Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition)

…that's what happens. It's like an untrained belly starting to sag. The solution is similar to doing sit-ups to build muscle: replace the worn mounts with new ones. Transmission mounts in particular affect how the gearbox engages. If they are worn and you force shifts, you can damage the transmission, so be careful. Upgraded mounts from TRD and others work even better. They make it easier to shift while cornering under strong G-forces. The trade-off is more vibration and engine noise transmitted into the body. (Information provided by Axia Sports.)

The clutch plates gradually wear down and become thinner. Then, even when the differential is supposed to lock, it cannot limit slip effectively. First, consider rebuilding it. If it still does not lock strongly enough, the only option may be a trick such as changing the thickness of the internal discs or increasing their number. That is a nonstandard modification, though, so consult a shop with experience.

Hachiroku questions corner

AE86 Levin / Trueno

‘If your car doesn't have enough locking…’

My senior…

Is there any benefit to replacing the engine mounts and transmission mounts?

My senior told me, ‘Don't run a differential that doesn't lock!’

There are benefits! Both mounts use rubber, so when the rubber wears out, it can no longer absorb vibration properly…

How can I make a mechanical limited-slip differential lock more strongly?

First, check whether the plates inside the mechanical limited-slip differential are worn…

…and found the inside of the housing soaked in oil.

I took the distributor cap off…

What should I do? It has become soaked with oil inside the housing.

What should I do?

The distributor's O-ring has failed, letting oil enter the housing. If there is only a slight oil seep around the O-ring…

…replacing only the O-ring is enough. But if oil has made its way inside the distributor housing, you need to replace the entire distributor.

After changing the springs and lowering the ride height, the wheels don't sit equally flush on both sides.

The rear wheel on one side looks tucked inward. Why?

That is unavoidable because of the Hachiroku's rear-suspension design. It uses a solid axle located by several links…

…one of which is the lateral rod. When you lower the car, it shifts the axle sideways from the center of the body. Changing the length of the lateral rod corrects this, so check out the adjustable lateral rods available on the market.

I removed the brake pads and found that the inner and outer pads seem to be wearing differently. Is that abnormal?

That happens when the caliper's slide pins are not moving freely. With a single-piston caliper, if the slide pins bind, the pad on the opposite side of the caliper will not wear properly—in other words, the brake is not working as it should. The slide pins…

Overhaul the caliper, replace any torn boots, clean it thoroughly with brake cleaner, then reassemble it with plenty of grease. This is maintenance you can do yourself.

Option

Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition)

About this issue

Page 83 — English draft translation