Posi rear problems in the snow

[surfsup]

My car won’t move forward in the snow, only the driver side tire spins and the passenger side doesn’t do anything, and I just sit there spinning the driver side tire, if I put the car in reverse both wheels spin and I can move the car, is the rear shot or did something come loose that’s a simple fix?

[~The Jester~]

Time to rebuild the posi. Check ebay for a kit, usually around $50 or so. Don't forget the whale spooge.

[Ieatcamaros]

What rear end do you have?

[surfsup]

8.8 3.73 gears, i bought the rear from a board member in may, he told me the rear was rebuilt about a year ago.

[82 GT]

He probably just had the gears installed and never bothered to rebuilt the trac-loc.

[Rev]

The Ford Traction-Lock in my 8" was only lasting me a year or two between rebuilds. I finally put in an Auburn Pro to the tune of about $420 doing the work myself. I haven't had any problems since then and that's been a couple of years or so.

Rev

[~The Jester~]

There's also a "trick" to rebuilding those trac-loc rears. Using all the stock parts, but putting the sliders/clutches in a different order. The last one I did had 1.5 years on it and yanked the wheels to the tune of a 1.47 short time.

Don't remember off hand, have to think about it. I'll post it here when I come up with it.

[ols0051]

A spool would get those tires to spin. snow, whats that? I live in wis. and I still have green grass. no joke.

[HoodStrype]

I know this probably has nothing to do with what you were asking... but just to say it- you don't want your lsd working properly when driving in the snow! Mine is bad enough in the rain!!!

[82 GT]

Very True!!!

[surfsup]

How could an open rear perform better in bad weather? I couldn’t believe how well this car drove in snow with the new rear, when the car was a 2.3 with the open rear it sucked when it snowed

[82 GT]

Originally Posted by surfsup

How could an open rear perform better in bad weather? I couldn’t believe how well this car drove in snow with the new rear, when the car was a 2.3 with the open rear it sucked when it snowed

A posi rear that loses traction in either snow or rain is going to make you do donuts......not good
Ever see a car with posi traction do a burnout on dry pavement....car goes sideways, fishtails and all sorts of crazy stuff.
Imagine that in the snow or rain....when you don't want it to.
An open rear is going to spin only one wheel and the car will remain straight which is good for poor weather but bad for the drag strip.

[rwhite65]

I have seen this topic argued so many times on my truck forum, that it kills me. Since this is the first time I have seen it here, I will say my opinion.

Yes having both wheels spin on ice, snow, or rain will make the car do crazy stuff, mainly not track straight. Yes the open rear will tracks a straighter path with only the one tire spinning. Both of these above items apply to drivers with an inability to learn the machine being operated.

I have had numerous experiences with 4x4 vehicles and still own or operate 3 of them. Two of them have a locker/or posi of some sorts and one has an open differential. The two with a posi/locker are mean animals in the snow. The open diff vehicle is a wuss in 2wd.

There is nothing more aggravating then being stuck, only to get out of the vehicle and find that some of the tires of a 4x4 are unobstructed and should have the vehicle moving, if that tire would spin.

Personally, with the way our winters can be (although not lately), I want all 4 spinning hence the 4X4, I will gladly deal with any drivability issues.
Ryan

[HoodStrype]

Yeah- I see Ryan's point, but in a truck you're about a foot higher off of the ground, you have two more tires up front to balance your rear out, your much much heavier, the torque isn't as bad, and you probably have off road tires or at least all season with a big foot print. In a light rear ended sports car it's a different story. I've driven through rain and snow in one for ten years and it sucks... especially in the snow when you have street tires and a lot of torque. Plus when going around a corner the least bit on the throttle and you're out of there! If you drive under those conditions often, I think you better wait about fixing it... or invest in snow chains if you do fix it.

[rwhite65]

Hoodstrype makes some good points as well.
Ryan

[surfsup]

I don’t know Guys, don’t want to say your nuts about a limited slip being worse in bad weather, but I would take that any day over the open rear end, like the problem I just had, I was stuck in my own driveway because only one wheel was working, i could back up with no problem, could not go foward,like rwhite65 said, I can’t count how many times I have been stuck because only one wheel had traction. I’m not an expert, but the fish tailing and what have you, I don’t buy because both wheels spin at the same time, from my own experience my mustang did the side step shuffle on burn outs, but when I replaced my upper and lower arms, springs and shocks, added the quads and rear sway bar, my car went straight as an arrow on burn outs, I believe the suspension and driving habits are the culprit. TMTC

[82 GT]

Believe what you wanna believe dude. We're only here to tell you what we know through our own experience.
All I have to say is: Go ahead and drop the clutch on a high powered car with posi-traction or a spool on wet or snowy roads...don't say you weren't warned.
Oh, and most likely if you DID have both wheels spinning in your driveway, it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference because you would have only had both wheels spinning and getting you nowhere!
Hell, I was just stuck in the mud last week, in my '88GT, when I picked up my kids at their house and now they have two nice ruts in their grass from BOTH of my wheels just spinning and spinning.

[grey88gt]

I love the posi and/or the traclocs. Yah I agree they can be a pain in tail when the weather is bad, but I like to play in the snow and in the rain. Iam happy. LOL I remember back in high school, my parents had a 81 Plymoth Valarie, with a 225 slant six. It had a full posi. Drove it to school in about 12" snow. That thing was a snow plow, under powered, set high of the ground. I could go almost any where in that car. My friends where getting stuck with there pick ups with open diffs. Anyways anuff of that, I agree with the others. Sounds like a rebuild is in store for your diff.

[HoodStrype]

Originally Posted by surfsup

I’m not an expert, but the fish tailing and what have you, I don’t buy because both wheels spin at the same time, from my own experience my mustang did the side step shuffle on burn outs, but when I replaced my upper and lower arms, springs and shocks, added the quads and rear sway bar, my car went straight as an arrow on burn outs

Okay... show of hands who has driven a fox body mustang in the snow...

I have many times, but you have to be Extremely careful. There is no "theory" involved in it if you've done it before. Heavy cars drive well in the snow. Front wheel drive cars drive well in the snow (most front wheel drive cars have both wheels spinning, but they are pulling weight and the motor is sitting on the wheels).

As far as driving habits, I risk burning the clutch starting in 2nd gear most of the time to keep from fish tailing. LSD is not POSI. When one wheel begins to lose traction, clutches engage and the other wheel then kicks in. Look at your burnouts, one tire mark begins after the other most of the time.

When it kicks in on ice or snow, fish tailing follows. Now you have two slick tires on a car whose rear end weighs NOTHING trying to push a cast iron motor and you up front. The car trys to pivot around the front. Not saying that traction is any better with just one wheel, but it may be safer since you have 3 non powered wheels on the ground at all times. Everyone here has made great points, especially if we were talking about a big Lincoln or even a Civic... then it helps vastly.

Like I said theory plays no factor at all until you've done it. Hell I got stuck before in ice in a 93 GMC Sonoma- no LSD, but that's because the rear end is so light. I put about 4 or 5 cinder blocks in the back by the tail gate and POOF! Ice traction! LOL

[82 GT]

I agree. The more power you have...the more worthless the car is in bad weather....as far as RWD cars are concerned anyway.
I think everyone here will agree that 5.0 mustangs are NOT good snow vehicals!! That's why most guys have beater cars for the winter. Enough said.