My friend has an early Eunos, which due to the dreaded tin worm he has had to scrap.
He has a perfectly good complete diff and drive shafts and the thought crossed my mind that it could be an L.S.D.
In which case, how do you identify an L.S.D. from a standard, are there any markings or numbers or features on the outside to help us identify??
Assistance greatly appreciated, thanks
Paul
As someone who has recently been through the trauma of the emotional roller coaster of diff identification I think I can help. Unfortunately they are not marked for easy IDing.
The first step for the aspiring MX5 diff guru is to make a cup of tea, sit down and read this: Diff spotters guide
Then it should be pretty straightforward, especially if the diff is already removed from the car.
Assuming that by early you mean pre-'93 (VLSD) it looks like you just have to check the ‘stub shaft flange ears’.
Also, if it’s pre-'93 I believe you can unambiguously determine the type by turning one wheel (rear of car jacked off the ground) or one shaft (diff removed from the car) and watching what the other side does. If they both turn the same way it’s a VLSD, if they turn in opposite directions it’s an open diff.
The above test does not apply to the later TorSen diffs, where the difference in behaviour is much more subtle; i.e. with the TorSen the opposite wheel does not turn in the same direction and if you spin the wheel quickly it will turn in the opposite direction (like an open diff). For the TorSens I think you really have to get the shafts out and look inside to be sure.
My own sob story is that my Roadster was factory fitted with a Type I 1:4.3 TorSen, but I now confirmed it has a 1:4.1 open