Orangetang Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 I was pretty certain my 02' Chilkoot did NOT come with an LSD, and that only the SE and LE had the option, until I was changing my differential oil today and noticed (after draining the oil) an orange sticker that says "LSD OIL ONLY"... All I had on hand for oil is Petro Canada Traxon E 75w90 Synthetic, which I had already put in the front diff. Here is the description from Petro Canada's website. Is it LSD compatible? Is the orange sticker something that Nissan put on or one of those 3rd party oil change shops? Petro-Canada Traxon E Synthetic 75W/90 Fully synthetic gear oil containing extreme pressure additives for operation under a variety of load conditions with excellent resistance to oxidation for longer life lubrication. Meets API GL-5 and MT-1 requirements and SAE J2360. Are these the requirements for the LSD, or should I change the oil to something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zonianbrat Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 The orange sticker is from Nissan and I would recommend only using LSD oil. Now worth ruining the diff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orangetang Posted September 24, 2007 Author Share Posted September 24, 2007 Meets API GL-5 and MT-1 requirements and SAE J2360 Is this not an LSD compatible oil? I'll go grab something that says LSD on it... Just curious about the ratings, codes etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orangetang Posted September 24, 2007 Author Share Posted September 24, 2007 Also if it IS NOT compatible, can I just add a LSD additive instead of using a different oil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWC5S2 Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Also if it IS NOT compatible, can I just add a LSD additive instead of using a different oil? You will burn out the clutches in the LSD unit by running regular oil. I use LSD Oil plus an additive to make sure there is sufficient lubrication and friction to run the LSD. I did talk to a guy that rebuilds rear ends and was told that using the additive plus the LSD oil will make the LSD work much better, not to mention last longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orangetang Posted September 24, 2007 Author Share Posted September 24, 2007 I'll write my VIN down and visit Nissan tomorrow... I can't see this being an LSD. I get stuck everywhere and only one wheel spins, in mud, snow, whatever. There appears to be no "limited"slip happening here. Is it possible Nissan just prefers that grade of fluid in their regular diffs? Part number? Any visual clues other than pulling the inspection cover off? As for LSD additives, I was talking more about the stuff you'd ad to a standard fluid to make it compatible with an LSD.... If there is a such a thing. I don't mind buying the proper stuff, it would just be nice to use whats free and readily available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj big shoe Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Any visual clues other than pulling the inspection cover off?Jack the rear up until both wheels are off the ground then spin one wheel by hand. If the opposite wheel spins the same direction, it's an LSD. If it spins the opposite direction, its an open diff. I couldn't see Nissan putting an LSD sticker on a non-LSD rear, though. Perhaps the clutches are worn and that's why you're getting stuck and only have the one wheel spinning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 I can't see this being an LSD. I get stuck everywhere and only one wheel spins, in mud, snow, whatever. There appears to be no "limited"slip happening here. Is it possible Nissan just prefers that grade of fluid in their regular diffs? Part number? Any visual clues other than pulling the inspection cover off? First, there is no inspection cover to pull off. You'd need to remove the entire diff to "inspect" the gears: Second, you should be aware that the stock LSD is actually not that effective in very high-bias-traction conditions (i.e one wheel has lots of traction, one wheel has nearly no traction). The phrase "limited slip" differential is sort of misleading. It should be called a "limited traction-equalizing" diff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUELER Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Second, you should be aware that the stock LSD is actually not that effective in very high-bias-traction conditions (i.e one wheel has lots of traction, one wheel has nearly no traction). The phrase "limited slip" differential is sort of misleading. It should be called a "limited traction-equalizing" diff. I was considering the Nissan LSD... can you elaborate as to what the LSD actually does if it doesn't help in high bias traction conditions?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 It truly depends on the LSD unit. IN the r50, and first gen (00-04) Xterra, it's basically useless. If you lift a tire, you may as well be open. If you have nearly even traction with both rear wheels, it'll distribute the power to both wheels, giving you more traction. The WD21 LSD is quite a bit tighter, thus, more useful off road, and when, as Dean said, in high-bias traction situations. Still not a locker though. Either can be rebuilt, or "beefed up" with more clutch discs to give you better traction, and act more like a locker. A friend of mine has had his done and it works very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDCCD Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 It truly depends on the LSD unit. IN the r50, and first gen (00-04) Xterra, it's basically useless. If you lift a tire, you may as well be open. If you have nearly even traction with both rear wheels, it'll distribute the power to both wheels, giving you more traction. The WD21 LSD is quite a bit tighter, thus, more useful off road, and when, as Dean said, in high-bias traction situations. Still not a locker though. Either can be rebuilt, or "beefed up" with more clutch discs to give you better traction, and act more like a locker. A friend of mine has had his done and it works very well. Yeah, pretty crappy, but i've had some luck using the e-brake as suggested on other threads. Helps a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Yeah, that has been known to help. I've used it as well, with some success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWC5S2 Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 I have had great success with my LSD off-roading. Normally the left wheel only turns but now I can feel the right side kick in when the left loses traction. True, it is not a locker but, it did not cost $2000 and it fills my needs. Guess it depends on where your are wheeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orangetang Posted September 25, 2007 Author Share Posted September 25, 2007 For future reference, GL-5 is POSI/LSD safe and MT-1 is industrial HD grade. The oil is fine, I need change nothing, and I'll try the lifted wheel trick sometime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainman Posted September 25, 2007 Share Posted September 25, 2007 For future reference, GL-5 is POSI/LSD safe and MT-1 is industrial HD grade. The oil is fine, I need change nothing, and I'll try the lifted wheel trick sometime soon. Thanks for the update as I am due for a service and was wondering if I should go syn on the diffs as well as the trannie/all mode transfer case. Now I know what to use in the diff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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