How can a shade tree mechanic check for wear in a limited slip differential? My 92 F150 shop manual shows a truck having one wheel in the air and the transmission in neutral and an adapter that connects over the hub of the rear wheel and attacts to three lugs. The shop manual then says that a torque wrench should then be placed on this adopter . The shop manual says that if the torque needed to turn the wheel is 20 ft pounds or more--the limited slip is fine.

I don't have this adopter that connects to three lugs--but I did place a torque wrench on one of the wheel lug nuts and it took 22 foot pounds to turn the wheel. But I suspect that the leverage of turning the wheel using a torque wrench that is connected to just one lug nut is different that trying to turn the wheel with a torque wrench attacted to this adopter that is connected to three lug nuts and the center of which is centered over the rear wheel hub.

What is a good way to test a wear of a limited slip without special tools? And will give a quantifying state of wear.

 

Does it spin both tires ? If it doesn't then there is something wrong with it.

 

Yes--both rear wheels will spin in snow and gravel. Just wanted to tell how much wear there is in the clutches--the truck has 98k miles. But sometimes it is diffcult to tell if the limited slip is working and how well it is working--because if there isnt a large difference in the traction surfaces between the two rear wheels--even an open differential will spin both rear wheels.

 

i have read that a rear limited slip will usually only last 30 to 40k miles, it is fairly cheap to rebuild it if you are doing the work yourself ( $75 with clutches, gear lube additive and a new, gasket), plus you will be happy with your new clutches working better than the old ones

 

will repost