Any Kleemann LSD owners please help!
11-17-2006, 02:37 PM
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Any Kleemann LSD owners please help!
Hi, I just bought a Kleemann LSD and installed it in my SLK55 (sorry for the post in a different forum, but I saw that there are more E55 users with a Kleemann LSD).
Kleemann DK shipped me the parts and I got the installation on a local workshop (not Kleemann authorized, just a very good mechanic I know).
We followed the instructions exactly as sent by Kleemann (on a nice pdf with photos) and machined 2 gears that, according to the instructions, needed machining (height reduced to 24.86 mm from original 26.86 mm). We measured these dimentions many times with a very accurate tool and we made absolutely sure that they were correct.
The LSD was installed without any problems and the diff was installed back into the car.
Having the car lifted up, we spinned the right wheel and the left weel spinned along, as it should do with an LSD. So far, so good. After that, we tried to spin the wheels in a different direction in order to check how much resistance we would find from the LSD. What surprised me is that they WOULD spin in opposite directions fairly easily (with a 60% lockup, I suppose it should be much harder to accomplish that - my mechanic said that on other cars with less lockup ratio it was much harder).
On the street, the diff makes no noise, etc. and it seems to operated as it should (haven't tried any exceed test yet, haven't had the time to).
The problem is that I just noticed a photo posted from another user of this forum showing a Kleemann LSD installed in a E55 diff and, since I took the time to also take pictures of mine before we installed it back in it's casing, I compared the photos. The result is that in my photos, the springs look less compressed than the ones in the other photo (I will try to post the photos as soon as I can). Therefore, I am wondering if something went wrong with the machining of the gears (wich, actually controls the lockup ratio) and, as a result, I have a very small lockup ratio!
Can anyone tell me if he/she has tried to spin rear wheels in the opposite direction with the car lifted and, if so, if it was easy/difficult/impossible to do that?
Any responses would be appreciated!
Tahnx in advance
Kleemann DK shipped me the parts and I got the installation on a local workshop (not Kleemann authorized, just a very good mechanic I know).
We followed the instructions exactly as sent by Kleemann (on a nice pdf with photos) and machined 2 gears that, according to the instructions, needed machining (height reduced to 24.86 mm from original 26.86 mm). We measured these dimentions many times with a very accurate tool and we made absolutely sure that they were correct.
The LSD was installed without any problems and the diff was installed back into the car.
Having the car lifted up, we spinned the right wheel and the left weel spinned along, as it should do with an LSD. So far, so good. After that, we tried to spin the wheels in a different direction in order to check how much resistance we would find from the LSD. What surprised me is that they WOULD spin in opposite directions fairly easily (with a 60% lockup, I suppose it should be much harder to accomplish that - my mechanic said that on other cars with less lockup ratio it was much harder).
On the street, the diff makes no noise, etc. and it seems to operated as it should (haven't tried any exceed test yet, haven't had the time to).
The problem is that I just noticed a photo posted from another user of this forum showing a Kleemann LSD installed in a E55 diff and, since I took the time to also take pictures of mine before we installed it back in it's casing, I compared the photos. The result is that in my photos, the springs look less compressed than the ones in the other photo (I will try to post the photos as soon as I can). Therefore, I am wondering if something went wrong with the machining of the gears (wich, actually controls the lockup ratio) and, as a result, I have a very small lockup ratio!
Can anyone tell me if he/she has tried to spin rear wheels in the opposite direction with the car lifted and, if so, if it was easy/difficult/impossible to do that?
Any responses would be appreciated!
Tahnx in advance
11-17-2006, 07:46 PM
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The other photo was probably me posting it. If you see space between the blocks or see any of the yellow springs between the blocks, then something's wrong. How hard was it to install the block in the center of the diff? It should have been extremely difficult and you may have to have used a press to press the block in. From what your description tells me, it looks like you machined the gears different. Machining is NOT required on the e55 AMG diff. Did you have to use a bolt in the center of the LSD to compress it? Post pics of your LSD internals.
11-18-2006, 07:06 AM
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The gears do need machinig...
Of course we compressed the lsd prior to inserting it into to the diff (kleemann even supplier the bolt for that). If we haden't done this, it would have been impossible!
The point is that Kleemann was specific about the machining of the planetary gears. They sent me a pdf which clearly states that all AMG 55 (N/A and SC) diffs should have 2 gears machined (whereas CL/S 55 SC & Turbo V12 and 430 N/A & V6 N/A should have all 4 gears machined). I even called them on the phone (Kleemann DK central) to confirm that the gears needed machining.
If you say you didn't machine yours, either Kleemann got crazy with instructions, or you've got a nice 80% lockup LSD
(or maybe you requested that Kleemann should supply the gears, already machined).
BTW, now that you say that you didn't machine them, it makes sence - the difference looks just about 2mm, which is the exact height I chewed of my gears.
I can send you the pdf by E-Mail, so that you can check...
The point is that Kleemann was specific about the machining of the planetary gears. They sent me a pdf which clearly states that all AMG 55 (N/A and SC) diffs should have 2 gears machined (whereas CL/S 55 SC & Turbo V12 and 430 N/A & V6 N/A should have all 4 gears machined). I even called them on the phone (Kleemann DK central) to confirm that the gears needed machining.
If you say you didn't machine yours, either Kleemann got crazy with instructions, or you've got a nice 80% lockup LSD
(or maybe you requested that Kleemann should supply the gears, already machined).BTW, now that you say that you didn't machine them, it makes sence - the difference looks just about 2mm, which is the exact height I chewed of my gears.
I can send you the pdf by E-Mail, so that you can check...
11-18-2006, 08:24 AM
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we did not machine the gears for sure and it was installed in a e55 Diff. As far as I remember, we have a 60% lockup. If there is not enough pressure between the spider gears, the wheels will not spin in the same direction. You better contact Kleemann USA and talk to Cory about this.
11-21-2006, 07:38 PM
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I take back what I said about machining the gears. Billybnz had already machined the gears before I saw them. So, yes, machining IS required on the LSD upgrade.
