Swapping diffs?
#27
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I'm quoting the photo just to highlight this: that is not a stock Miata diff. It's a Getrag conversion. I don't know why someone posted it in this thread.
The large nuts on the main diff studs are in the same place as that photo, but everything on the left half of the photo is completely non-standard.
#29
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The biggest difference will be the axles, however either set will work with either diff. So you're likely best off to leave the respective axles in the respective car and move the halfshafts over to the diff going back into the NA.
#32
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I'm the OP.
I ended up buying a 4.10 Torsen. My 4.30 developed another front seal leak and would not have been a fair trade.
I did the work with the car on jack stands in my garage.
Unfortunately, most of the videos appear to be of people who are chronicling their first adventures into diff removal, rather than being real how-to videos. Most are not helpful at all about getting the diff out of the PPF. In one, the diff is magically out of the car after removing the axles and unbolting it from the frame, and the PPF looks like it was pried open. The best one was simply a guy who seemed to know what he was doing, talking his way through it, but there was no actual "video" of the process. Understanding how to separate the diff from the PPF is the key. Although one video talked to hammering out the pressed in nuts at the top of the PPF, it made no mention of working out the locator/spacer for the reamer bolt at the bottom. No video referenced the Shop Manual, which by the way, has a black "X" superimposed on knocking out those upper pressed in nuts.
I did not remove the PPF. I popped the axles out of the diff and removed the axle/knuckle/hub as a unit. There just isn't enough room under the car to do it otherwise with it just up on jack stands. Plus, I was doing the job by myself. I had the diff out in 2+25. My only prior experience was popping out the passenger side axle to replace the seal, and removing the propeller shaft a bunch of times. I hadn't done any prep work. I didn't even have any gear oil. In about nine hours total I had replaced the diff, replaced the gear oil in the trans, swapped in a yellow gear for the trans speed sensor, and gotten the mid pipe back in place. I still need to tighten up the exhaust and put the frame brace back on.
It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but I believe I could do it again in significantly less time.
Thanks for all the inputs.
I ended up buying a 4.10 Torsen. My 4.30 developed another front seal leak and would not have been a fair trade.
I did the work with the car on jack stands in my garage.
I did not remove the PPF. I popped the axles out of the diff and removed the axle/knuckle/hub as a unit. There just isn't enough room under the car to do it otherwise with it just up on jack stands. Plus, I was doing the job by myself. I had the diff out in 2+25. My only prior experience was popping out the passenger side axle to replace the seal, and removing the propeller shaft a bunch of times. I hadn't done any prep work. I didn't even have any gear oil. In about nine hours total I had replaced the diff, replaced the gear oil in the trans, swapped in a yellow gear for the trans speed sensor, and gotten the mid pipe back in place. I still need to tighten up the exhaust and put the frame brace back on.
It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but I believe I could do it again in significantly less time.
Thanks for all the inputs.
Last edited by poormxdad; 09-16-2019 at 10:27 AM.
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