Rodan wrote: ( 1993 Buick Roadmaster 88k Mi 5.7L RWD)
<Question about RR tire spin when car has Limited Slip Differential>
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"Mike Romain" wrote:
That sounds normal to me. All the GM limited slips I have owned would
allow the RR to spin up from a stop. If I was moving 3-5 mph instead
and floor it on gravel, I have two rooster tails.
One good test for a worn out locker or limited slip is to jack up both
rear wheels and hand spin one wheel. If the other side spins the same
way as the one you are hand turning, the limited slip is functioning.
If the wheel turns the opposite direction, the limited slip is worn out
or not there.
There is also an 'old' trick that is even in my Jeep owners manuals for
locking up both rear wheels from a start, no matter if you have an open
diff like I do or a limited slip.
When stuck on ice and having the RR and in my case LF tires spinning
away and going no place fast while my friends are gong for tow straps, I
can give the brake pedal a hard hit while giving the gas a pulse. This
loads up the free spinning tire so the torque needed to keep it spinning
against the brake pressure equals the torque needed to break the other
tire free from the ground, so both tires spin up. My owners manuals say
this can also be done by applying the emergency brake but I have much
better success with using the brake pedal. It takes practice, but it
works very well.
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Ashton Crusher wrote:
I used to have a 95 Caprice which I think is pretty much the same car.
It had the 5.7L corvette engine but I don't recall if it has Limited
Slip. I do know that I often accelerated hard in it and never had a
problem with rear wheel spin. You say "recently" this happened, does
that mean it wasn't doing this before and nothing has changed (that
you know of) and now it's started doing it? I had an 88 Caprice that
would easily spin the RR, unlike my 95. About the only thing I can
think of is that your LSD went bad, you have a spring that cracked and
that corner of the car is no longer holding up it's share of the
weight, or the tire is worn out even though it might look ok or maybe
the colder whether has made the rubber harder and less sticky.
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Thanks for the insights, Mike and Ashton. My experience with LSDs
is that they are there to prevent single wheelspin. I love Mike's ice
trick for non-LSD cars. I used it more than once years ago, but in my
current advanced age (71) my taste for adventure has faded and I
religiously avoid getting into icy situations.
Yes, the Roadmaster is almost exactly the Caprice under the sheet metal.
Buick openly calls the engine a Chevy. My use of the word "recently"
was misleading because I have only had the car one month, so everything
that happens happens "recently". It may have always had this condition.
This 93 Roadmaster has less features that my former 92 Roadmaster.
The 93 has mechanical seat adjustments, a manual outside mirror adjustment,
and slide-and-fan-speed temperature control instead of presettable climate
conrol. Looking up its specifications reveals that LSD was an extra cost
option. So my 93 may not have LSD at all, therefore it may be working
normally. Anyway, I will spin the rear tires next time I have it in the
air.
Thanks again for the comments.
Rodan.