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Blown diff AND clutch in GT

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blown diff
2K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  luckydan 
#1 ·
Hi folks, just thought I'd report my latest GT diesel misadventure. My '05 GT has done 60k miles, the last 20k with a performance module fitted taking the power up to approx 185 bhp with a noticeable increase in torque according to the seat of my pants and the alarming rate of wear on my front tyres.
I first noticed the clutch starting to slip during the winter and decided I'd nurse it until my bike was on the road for the summer so I wouldn't be without transport. It has gradually got worse but not much. Only really a problem when overtaking in the higher gears and I reckon I could have made it last until next summer if necessary.
Unfortunately, one of the gears in my diff decided to break up and punch a hole through the bellhousing. The warning signs I should've heeded were an increase in noise at higher speeds and a sound like a wheel bearing rumbling when cornering. Louis at Alfa Tecnico (a local independant specialist who I would recommend) warned me long ago that the diffs have a tendency to give up and suggested I have a Q2 fitted. I was intending to do that at the same time as I replaced the clutch but time ran out and with a few relatively quiet bangs from underneath while slow speed manouvering I was dismayed to find a large pool of gear oil on the floor.
I currently have the box out of the car and although a lot of bits of swarf have found their way into it there doesn't appear to be any damage except a hole in the bellhousing which I'm going to weld up. The box will need a thorough clean up and inspection but apart from that it will hopefully be ok.
Anyone who's contemplating a DIY clutch change should only make a start if they have small hands, an extensive tool kit with ball joint splitters, wobble extensions and some big pry bars. It's been a bloody nightmare and took the best part of a day to remove the box, the worst part was undoing the starter motor bolts (I've lost several layers of skin from my forearms as a result)
I'll let you know how I get on but I need to find the £1000 or so it's going to cost me for a Q2 diff, a clutch and a flywheel. I'd recommend leaving the clutch to the pros and I'd certainly recommend a Q2 diff if you have a chipped motor, if only to save you the trouble I'm having now. Good thing my bike is out of it's winter hibernation or I'd be screwed.
Despite all this I have every intention of keeping my GT as there's nothing else out there with the blend of performance, practicality and economy that is anywhere near as beautiful or has that Italian character that has led me to ride Ducatis for the last 10 years. I still love my car and I'm sure I'll love it even more when it isn't scrabbling for grip every time I put my foot down.
Big thanks to Louis for his patience and advice so far.
 
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#2 ·
Best of luck with the repair, you sound like you know what you are doing :thumbs: These jobs are the sort of things we do day-in-day-out, we've seen a bit of a surge of diff failures in 2.4 10v and 1.9 16v gearboxes now although the GTAs and 3.0 GTVs blow them up far more regularly. Make sure everything is properly properly clean, if you can get then get it in a parts-washer/steam-cleaner.

I'd be interested in seeing some pics of the damage to the bellhousing, we've had some success with welding them up in the past but sometimes the holes are just too big to weld and you need to replace the bellhousing & gearbox casing.

By the way I can supply you all those parts for under £900 inc VAT & delivery - thats Q2 diff, diff bearings, diff seals, driveshaft seals, OEM Valeo clutch kit (3 piece) & new valeo DMF.

Cheers,

Dan

Autolusso - 01525 221 921
 
#3 ·
Thanks dude, The hole is quite a bit bigger than the one in the photo on your website but fortunately I worked as a fabricator/ welder in the aerospace industry for a good few years so I've got a good working knowledge of the subject as well as loads of aluminium casting repair experience hence, I'm quite confident I can do a sound repair with no distortion.
If you find you're struggling with the welding feel free to pm me for some tips. I'm hoping that nothing else major will go west on me for quite a while as I'll have to sell a kidney if it does! I do have an Italian bike to keep as well after all!
Thanks for the advice and the very reasonable quote. I'll be in touch if needs be. Thanks again Dan
 
#5 ·
Yeah that's usually the case. Luckily I have access to a hot dip degreasing tank which usually gets the job done. The box is pretty clean and dry so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I've modified lots of Cosworth sumps and other oil impregnated castings over the years and not really had any problems. Of course I use a T.I.G plant rather than a M.I.G. M.I.G welding of aluminium isn't usually terribly successful unlees you have an expensive plant and spotlessly clean or preferably new material. T.I.G is the way to go for repair welding. My main concern with this particular repair is the risk of distortion as the hole is quite big and the material isn't very thick.
Thanks for the advice. I'll take some photos and post them if I can find my camera.
 
#6 ·
i use to fab/weld silicon chip vacumm chambers and tig process was only way to endure fault free NDT,just a preheat and see the moisture vapour dissappear was enough,if you struggle because of poor ali or impregnated casing(important bit here---foriegners:p,you gotta make some money:cheese:),just turn frequency of A/C back :thumbs:
as for mig need different mix of gas and above all decent set with pull push wire feed and 3 phrase:wow:

good luck hope it works out
 
#7 ·
Despite all this I have every intention of keeping my GT as there's nothing else out there with the blend of performance, practicality and economy that is anywhere near as beautiful or has that Italian character that has led me to ride Ducatis for the last 10 years.
Another GT and Ducati owner! What bike(s) do you have? Currently have a bit of a special 888 (pic in ava) and an ST3 for everyday use.

Bad news re clutch and diff, I am just waiting for mine to go (52k and '05), and is the main reason not going for any sort of chip upgrade. Just replaced MAF, turbo hose and cleaned out ERG - infact I would say my Ducati's are more reliable!
 
