Testarossa diff failures

Hi guys

having had Countach and 308 / 328 / 575 etc each with its own issues minor and major
the time has come to buy a 'Testarossa' which I am going into eyes wide open

nothing much worries me I can deal with getting fuse board replaced and belts done etc

but I keep hearing about the dreaded 'diff' issue

my question is three fold

1. does it affect all TR's, car in question is a 1991 build car ?
2. what are symptoms tell tale signs of pending failure ?
3. can you be proactive and have it refurbished as preventative maintainance ?

any advice most welcome

 

1. I think only 1994 and later TR's had the upgraded diff, so yes a 91 would be 'affected'.
2. From reports here, sometimes there is a slight vibration in various gears and sometimes no warning at all.
3. 'Refurbishment' isnt really an option from what I understand as the old style is welded together and the welds break over time on some cars. There are one piece alternatives available and can be changed with the engine in the car.

Now that I answered your questions here are my opinions. The diff failure has been hotly discussed over the years. Some believe its immanent, some believe its only a small percentage that fail and blown way out of proportion.

I believe its a an area of the car that that has a higher chance of failure if the car has been abused (burn outs, dumping the clutch etc). My opinion is that its serious enough to be inspected periodically, but not fret over. If you plan on doing your own belt changes, thats a perfect time to inspect. If you find cracks on the weld joint proceed accordingly. I would recommend inspecting it on a PPI unless its a super low mile car. I am sure the vast majority of TR's are running their original diffs, we only hear about the failed ones.

 

Everyone has an opinion on this one and it's full spectrum. I say don't worry about it just maintain your car if you get it. It is a potential fault just like a transmission or seal blowing out on any car; others have differing views to the most extreme view that it's an absolute eventual. Do a search on the thread as this is a recurring topic every 60-90 days and you will have all the POV.

FWIW my 512TR which is driven regularly is about to flip 30k mi possibly in the spring and I have had none of the routinely discussed major fault issues (fuse box, diff, misc noted faults) with it to date.

Questions:
1. does it affect all TR's, car in question is a 1991 build car ? Potentially - some say it's absolute without evidence...its a weld that can potentially break
2. what are symptoms tell tale signs of pending failure ? some have noted vibration as precursor others say without warning...again nothing absolute
3. can you be proactive and have it refurbished as preventative maintenance ? Not a refurb, but a replacement with a forged carrier that is available

 

oh no ! ! !
not again such a new diff thread

already answered

already answered

when the engine is out for cambelt change then just change the diff - if it is not broken already before

 

Are you really surprised ?

It's the same 5-6 clowns on here that gave the Testarossa such a bad rap, it makes it any wonder that a new thread on this topic isn't posted daily. Meanwhile the 930 poereche turbo is triple the sale price of TRs and more production numbers as well , and have there own expensive issues.
No different then the 355 owners and there value guide threads and posts.

Owners of these cars get what they deserve IMO

 

plenty on this topic, and I don't think the CSI team has brought any new evidence. Search and read.

Close this thread.

 

1. YES it does ! Take some time and READ it all here ... It has absolutely NOTHING to do with good maintenance ... or not ...
2. Mostly only a slight vibration that you do not recognize
3. Yes, exchange before you get a bill of over K$20 ...

Would YOU like to take that risk ? O.K. with me ... and all the others above don't care too if you will pay that or not ...

YES PLEASE !
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Big Red, didnt you replace your diff?

 

Only after 15 yrs of driving , and I checked it because of a vibration in 3rd gear developed last summer, while I was doing the engine out service anyway.

I'm sure I will have to paint the car 15 yrs from now as well and interior even though my car never sees sun, or sees rain, or gets washed., i also spend $1 at the gas station in the spring to add air in the tires as well.

 

I think it all dépends on how you view it. Yes it is a known problem. Yes it can happen. Will it happen? Who know for sure?

When I bought my car I knew I would feel absolutely insecure to drive it with the fear of possible disaster. For this reason I replaced it before any driving at all.

There was no sign or evidence of anything. After the replacement I magnafluxed my old diff case and it showed no damage or cracks. To be honest the weld look very unsafe by eye viewing when you know the problem exist. Paranoid, maybe!

Would my diff be good for many miles and years? Possibly.
Do I regret spending the money on it? Not at all.

I drove 3500 kilometers this summer with a peaceful mind.

I think it's all up to the owner ability to live with it or not.

 

Uh oh. You asked a sensible and common question. So, be prepared to get responses lambasting you for not " searching" for the answer.



Very touchy group here at times.

 

Three things can happen.
1) Drive it and believe it will never blow, (which it may not). Cost = zero.
2) Be preventive and change it for a forged unit for 3 to 5k.
3) Drive it until it blows and pay 20k.***

*** or get lucky like Big Red and change it while it was in the process of cracking.


NOTE: If you find a 1994 512 TR with gear box number 1370 or higher then that car will have the OEM forged differential already installed.
Yes OEM. FERRARI seemed to find it necessary too for some reason.





--

 

I will do this version this month!

But 3 -5 K?

The diff alone cost 3.500 USD!

So i think there come a bill for changing about 3 - 5 K on top.

Mel, is our specialist and knows the prices for sure.

But my tip for the preventive changing is round about 8K USD at the minimum.

