Jim Henderson
Dedicated LVC Member
Been gone a year or so, family, moving etc issues.
I thought I would be rid of the LS by now but no luck. My son just barely got his license(23yo) but he has no interest in driving.
So I still have the 2004 LSV8 with 180,000+ miles on it. BTW, those who swear they explode in a fiery inferno if you run with regular gas are wrong at least in my case. I have run on regular since about 2007 and put well over 150,000 miles on it. Daily driver but not a lot of hard accerlation all the time, just getting onto the freeway. No ping except during HOT weather and under load(hill, hard accel etc). I do not recommend this, just commenting, and follow the user manual if in doubt.
With 180,000 miles on it I am keeping low budget and shopping for a solution.
Anyway... I have been getting a thumping on moderate acceleration from a stop now. This past summer, I had the tranny rebuilt and the day I drove it home from work, the front flex coupling literally exploded, actually even the shifter knob "exploded" spit out the push button presumably from the shock of the shifter cable being yanked out when the rubber coupling wrapped around it.
The rear coupler also failed later, symptom was vibration after a month and visual inspection showed big cracks. That was replaced under warranty and the next rear coupler also failed. Hummm. The tranny shop finally discovered the differntial input shaft was wobbling. I have been shopping around a bit for either a used diff, $425 from local used parts yard with guarantee, or about the same from a local shop if I bring in the diff for rebuild, I do labor on remove and replace. Or about $250 on eBay including shipping, condition up to honesty of seller.
Back to the thumping, Last week I replaced the rubber coupler(all you need is a 17mm and 18mm wrench). While under the car and with the coupler removed I yanked on the input shaft(Pinion) of the diff. It wobbled (eyeball estimate) side to side and up and down maybe 1/8 inch and moved in and out of the nose of the diff maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Either way the writing is on the wall... I cannot delay this major repair any longer.
So, I am asking the group a few questions... Assuming I can drop the diff and replace it myself, pretty sure I can since I have replaced the CV, Wheel bearing and the coupler, and only 3 bolts hold the diff) what are the best options...
1) Do I Attempt a rebuild myself? The bearing kit is about $100. I can rebuild engines etc but never tried a tranny or diff. I do not have dial guages etc but do have mic's calipers and pullers etc. Is this a job for a shadetree mechanic?
2) Do I go with the local junk yard guaranteed $425 diff?
3) go with eBay and hope for honesty and a decent diff?
4) Does someone on this site know of a decent used diff or a low cost reputable rebuilder in the Riverside Calif area? I also can travel around LA in general if needed. I prefer a "you pull it" to save the built in cost of labor.
I just want to hang onto the LS for another year maybe, but am tempted to keep it longer since I have a "new" tranny and soon a diff. But the LS is a glutton for repairs of all sorts(cooling system, coils and drive line and minor pita stuff).
Now that I am active again I will post more info as I do repairs and or comment on my experiences repairing past issues with the LS.
Thanks,
Jim Henderson
I thought I would be rid of the LS by now but no luck. My son just barely got his license(23yo) but he has no interest in driving.
So I still have the 2004 LSV8 with 180,000+ miles on it. BTW, those who swear they explode in a fiery inferno if you run with regular gas are wrong at least in my case. I have run on regular since about 2007 and put well over 150,000 miles on it. Daily driver but not a lot of hard accerlation all the time, just getting onto the freeway. No ping except during HOT weather and under load(hill, hard accel etc). I do not recommend this, just commenting, and follow the user manual if in doubt.
With 180,000 miles on it I am keeping low budget and shopping for a solution.
Anyway... I have been getting a thumping on moderate acceleration from a stop now. This past summer, I had the tranny rebuilt and the day I drove it home from work, the front flex coupling literally exploded, actually even the shifter knob "exploded" spit out the push button presumably from the shock of the shifter cable being yanked out when the rubber coupling wrapped around it.
The rear coupler also failed later, symptom was vibration after a month and visual inspection showed big cracks. That was replaced under warranty and the next rear coupler also failed. Hummm. The tranny shop finally discovered the differntial input shaft was wobbling. I have been shopping around a bit for either a used diff, $425 from local used parts yard with guarantee, or about the same from a local shop if I bring in the diff for rebuild, I do labor on remove and replace. Or about $250 on eBay including shipping, condition up to honesty of seller.
Back to the thumping, Last week I replaced the rubber coupler(all you need is a 17mm and 18mm wrench). While under the car and with the coupler removed I yanked on the input shaft(Pinion) of the diff. It wobbled (eyeball estimate) side to side and up and down maybe 1/8 inch and moved in and out of the nose of the diff maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Either way the writing is on the wall... I cannot delay this major repair any longer.
So, I am asking the group a few questions... Assuming I can drop the diff and replace it myself, pretty sure I can since I have replaced the CV, Wheel bearing and the coupler, and only 3 bolts hold the diff) what are the best options...
1) Do I Attempt a rebuild myself? The bearing kit is about $100. I can rebuild engines etc but never tried a tranny or diff. I do not have dial guages etc but do have mic's calipers and pullers etc. Is this a job for a shadetree mechanic?
2) Do I go with the local junk yard guaranteed $425 diff?
3) go with eBay and hope for honesty and a decent diff?
4) Does someone on this site know of a decent used diff or a low cost reputable rebuilder in the Riverside Calif area? I also can travel around LA in general if needed. I prefer a "you pull it" to save the built in cost of labor.
I just want to hang onto the LS for another year maybe, but am tempted to keep it longer since I have a "new" tranny and soon a diff. But the LS is a glutton for repairs of all sorts(cooling system, coils and drive line and minor pita stuff).
Now that I am active again I will post more info as I do repairs and or comment on my experiences repairing past issues with the LS.
Thanks,
Jim Henderson
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