As to not hijack the previous thread regarding the locking differential, I was curious about super packing your LSD differential.

I have an '00 with an LSD and I do not think the fluid has ever been changed, so that will be one thing I do pretty soon. I have read that the LSD's eventually just fade away if they are not properly maintained.

What all is involved in packing the differential to maintain the LSD?

Basically, the LSD works by having a clutch-pack consisting of multiple clutch discs between the two side gears inside the differential that try to hold the side gears in unison, thus preventing differentiation. As time goes by the clutch discs wear, and the LSD loses its effectiveness. Super packing would be adding additional discs so that there is more pressure against the side gears which creates a higher threshold for slippage. Somewhere on here there is a write-up for how to do it and which parts to use.

Its one of those subjective things....as explained above, the concept is simple, but the trick is to strike the right Break Away Torque for it.

If you pack it TOO tight, its essentially always locked, and you will have a lot of premature tire wear, funny cornering, etc.

If you pack it too loosely, there's no harm, except for spending all those hours doing it for nothing....as it won't do what you wanted it to, etc.

So, you're limited to the thickness of the added clutch disk(s) you use...one disk can be the difference between too tight, and too loose, etc.

So, its completely doable, and it works, but you have to have realistic expectations for its effectiveness/practicality.

MOST people doing it are essentially committing to off road function at the expense of ON road function...and are OK with the added tire wear/handling quirks, etc....TO GET the off road prowess it can provide.

If YOU'RE ok with that compromise, its a good project.

:D

I know of one guy who did it/undid it...he got tired of buying new tires all the time, and took it back out...(Its reversible if you change your mind)

or get the clutch pack from an older pathy instead of superpacking the lsd

when i had the stock rear end with LSD i swapped in the pathy clutch pack and it worked awesome

00-04 plus h233b lsd is something like 120ftlbs of torque to break loose
the 95 and older pathy lsd were something like 260-280
being sas'd could have played a part in it but i hardly ever broke traction with the pathy clutch pack

Thanks all for the responses. I am not sure about adding clutch plates to increase BAT. However I like that idea of maybe replacing the existing clutch pack with the one from the Pathfinder. Any ideas on how to find one?

Thanks again for the reply's!!!

I'd find one in a junk yard, out of a Pathy that had the H233b and repack it to specs, then swap it into your X.

Personally, I ran the same tires for several years with a complete spool and had the superpacked LSD before that. It's how you drive and how you prep your vehicle. In the dirt I would go as low as 5psi. On the street I'd pump 'em up to 35-40psi, depending on the season. And those were 35" X Terrains (not the hardest rubber on a tire).

But if it's going to remain your DD, stick with a tighter pack (Pathy style) vs. the Superpack (spool style).

IIRC, the 00-02 X's used ~ 10 plates, and had a BAT ~ of 138 - 180 ft lb, but they used spacers in the 03-04' (Fewer plates, plus, the spacers, etc..), and the BAT was dropped to a vestigial 29-43 ft lb.

There's also a spring set that holds the plates, etc...the Pathy one has a stronger spring I think.

If the carriers, etc, are interchangeable, and if you're taking out the old one, and repacking a Pathy one to spec, to replace it with, other than the stronger spring set-up, I'm not sure if there's much saving in work to do it all.


I think extra plates are ~ $30-ish each from courtesy parts, etc.


I just skip the LSD additives (Which are there to make it slip MORE/be quiet and not "chatter" etc....) so that it grabs better.

You can feel the difference in bite.

:D

just do it the right way
http://www.clubxterra.org/forums/showthread.php?t=33559

ive still got the pathy clutch pack if you want it $30 shipped , the only thing i dont have is the little metal retainers or whatever they are called (not sure if you even need them )