Greetings Christian

 

"Mel, is our specialist and knows the prices for sure."

Not at all specialist .... I only was a diff-victim

It's about 40 hours for the shimming plus shimms ... installing my Forza diff cost me 2K Euros ... so may be USD 3000 ?

 

so your mechanic who did the diff-job only charges you 50 € each hour?
this is very cheap

so 3500 US $ plus the diff with 3500 is all 6500

but still cheaper then have a total breakdown

 

Hi OP here

First off for the miserable few "turbo-joe" I did use the search function but did not find a definitive response and to be fair my 3 questions I think we're well thought through Bearing in mind I don't want a 20k bill ! And am happy to replace pre "detonation" if that's sensible based on a group of owners experience.

Which according to the majority nice helpful posters seems to be the way forward so I will before setting out on my 1000 mile tour early next year get it checked and replaced if so advised.


I guess It's a bit like checking or replacing your "bungee cord" before you leap off the bridge

Thanks to all those who responded helpfully

 

In my case, we had all bearings in he gb replaced (lots of $$$'s), payed for cleaning/sanding the gb housing and had to pay for a C&P set als ($8000 +)

Better invest K$ 7 or even K$ 10 than far over K$ 20 imo .... and indeed you have a peaceful mind ...

And don't forget to document it all ... it will do good to the value of the car too ...

 

Hi Mel

read your full thread what a TR journey !

I wonder as the man who's had the most experience with this challenging issue

can you help answer following more refined question ?

If I change the diff straight away for the one from 'Forza Components' will that prevent any gearbox issue assuming there is currently no gearbox issue ?

and approximately how may hours to fit the replacement diff ?

thanks in advance for your help

Tim

 

Simpel answer: YES ! (Get the two outside bearings new aswell)

But you have to be a very good mechanic yourself or know someone who is able to shimm it.
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When I did mine with no labour expense at all it came close to $5000 cdn with the Newman diff which was a bit cheaper for me. But I also installed all new crown bolts and all seals in the job.

 

I did mine on my own Mel and the only expense for me was time as I wanted to get it just right.


P

 

Hey Phil,

If I remember correctly, you put together great manuals for the engine-outs, right? Have you done one for the Diff?

Thanks!

 

Really, the best thing to do is look for a "good" car if you plan on a Testarossa.

Find one with great owner history and invoices that follow the car, you may find one where the funky stuff is already addressed, and don't be afraid to pay a tad extra for a better car.

The real problem around here is , the garbage cars ( and there are plenty ) sell for great money and get lumped in with a car that was loved and has little to address, but nobody is smart enough to ever pay for that one ....everyone loves buying the cheapest car for sale on the market all the time and then do there own work.

Regardless if you are handy or not handy, finding a cherry car will cost less long term and make the experience more enjoyable. I know what I have in my car ,and I would never sell for those prices I've seen , my car is 250k then , but I know the poseurs would never have that , so guys like me end up keeping them and rather drive them to "zero" ....MEANING .... You have to be careful of the "zero" car that is on the market that looks good, but really is a money pit.

My advice, take your time , look at 5 cars in person ( not in pictures ) spend time with the cars, open doors, check interior pieces, look for even body panels, decent glass wear etc .... You will quickly find which car is not the 'zero' car , if anything you will find the higher priced car, may actually be too cheap compared to what's available, and what you seen in person, that's when you pull the trigger.

I can't say it enough - look for good longer ownership on the car, and invoices , the more the invoices, the longer back it goes the better.....it tells the story the car was loved more, which is much better than buying a car 15k cheaper that was wh..ed out.

And don't over think this diff Internet stuff ... We don't have all 7,700 Testarossa owners , or 2,200 512tr owners on fchat , only the same 5-6 that repeat the same sky is falling.

Good luck.

 

Here’s a thought that I don't recall anyone ever bringing up in this recurring never ending topic, but IMO is just common financial analysis 101 and common sense.

If you are willing to spend $5-10k as a purely preventative measure to avoid spending $10-$20k varying degrees of “potential damage” on a car you may only keep 5-10 yrs and only accumulate 5kmi on….then the only money in "play or at risk" is the approximately the $10k that you did not spend upfront. The $5-10k spent avoiding the risk (which we know is an unknown probability and may not happen) is just dollars spent on something that may not happen. Think of it like buying a warranty...you can spend upfront and transfer the risk or assume the risk yourself (put $5k in a CD) and keep your money to address the issue if it ever happens. Spending money on an “unknown” probability is just financially not the wisest thing IMO.

 

Tim,

I just had my diff carrier replaced proactively on my 91 TR with 7K miles. Who knows what the failure rate is. I am sure there are many still running with the original diff with lot's of miles on them, but the fact is many do fail, to the extent that several companies find suitable business cases to invest and produce improved replacement units.

The weld that fails is appears to done by a human, not a machine, so no doubt there is variability. So some perhaps last, but other eventually break it seems.

I really like the car, as it is well engineered and somewhat iconic. I simply don't want to worry about the possibility of it failing and to incur a 20k repair bill, but rather drive with as much peace of mind as possible.

I purchased the unit from Ricambi that is made in the UK (pic attached), and had Evans automotive in Columbus Ohio install it. The unit was $3500 and Evans charged $3900, plus transportation. I have driven that car several hundred miles since and am very happy.

Marc Trahan
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