I encountered the dreaded clutch pedal issue that a flush didn't fix, so since the transmission had to be dropped anyway, I decided to have a new clutch put in as well as a limited-slip differential. I ordered a MFactory diff with a Ford Performance LSD install kit from Whoosh, as well as new OEM clutch disk/plate, master, and slave cylinders.
I am not a mechanic, and this kind of thing is beyond my capability, so I hired a local transmission shop to do the work. The shop claims to have done plenty of this stuff.
Unfortunately, after dropping the transmission and attempting to swap in the new LSD, the trans shop called me to tell me there was a problem with the replacement bearings supplied by the Ford Performance LSD kit. Specifically, the outer diameter of the rollers appears to be too large to fit back into the casing. I don't know all of the terminology here, so I apologize if I am spewing nonsense. But they claim to have measured the outer diameter of the rollers on the replacement bearing after it had been pressed onto the LSD and compared it to the OEM bearing on the open diff, and it was measurably larger. I went down to the shop in person, and they showed me how the OEM diff drops back in without any force, but the new one is too large. When I asked if it was just tight because it was new, the master tech at the shop swore to me that it wasn't right, and that the bearings were either faulty or the wrong ones.
I called Whoosh to see if it was possible to have the wrong bearings, but Ron swore to me that these are the correct bearings that should work on the MFactory kit. We checked the part numbers, and they were the correct ones he sells for the Fiesta ST. I mentioned to him that they didn't look at all like the OEM bearings on the open diff, particularly because the "cage" that holds the rollers is plastic in the (new) replacement bearing, but the OEM bearing cage is all metal. Ron stated that's just how Ford started making the replacement bearings, and that's the only part they carry.
I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I went to the Ford dealer to speak to their parts department. They were willing to order new OEM differential bearings (which I assume are the correct part), but they were out of state and the earliest they would arrive is later this week (4 days, likely Friday). They assured me that no other dealer nearby had them, and there was no way to get them faster. I called around to other parts stores, but no one appears to stock these bearings. So I went ahead and ordered them from the Ford dealer for about $100.
The transmission shop of course is not happy since the car will take up one of their bays until the part arrives and is likely to charge me even more money for the hassle. Worse, I'm very concerned that there is no guarantee that the new bearings will be any better when they finally arrive. I'm worried that when the bearings arrive they're going to look identical to the ones that were in the Ford Performance LSD install kit, i.e. plastic cage with the same slightly larger outer diameter.
Has anyone encountered anything like this before?
I am not a mechanic, and this kind of thing is beyond my capability, so I hired a local transmission shop to do the work. The shop claims to have done plenty of this stuff.
Unfortunately, after dropping the transmission and attempting to swap in the new LSD, the trans shop called me to tell me there was a problem with the replacement bearings supplied by the Ford Performance LSD kit. Specifically, the outer diameter of the rollers appears to be too large to fit back into the casing. I don't know all of the terminology here, so I apologize if I am spewing nonsense. But they claim to have measured the outer diameter of the rollers on the replacement bearing after it had been pressed onto the LSD and compared it to the OEM bearing on the open diff, and it was measurably larger. I went down to the shop in person, and they showed me how the OEM diff drops back in without any force, but the new one is too large. When I asked if it was just tight because it was new, the master tech at the shop swore to me that it wasn't right, and that the bearings were either faulty or the wrong ones.
I called Whoosh to see if it was possible to have the wrong bearings, but Ron swore to me that these are the correct bearings that should work on the MFactory kit. We checked the part numbers, and they were the correct ones he sells for the Fiesta ST. I mentioned to him that they didn't look at all like the OEM bearings on the open diff, particularly because the "cage" that holds the rollers is plastic in the (new) replacement bearing, but the OEM bearing cage is all metal. Ron stated that's just how Ford started making the replacement bearings, and that's the only part they carry.
I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I went to the Ford dealer to speak to their parts department. They were willing to order new OEM differential bearings (which I assume are the correct part), but they were out of state and the earliest they would arrive is later this week (4 days, likely Friday). They assured me that no other dealer nearby had them, and there was no way to get them faster. I called around to other parts stores, but no one appears to stock these bearings. So I went ahead and ordered them from the Ford dealer for about $100.
The transmission shop of course is not happy since the car will take up one of their bays until the part arrives and is likely to charge me even more money for the hassle. Worse, I'm very concerned that there is no guarantee that the new bearings will be any better when they finally arrive. I'm worried that when the bearings arrive they're going to look identical to the ones that were in the Ford Performance LSD install kit, i.e. plastic cage with the same slightly larger outer diameter.
Has anyone encountered anything like this before?
