This applies to Imp transaxles too as I found out a couple of years ago.
Ooooooeeee, high velocity bolt heads make short work of alloy casing.:-(
Russ Maddock
DSand95510(at)aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 97-03-26 13:52:00 EST, jimc(at)sysdiv.SDL.usu.EDU (Jim
> Cantrell) writes:
>
> >> > It is a good practice to remove the differential cover on high
> >> > mileage cars every few years and torque the ring gear bolts to
> >> > specification. I have found many "on their way" to lossening. I
> >> > suspect that they take many years to complete their tortuous path to
> >> > destruction.
> >
> >
>
> Like Ramon, I've gone thru a number of differentials (not always
> high-mileage) and have always found at least some if not all of the ring gear
> bolts were finger-tight or at least severly undertorqued. Personally, I
> would take Ramon's suggestion to REPLACE all of the bolts rather than just
> re-torqueing them. If the bolts have started to come loose, then they've
> probably been subject to a lot of shearing force every time the clutch is
> released. The chances are pretty good that at least one of the bolts is
> already cracked.
>
> I know of at least one person who had a ring gear bolt break off when
> attempting to re-torque it.
>
> Its worth your peace of mind to take it apart now before the worst happens.
> From the ones I've had go bad in the past, I'm not sure which is worse - the
> high-speed failure where you're rocked by the explosive BANG!!!! of the
> jammed bolt instantly blowing a hole thru the case, or the the low-speed
> failure where suddenly, again without any warning, you're pitched into the
> steering wheel as everything seizes up.
>
> Dick Sanders
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