Not a Peugeot but Renault Clio 197 with LSD banging when turning

[pugdamo 111 2 Cars]

I looked at my cousin's Clio Sport today, I've never had any experience with diagnosing faults with LSD's, but on any sort of low speed turns you can feel the front binding up then the wheel will skip or make banging sounds and the front end move around, it's really not very happy. Before looking at it I thought it might be a CV joint breaking up but after looking today I'm convinced it's the diff that's failed. Lifting the vehicle up on a ramp, spinning one wheel the other side is still moving as expected, holding one wheel and trying to spin the other you can feel a lot resistance again as expected, there's no play in the driveshaft joints, running in gear on left and right hand lock no noises it only does it while on the ground. Any ideas what the actual issue could be and they can be repaired? I'm not sure on what make it type of LSD is fitted as my cousin bought the gearbox with it already fitted.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

 

[welshpug 1,675]

that sounds quite normal for a plate diff.

[pugdamo 111 2 Cars]

He's had the diff for quite some time, and it's always been ok for normal driving, he said he "just pulled out of a junction" and it went bang and now it's doing it whenever he turns, knowing my cousin he's done something he shouldn't have but I'll never get told what he's done.

The only noise I've ever heard like it is and failed/locking CV joint but this is so much more fierce. 

Thanks

[pugdamo 111 2 Cars]

I have asked him to find out any details on the diff, he's said it's a VAL racing diff if that helps at all, and that's about all he knows about it. I did say before he bought it, it's a waste of time on a road car too be driving locally, no track days or anything, but he's young and doesn't listen.

[welshpug 1,675]

Ok, i just recalled an instance where a friend had one of these that lost drive,   they have a stub shaft on the right side of the diff with an intermediate splined sleeve, worth checking this.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/375658719623

[Thijs_Rallye 89 4 Cars]

VAL racing differentials are ATB differentials and should be silent. I'd be investigating before driving further because loud banging doesn't sound too appealing.

[SRDT 194]

2 hours ago, Thijs_Rallye said:

VAL racing differentials are ATB differentials and should be silent.

It seems that they can make some noise, in particular the ones with the "Sport" 70% ratio. I think they also have a plate type for Lada.

[pugdamo 111 2 Cars]

4 hours ago, Thijs_Rallye said:

VAL racing differentials are ATB differentials and should be silent. I'd be investigating before driving further because loud banging doesn't sound too appealing.

It definitely isn't right, the car is at my work not being driven at the minute. To me the diff is locked solid and can't do any kind of turns. What I'll do when I get time is take a video and post it. I know it's difficult to diagnose something when you've never seen the car and I know nothing about these types of diff.

[pugdamo 111 2 Cars]

Thankyou to everyone that's taken the time to reply, I'll get a video posted and hopefully that helps.

[pugdamo 111 2 Cars]

On 3/23/2025 at 8:58 PM, welshpug said:

Ok, i just recalled an instance where a friend had one of these that lost drive,   they have a stub shaft on the right side of the diff with an intermediate splined sleeve, worth checking this.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/375658719623

Yeah I know the type you mean but this isn't like that. It's a normal push into the box type shaft. I had the car on the ramp and visually everything looks ok, no play in CV joints on any sort of lock, with and without weight on the wheels, held one wheel and tried to turn the other and by hand I can't get any slipping but I'm not as strong as a Clio 197 lol.

It's definitely got drive from both wheels, if I have it in neutral and slowly roll down a hill on any lock it will stop, soon as I try to drive through it the wheel will hop and skip pretty violently and make hellish noises.

I'll report back with a video.

 

Thanks again

[petert 607]

Step 1. Drain the oil and see what comes out.

[Tom Fenton 1,561]

Sounds to me like something is broken inside. Having broken a couple of diffs in my time(usually planet wheels) it sounds the same thing to me. Drain the oil and look for chunks of metal. Don't drive it any further.

[pugdamo 111 2 Cars]

These are the videos, I appreciate they are a bit crap but the one going backwards I can feel it bind up, then my mate chucked the phone in and I went back a bit more and it cracked off, it will do this forwards or backwards and the other video shows the wheels skipping, when there's no gravel on the road it will bind to a stop and then crack off, the oil sample looks clean but this box was probably fitted 12-18 months ago and obviously had fresh oil, driving this car before you wouldn't really know it has a limited slip, for me the diff has locked but I have never diagnosed a failed LSD and don't want to pull the box and strip for no reason. 

And yes my cousin is a he lol.

[Tom Fenton 1,561]

Hard to really judge. If it is a plate diff then yes they do click and jump a bit on lock on dry tarmac, on gravel you see the wheels skip a bit as there isn't the grip. I've a plate diff in my road rally car and to the uninitiated it makes a horrendous noise manoeuvering at low speed.

 

If there is no metal debris coming out when you drain the oil then perhaps its working as it should.

 

That said, if its never done that before, and then suddenly has started doing it, after a big junction launch, then its more likely something is broken.

[pugdamo 111 2 Cars]

Thankyou, it's sort of what I expected, I know nothing about the diff type other than it's a VAL racing one. Looks like it's gearbox out time again. 

When I get time to do it I'll report back.