New(to me) torsen... how to clean?

well, I bought it from the classifieds here... and it's a beauty!... but dusty...

it's the carrier and diff assembly... no alluminum housing...

looks like it's been sitting in a nice, dry, dusty shop... it's covered in dust...


any tips on cleaning a "garage find" like this without disassembly?
I don't like the idea of breaking it apart... beyond my skill and therefore, my budget...

i know I'll do a quick fluid change after only a few miles, after installation... but before?

any tips would be appreciated... I can't wait to be two wheel drive!

If you don't want to disassemble it, then spray it down with oil and wipe it off. Repeat until clean.

Do NOT spray it with solvent or WD40.

Compressed air?

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Originally Posted by Sharpie

Compressed air?

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I would think that would tend to blow dirt into places you don't want dirt.

dishwasher?

;)

Simple Green and a scrub brush? Tape over where the axles plug in first.

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Originally Posted by sammm

Simple Green and a scrub brush? Tape over where the axles plug in first.

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i'm not worried about the external cleanliness... I'm worried about internal cleanliness...


... so i'll go buy some cheap, thin oil to rinse it off with...

^Fill it up with Mobil-1 Gear Oil, drive it for a few hundred miles, drain, re-fill.

Put a nice magnet to catch the metal......

I'd call http://www.fortworthgearandaxle.com
see what advice they can give, or what they would charge to clean it.

OK... so, a very thourough bath with some cheap thin oil... installation... then a fill and change of cheap gear oil, the some good stuff to finish it off... sound good?

I'm not really worried about it being "that"dirty...it's just dusty...

does my 2001 not come with a magnetic plug? who would have one, or just stick a bunch of neodinium magnets on?

That was more or less a joke, because that thing is pretty nasty.
and yes it has a magnetic plug.

Safety Kleen parts washer?

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Originally Posted by clkorj

Safety Kleen parts washer?

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No. You don't want to remove the oil from inside the bearings unless you will be replacing them. Solvents and detergents will remove the oils.

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Originally Posted by jdcanadian

OK... so, a very thourough bath with some cheap thin oil... installation... then a fill and change of cheap gear oil, the some good stuff to finish it off... sound good?

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^^^does this sound good to all?

Autozone cheap brake cleaner, or gasoline. Then pour in some gear oil when you are done. I would think the bearings and clearances in the rear end are not very tight, you do not need microscopic levels of clean. After installation in the car, rotate the wheels and driveshaft while in the air (with no load) to get the lube mixed around before you do celebration burnouts!

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Originally Posted by jdcanadian

^^^does this sound good to all?

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Yes, that sound perfect.

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Originally Posted by Webspoke

Autozone cheap brake cleaner, or gasoline. Then pour in some gear oil when you are done. I would think the bearings and clearances in the rear end are not very tight, you do not need microscopic levels of clean. After installation in the car, rotate the wheels and driveshaft while in the air (with no load) to get the lube mixed around before you do celebration burnouts!

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NO - do not put solvent in the diff unless you are changing out the bearings. Once a bearing is washed with solvent you either need to dry it out and repack it with grease, which requires removal from the assembly, or you need to replace it.

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Originally Posted by modernbeat

Yes, that sound perfect.



NO - do not put solvent in the diff unless you are changing out the bearings. Once a bearing is washed with solvent you either need to dry it out and repack it with grease, which requires removal from the assembly, or you need to replace it.

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Not sure I agree in this case, but my hands on experience with those diffs is over a decade old. Free advice and all that :)

Well, my experience comes from decades of car building including about 50 transmissions, even more rear differentials and close to 200 axle ends. Driveline bearings are something I know about. JC knows my background.