#8 ·
Why not get a Q2 fitted before it blows up? Then you will be looking at £600 instead of £1300.. And it totally transforms the way the car drives as well, amazing difference in putting the power down mid-bend and in the wet.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for all the help. I welded my casing successfully, the material was pretty clean and I gave it a good preheat although I could've probably managed without as that part of the casing is only about 3mm thick. I didn't need to alter the wave balance as like I said the material was pretty clean. I crack tested it and it's crack free but as the hole was quite large I'm a bit concerned that there may be a lot of stress in the casting so I'm probably going to get it heat treated to get rid of that.
JR60, learn from my experience, get a Q2 in and save yourself a shed load of hassle. If the traction gains are half as good as people say then it's worth it for that alone. As for my bike, it's a 2001 996 sps, it's been absolutely reliable so far except for a duff temperature gauge and an intermittent bad connection on the fusebox which occasionally causes a complete loss of electrical power but only happens when I turn the ignition on after being parked so it doesn't cut out when I'm riding. I've also had a series 1 Superlight and a 996 Bip, all of which have had a very thorough thrashing without any real issues. Definitely more reliable than my Alfa but my Alfa doesn't get parked in my lounge and fettled with any regularity. The sps is always reluctant to start and with two high comp pistons the size of dustbins to spin over it requires a fully charged battery!! The 888 looks sweet, I've always had a real hankering for a late SP so I'm a little envious. Unfortunately my bike is going to have to endure the torrential downpours that will undoubtedly occur while my car is in dry dock.
My EGR valve is acting the goat as well, did the clean out work? It'd be handy to save myself the price of a new one in these most testing of financial times.
Thanks again for the advice guys it's much appreciated
 
#10 ·
Might just have a look at getting a Q2 diff fitted, but its NW/TT time and any avail cash (as I'm sure you well know) goes on the bikes! - carbon fibre airbox or new diff - no contest!! Nice collection of Ducati's there, had a '95 916sp a long time ago - usual story wish I never got rid of it. The 888 has been a labour of love over a long time and is now up to period Corse spec (paint job is rep of Foggy's '93 BSB and NW200 winning bike) with day time mot! Re the starting of the sps - could the sprag clutch be on the way out? If so know a nice cheap fix involving using a spring from a £2 oil seal that I have used on many bikes!

Recommend cleaning out the EGR valve - could not believe how much crap came out of mine and the valve was completely seized, only took a few hours. I also changed the MAF which was also playing up.
 
#12 ·
jr60, the 888 sounds unreal, I'd love to see it but I'd probably need to wear boxing gloves for the sake of decorum. My sps will be coming apart for a full cosmetic makeover and precautionary checks on the motor come winter time. It's not rough or anything, just not tidy enough for me at the moment, stone chips, the odd furry bolt etc. I reckon the starting is just a weak battery after a bit of investigation this morning but thanks for the tip. I'll tackle the EGR while the car is off the road, thanks.
Hi Rockhopper, I always take my bike to Italia Moto in Lincoln ever since I had to get my old 996 serviced by a franchised dealer. My bike originally came from a dealer down south and with 2000 miles on it. I took it to Italia for a service and found them to be absolutely outstanding, they went through the bike with a fine tooth comb and found loads of bits that should have been picked up on PDI. They got them sorted out quickly and without charge. I've been going there ever since, they know the bikes inside out, are all enthusiasts and are extremely friendly and helpful not to mention thorough and conscientious. They're also very reasonable on price I used to take my Superlight to SPR at Ruddington who were also fantastic and not far from you either. All the best.
 
#14 ·
Is this dude a bodybuilder by any chance? I sold my old 996 to a chap who ran a bike shop around those parts, he bought it to use as his own bike, his wife had a 996 as well as far as I can remember and their mechanic may have been called Neil. He was pretty switched on if I remember rightly. He must know his onions if he's been added to the desmosedici servive network. I'll definitely bear him in mind. Thanks
 
#15 ·
Finally got all the bits together, Q2 diff fitted into the thoroughly cleaned out and welded up gearbox, I replaced the taper roller bearing on the clutch end of the input shaft as it was a little worn but apart from that no damage to the gearbox internals and not much aluminium swarf to be fair. The bearing was very tight on the shaft and took some knocking off. I baked the new one in the oven for 30 mins, grabbed it with my welding gauntlet and slid it onto the shaft with ease, I'm sure if I'd have tried to knock it on it would've got damaged. I also utilised my dishwasher to degrease some of the bits with sparkling results. I can't wait to get the car back together, even more so as my bike has dropped a valve so I have no transport until I get the box back in.
The car should be much improved with a new clutch, flywheel and the Q2. I've just got to remember how it all goes back together. I probably won't be starting the job until Tuesday as I'm in the middle of a tour of duty at work so I'll hopefully get it rolling again by Tuesday evening.
A big thanks to Lewis and Honour at Alfatecnico for their help, advice and patience. I'll no doubt be paying them a visit again soon!
I'll post again once the car is up and running and give my verdict on the diff. I took the opportunity to clean out the EGR valve while the car is off the road, I've been putting it off for a while as I figured it would be a bit of a job but it took all of half an hour. It was full of carbon and the valve was wedged solid. A few minutes scraping, poking and half a can of carb cleaner soon had it working perfectly. beats the hell out of paying for a new one. It's a task easily managed by the most inexperienced mechanic and could well save you the price of a replacement (£160?) Mine's the original and has lasted 60k miles. Hopefully it'll last another 60
 
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