BBond007

I have been having some problems with my 96 lately.

The clutch in my car has always been pretty hard to press.

I have had the car for 2.5 years and put a lot of miles on it. The clutch was slipping more and more.

Recently after completing a 3500 mile road trip, the clutch was d o n e done and I’m l u c k y lucky to have made it home…

After finding a shop in a short timeframe to replace the clutch (I would have loved to have done it myself, but I live in a condo). The shop I used to have work on the stang is gone.

They also replaced the rear main seal and the differential seal. My differential was totally dry which was why I say I’m lucky to have made it home – and the clutch as well

The first thing after getting the car back was that the guy said my clutch felt about 1000% better (which it did) but I had some sort of wheel balance problem.

All I noticed was the car’s exhaust sounding like total crap. And yes a huge vibration on acceleration that was not previously there.

I took it back in and I’m like “something is not right with the exhaust for starters… and I felt something fall the F off the car when I was exiting the turnpike. I heard it…”

Anyway, Turns out my exhaust was missing a bolt, which they fixed that day. And there went the “wheel balance” issue.

But while the car was up I noticed the differential was leaking, and I agreed to take the car back again to have that (basic job) redone.

I got that differential seal redone yesterday, but I was asking about all this play in my driveline… They say its just play in my differential due to the miles on my stang.

This guy claims the play in my differential is acceptable dude to the miles on my 96 and nothing that’s going to leave me stranded.

Just out of curiosity I asked how much to rebuild the differential ands he said $900 and he’d make it a lot more “beefy”

I’m not going to that shop again, just because hooking up my exhaust is a no-brainer, and the differential back cover… common… I’m just lucky the new clutch seemed to be a success.

So anyway, here are my questions:

- Can the play simply be adjusted out of my differential?

- If I just went to a shop that was familiar with installing gears in a mustang, would getting new gears cause the play go away?

- Does anyone know a shop in the MIAMI area they trust?

mikev08826

sounds like you take taken for a ride.

The proverbial phucked in the ***. No joke. In my whoring of MF boards NEVER have I heard of this. And if I remember correctly, I don't think your supposed to change the dfff. fluid, or maybe that was in my expedition. IDK.

I'd be raging pissed if in your shoes.

Oh yeah, wtf was up with the missing exhaust bolt? You know how hard those phuckers are to get out?

SVTBill

Firestone is like that too...never go there....

if your diff. was dry then the gears inside might have gotten a little worn which could cause some play but it sounds like they're a)unknowledgeable b) trying to get your money c) both

koumiss45

My differential was giving me fits a while back. First off, a little play is normal on a 96, but I would say less than 30 degrees of tire rotation would be in spec on your car, any more than that and I would get a new rear. The way to check this is to place a jack under your pumpkin and raise the rear tires off the ground, while in gear it should turn no more than 30 degrees. I just had my rear done, new diff, new bearings, Frpp 3.73's, and install for 800 dollars. Had some problems with lash, but they took care of it without much fuss.

Js 99 GT

30 degrees??????? backlash is suppossed to be right at 10/1000 of an inch. If you have 30 degrees backlash, your fuc*ed. and 900 for gears and install is away too much but if by beefy he ment rebuilding the carrier with new clutch packs and maybe replacing it with a 31 spline one and 31 spline axels, it may just be slightly high. As for your questions, yeah, you can adjust the play out, but its going to cost as much as an install, so I'd just get new gears. A properly adjusted set of gears should have VERY LITTLE play, like i said 10/1,000's of an inch. Dont know anything about shops in Miami.

BBond007

I’ve done that procedure and I don’t have more than maybe 1.5” – 2.” of play but just that much makes the driveline seem sloppy.

Plus now I have some clutch chatter as well. Bonus!

This car’s engine is running great. But the overall ride is starting to remind me of a wooden roller coaster…

I suppose I’ll just live with it for now and maybe start ordering differential parts for when this one goes out.

I just really don’t know if I want lower gears or not.

I really like how I can go 70mph at just a hair over 2000 RPMS. I was getting 26-28mpg on my road trip.

Anyway, that shop that did the clutch sucks, so it’s not going back there.

I’m open to having the work done in Orlando or Vero Beach if anyone knows of a shop up that way.

BBond007

I did this procedure and I can definitely say that there is not much play in my differential. Most of the play is coming from the u-joint closest to the transmission.

I put the back up on ramps and got under there and took a closer look at the u-joints.

Its pretty bad, and I’m going to fix that immediately.

I specifically asked them to check the u-joints when they had it all apart for the clutch. I suspected I was having a u-joint issue just by the way it drove and sounded.

Anyway they called me up and said the u-joints were fine but I needed the rear main and the differential resealed. Like I said before.

Well, I can tell you one thing. The u-joints were not fine, and yeah…. I’ve been taken on an annoying and expensive ride.

I’m deciding if I should get the aluminum drive shaft.

I’m going to fix this one myself out in the parking lot, meanwhile I need to find a better shop…

BBond007

Well,

I decided...

aluminum drive shaft ordered.

I really think the differential is ok.