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What is a slipping differential?

zishan03

Active Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2004
Messages
171
Location
London, England
Car
C200 Sports Coupe
Can anyone help me out with this please. Also, how would you know if your differential is slipping.

On a side note, does anyone know at what RPM a kompreossor in a '02 C200 kicks in? and how the variable valve timing unit of a car effects engine sound?

Thanks in advance for any replies
 
A differential works by allowing driven wheels to rotate at different speeds through a corner. A limited slip differential locks the wheels after a certain % so both wheels are driven at same speed through corner.

I can only think that if a differential is slipping then its not splitting the power correctly?

A Kompressor is chain driven to my knowledge which means its constantly on boost unlike a turbo which comes in at a certain rpm.
 
the diff was knack'd on an Escort we had - it was lethal!! You'd try to steer around a corner - and it would start to go then bounce right back to going straight ahead - nearly breaking your wrists in the process. Was very unpredictable and took ages to diagnose as I guess it started slipping and gradually deteriorated.

If you do feel your diff is going - do get it looked at specifically to rule it out of any problem you are experiencing.
 
NicDale said:
A Kompressor is chain driven to my knowledge which means its constantly on boost unlike a turbo which comes in at a certain rpm.
There is a magnetic clutch on the kompressor so it doesn't run when idling, but at very low RPM it can be heard engaging. If you open the car's window and open the bonnet then tickle the gas pedal you can hear it, small click then the whine of the supercharger. Happens at about 1600 rpm or something. Actually sounds very impressive :)
 
This may help

how a differential works

Example of use: imagine if in the winter you have one drive wheel on ice and the other on the road. If you try and move off but the wheel on the ice slips then the differential will allow ALL the drive power go to to wheel on the ice and you go nowhere quickly !

A 'limited slip' differential will not allow ALL the power to go to just one wheel so you will get an amount of traction to the other wheel as well. Rally cars often used to have this fitted.

These days its called 'traction control'

HTH
 
Thanks for all the replies. As for the kompressor, mine is unusually annoyingly loud right now. For example in 4th gear at about 40ish mph you can hear a very noticable whining sound in the cabin.

BTW, I have the sequentronic gearbox


Thanks Again

Zishan
 
Zishan - the Kompressor models all tend to whine - that's the supercharger you can hear. They all seem to have an odd exhaust sound too - this is normal as well.

As Shude says, the Kompressor has an electro-magnetic clutch on it, which operates just beyond tickover (to save excess wear on the supercharger, when in traffic for instance)

The Kompressor is not chain driven - the camshafts are, but the Kompressor/Supercharger is driven by means of a poly belt (seperate from 'fan' belt that drives the alternator/PAS pump etc). It is driven directly off a pulley on the engine, hence the need for the clutch to dis-engage it.

You will/should hear the Kompressor, particularly at around the conditions you mention. To be honest, I would be more worried if I could not hear it! ;)

Good Luck, :)

Will
 
grasmere said:
This may help



IIRC all E300TDs and onwards have a LSD as standard to reduce wheelspin due to all that torque.

That's why when you boot it in a bend you get a nice fat slide instead of a single tyre burnout. :D :D
 
Dieselman said:
IIRC all E300TDs and onwards have a LSD as standard to reduce wheelspin due to all that torque.

That's why when you boot it in a bend you get a nice fat slide instead of a single tyre burnout. :D :D

If this is true i have put the wrong oil in the diff.
The only car i had with an LSD was an 86 Toyota Corolla GT Coupe(now that was fun), i am fairly sure that my E300tD DOES NOT HAVE AN lsd ALTHOUGH IT COULD BE KNACKERED NOW BECAUSE I COULD HAVE PUT THE WRONG OIL IN IT.(sorry about the caps dont look at the screen when typing).
Just remembered jacked one side of the car up last week and put it in drive to check a suspected buckled wheel and everything performed like a normal differential.

230K
 

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