.)? Do you have a upper strut bar installed? Oh yeah, what's your power level?

Not sure how much power I'm making, I've never dyno'd the car yet. See above post for the basics of my setup. No, I don't have a strut bar. But I would like to get one.

Yes, get one. I've tested with and without and they DO make a difference. They are pretty cheap of E-bay or whatever...and they're shiney too :P

Originally posted by fresh95As far as wheels/tires I have 17x8 rims with 215/45 tires.

With that kind of sidewall profile, you won't gain too much from air pressures. You talked about slicks and those would absolutely lower your times. Fact.

Originally posted by fresh95
Suspension wise, I use the tokico hp blue struts with sprint 2" lowering springs.

Sounds good enough. Just wanted to see if you got stock or adjustable set-up.

Originally posted by fresh95 My reaction times varied, but on the 13.7 run I had a .041 R/T.

By launch, I meant your 60'. Your reaction time has nothing to do with your quarter time. The reaction time is the time that it takes from the green light coming on to you actually moving off the time (and breaking the "beams"). You could have had a reaction time of 10 seconds and it wouldn't have mattered to the 13.7 time. Your 60's tell us how well you are hooking up when you "launch".

Ok, My bad. My 60ft times were all 2.3 and 2.4 I can tell 50% of my first gear is wasted due to wheel hop. I really need to get a good launch. I will get a strut bar asap. I just seen one on craigslist for $15 I'm also looking for some slicks. What size is good? I have a spare set of 14" steelies laying around...

Solid front mount with the 5/8" bolt mod will help reduce wheel hop too. Send Mark (Bullet) a PM about the solid front mount. His buddy makes a nice one.

Originally posted by fresh95
The obx is still alive and kickin' It's great lighting up both tires in the burnout box. Made 9 passes tonight. Did a few burnouts in 1st and a few in second. The obx worked perfectly smooth. I brake-cleaned everything below my axle seals, and it stayed completely dry. I checked it again after driving an hour back to my house, still bone dry. I was dealing with a lot of wheel hop. I tried everything but I was having trouble getting a smooth launch. Didn't wheel hop at all in the burnout box, just launching. Any who, my best time was 13.73 @ 110.9mph I'm sure with more practice, my et's will go down. Like I said, this was my first time at the track. It was fun, and the dsm got me home. So, no complaints here.

Thats awesome man!

We definitely need you to get as much of this info in the wiki as possible.

Yeah, I thought of constructing a solid front motor mount. I've just had so much going on lately, I haven't really had time to mess with it.

The obx is working flawlessly. I've put about 1500 miles on it so far, with no problems at all. I drive the car every day, so I'll keep you posted on the running status. So far, I'm very happy with it.

Well, when I put the trans back in, I managed to puncture my outer cv boot. I noticed grease inside my wheel, and the outer (drivers side) boot was the source. Go figure, the axle that I had to grind 1/8" off to make it fit in the diff.

So I got a reman. axle from autozone. Spent a good hour on the grinder, taking breaks to make sure it didn't get to hot. Eventually I got it to seat in the differential perfectly. Have driven it daily for about a week now, leak free :-) YAY!