X-Ray T2-008 Diff Rebuild.
 

How often should you rebuild your diff?

How do you know that your diff needs a rebuild?

Is it considered a rebuild if you just take it apart sand the rings and put it back together?

What does a full rebuild consist of?

Anyone?

When club racing I usually just rebuild the diff whenever it begins to feel gritty.

It really will depend on your track conditions and driving style on how long your diff should last.

If you're going to a big race, I usually put fresh diffs in my cars before practice starts... and USUALLY that's enough to get me through the event. There are times however that I will replace the diff durring a large event, but that's usually just if it starts to feel gritty like I mentioned before.

Usually when I rebuild the diff, I will take the diff apart, check the large and small rings, the caged thrust, and the diff balls.

Sometimes all a diff needs is relubing, but that is not a guaranteed fix for a gritty/bad diff.

Usually I will flip all the rings, relube, and reassemble the diff and go from there.

To truely "rebuild" a diff you should replace all the rings, the balls, and the caged thrust assembly and of course relube everything.

Hope this helps.

Why kind of lube do you use?

Same stuff as off road?

lol steve, not content with your own answers thread? haha :P

Diff rebuilds are something I tend to either not do for ages, or once or twice a month depending on any issues i'm having, how much i race or even at what track i race at.

Steve's answer, as always, was very spot on :)

As for the lube, i use anti-wear grease on the thrust bearing (really pack that stuff inside good and proper) and Team Associated Stealth Diff Lube for the balls and plates.

With normal steel balls and diff plates taken straight from the packet without prep I would suggest a diff rebuild once a month.

When I moved to ceramic bearings and ceramic diff balls I started to sand the diff plates with a 2000 grit before installing everything. Now these diffs just last for months without needing a rebuild, presuming the track you run on isnt dusty/sandy/etc. My theory being ceramic balls dont wear a groove into the diff plate as easily, but when they do its much smoother than the steel balls make and hence seems to last longer.

-Mark

Thanks for this information it will really help!