How can I tell if a non-running car has a limited slip differential?
by 
rontu wolf
ANSWERS: 2
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Jack the car up and place it in neutral. Be sure to chock the wheels and support the car with jackstands for safety measure. With the car in neutral, if you rotate one of the drive wheels, the other should rotate in the same direction. A car with a regular "open" differential, the wheels will turn the opposite direction.
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Limited slip diffs come in many different shapes and forms. One way to check is indeed to lift the drive wheels off the ground and turn one of them with the car in neutral. Any Viscous coupling or clutch pack LSD (or even a Torsen etc) will resist the opposite turning motion experienced by open differentials, and try to turn in the same direction. Other LSD's are electronic or hydraulic, and with a vehicle switched off, will not operate. Hence they won't be evident from the wheelspin test. For standard LSD's, the easiest way to know what car has one is simply brand knowledge. If you're wondering about a car that may have a non-standard LSD, the lift and spin method is another good one.
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