Diff Bolts Again

Garry · Postby **Garry** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:35 am

Just a heads up to everyone. Anyone who has removed the PPF from the diff should keep an eye on the long bolts holding it all together.

My car had recently started to make this weird creaking sort of sound every time the driveline was loaded up that was slowly getting worse till in the end it was sounding like an old leaf sprung Falcon. I checked the long bolts holding the front of the diff to the PPF and they appeared to be tight. I couldn't see any other logical place for the noise to come from so I checked them again but this time with a bit of extra leverage on my spanner and managed to tighten both bolts another 1/3 of a turn. Creaky noise is gone. The last time those bolts were undone was for the clutch change several years ago. I thought it strange that they should suddenly come loose after all this time.

So it looks like I managed to avoid another diff bolt fiasco on Stan's Putty run this weeked.

jules · Postby **jules** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:21 am

Did they use locktite the first time??

Jules

Garry · Postby **Garry** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:15 pm

No idea Jules. I didn't take the bolts out to check, I just tightened them up some more.

StanTheMan · Postby **StanTheMan** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:31 pm

LOL.....now that would have been funny.

ACT headline. Diff bolt fails again, on SP....and the pisstaking......would have been endless. At your expense Garry ROFLMHO.

I think I might check my own as well & bring the torque wrench with the 17mm socket.

Has anyone got a spare diff bolt?

You realise......if anyones bolt comes out they will never live it down. The pics, the pisstaking & comerady will certainly not dampen the day in any way. I thought it was a great adventure last time. PB has not lived it down since. :mrgreen:

See you all there.....complete with 17mm socket & torque wrench.
:mrgreen:

edit: added ,

Garry · Postby **Garry** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:36 pm

Who's SP have they fallen out of?

StanTheMan · Postby **StanTheMan** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 2:18 pm

Its about the bolt.....not the SP

:mrgreen:

sorry my punktuation. We all know i'm illiterate

sabretooth · Postby **sabretooth** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 12:11 pm

I get the impression it will be about the SP should the bolt come out.

So how many people has it happened to? PB and someone else wasn't it?

Casey · Postby **Casey** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 7:43 pm

PB wrote:About 18 months ago it happened again, right after my third clutch was fitted. Unfortunately it was at the same time when some monkey clamped my hydraulics line inbetween the bell housing when doing the last clutch replacement.. end result - car being towed back from Port Kembla to Sydney.

Same thing happened to me. Had my clutch replaced (shudder issue) just before we headed off the to 2003 F1GP and then onto the GOR. Got as far as Geelong - cruising down the freeway to the first set of lights for ages. Went to down shift and no clutch!! Luckily there was a local Mazda dealership who flat towed the car to their service department and had it repaired in time for a mid morning departure the next day.

On the bolts - they might be a single use item designed to deform when torqued? Or maybe they just stretch when torqued the first time? Probably should be replaced every time they are touched by the sounds of it.

StanTheMan · Postby **StanTheMan** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 10:39 pm

PB....LOL....that is sooooo your pic. :lol:

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 8:55 am

Casey wrote:On the bolts - they might be a single use item designed to deform when torqued? Or maybe they just stretch when torqued the first time? Probably should be replaced every time they are touched by the sounds of it.

The ones on our car were re-used when the Torsen went in over 3 years ago. We didn't use locktite or anything and no problems so far.

Casey · Postby **Casey** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:40 am

JBT wrote:
Casey wrote:On the bolts - they might be a single use item designed to deform when torqued? Or maybe they just stretch when torqued the first time? Probably should be replaced every time they are touched by the sounds of it.

The ones on our car were re-used when the Torsen went in over 3 years ago. We didn't use locktite or anything and no problems so far.

Same here when my clutch was done about three years ago (not sure if Mazda replaced the bolts). I don't think they had to come out when we fitted my TorSen - only the center swapped.

No problems so far (touch wood)