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Flogged the 350 through 40 miles of canyon roads completing 150 mile journey to the cabin. The misses loving the corners with the throttle down. Arrived and it's 25°F here, now they predict precipitation on our departure date. This could be bad!
Picked up some de-icer along the way. It was clean when we left.
Last edited by 2013FSport; 04-15-23 at 07:38 PM.
Reason: Auto screw up
The plan was to polish and wax the at least the top surfaces Saturday. Instead I was cleaning the engine bay and buying a new battery.
1st - car didn't respond to fob and fob battery tested good. Ended up using the key to enter which I've never tried since I bought the car in 2017. I open hood and battery measures 1.64 VOLTS! Toast! And my fault for leaving the Elm327 OBD plugged in 5 weeks. I'm 99% certain it played a role.
2nd - Mouser Attacked again!!!! Errrrr........ where that little sh:t pulled all that material from is beyond me. It didn't come from the hood liner and I hate to think it came from the HVAC duct inside the car as that implies a path to the engine!
After removing the nest, buying a battery, I sprayed it down dish soap, cleaned it up a bit gently blew off remaining water. Warning to everyone, after battery death upon connecting said battery it locked the doors and triggered the alarm. To disable alarm it has to run but we a know a battery disconnect results in no start the first attempt so I abused my neighbors a bit longer...
Car fired right up the second time.
And for those willing to polish and wax your own vehicle, I grabbed the kit from the Chemical guys, a variable speed orbital polisher, 2 velcro backers, 3 pads, and 4 compounds. Let me say you can't go crazy with this stuff if you tried. The most aggressive compound is #32 and it barely takes out swirl marks/basic wash mit blemishes.
The big tip is to buy duplicate pads and pad conditioner. When done with say the #32 compound, replace your pad with a clean dry one to remove any remaining residue before moving to compounds 34, 36, 38. The first few rounds I did it by hand with a microfiber cloth and it was slow going. The good news is the finer the polish, the faster it comes up.
Top coat was McGuires Carnuba wax as I think it beads water twice as long as the ceramic products I've used in the past. I'll share a whole car picture when done.
IS-350 as leveling pad! There were no launches from this vehicle. lol
Trying to build my skills up and get back to more expensive crashings of 230 and 450mm scale!
Good day, bad day? Over the 4th holiday I cleared the garage and installed the OS-Giken. Sadly, I think leaving it in the box for 3.5 years allowed the assembly lube to be displaced as on sharp parking lot type corners it pops, clunks, and makes this whirrrrr like vibration. Currently it has less than 40 miles on it and if it sits overnight, it is way better when cold but when it warms the noise and clunking returns. It's not a 'Lexus feature' many would sign up for. lol
On the highway and twists it's all fine. It totally changes how the car feels through the corners in a very positive way! It's a different car! I've had various different LSD's in cars over the years and never noticed the change in behavior as remarkable as this as none had the technology this does, powering that inside tire like it does applying the right amount of torque. Like you're really be pushed through the corners equally. It added a grin factor I hadn't expected as you can nearly put down twice the power without loosing traction. I'm impressed until its time to park it.
The gear set is quiet and everything is good in that regard. No issues with setup of the diff. It's a shame the friction plates are making such a fuss. Giken makes their own fluid and that may be what happens at 500 miles. I think I'll try a 4oz bottle of LSD additive 'Slip Lock' by Amsoil and see if it cuts the chatter down? Many seem to swear by it but Amsoil makes a statement that it is not required when using their synthetic Severe Gear lubricant. Then upon writing them, they say some just need more. Try it. OS Giken says you shoulda put our fluid in from the beginning. I'm guessing this doesn't happen often or no one talks about. IDK? I could only find a Honda with the same issue.
I had the car in the air faster than before and once in the air, the diff was out in 30 min. The install was the same, once you nail the center of gravity on the jack, stabbing the diff goes pretty quick. I highly recommend loosening the driveshaft carrier bolts and shove that stick up the tunnel for drop and install. Stab both axles and then the driveshaft as you need to rotate the housing to get the second axle in and then jack it into place. The rest is just bolts! Also, for removal of second axle use a BFH and long skinny drift to pop the axle out. It took two hits and bam, I was lowering diff to the ground.
During the install I did have to grab a handful of tire to get the splines of the LSD and driveshaft to align, but it was pretty eventless.
The noise at low speeds/tight corners is mildly disappointing to say the least. Also, OS-G said it's not going to hurt it, dump it at 500 miles and use our fluid $50 a quart. Figs still has Amsoil on their list for break in fluid. Maybe I just had bad luck or sitting for all that time played a roll in the outcome? Come to think of it, the oil is aged too.
Out with open diff
In with LSD
Last edited by 2013FSport; 07-06-23 at 10:57 AM.
Reason: Clarity
I had that same clunking sound from my LSD in my 10 Gen Civic Si and it's also noticeable when I drove my friends Type R. You'll get used to it. I'm glad it's made your driving experience better. My days of LSD's and modding is over, as I've gone completely to the dark side
I do miss my IS350 though. 2nd Gen is a timeless car
Update on OS-Giken LSD install.
I added ~4oz of Amsoil Slip Lock and drove it about 20 miles. Most of the audible noises and clunking/popping stuff is gone. That said, when cold it was pretty happy and on a 95°F day, after highway runs it was pushing 185F breaking in New bearings and undeniable a slightly different gear mesh.
There was little highway time in that 20 mi, and the diff temp only hit 116F. So if it's temperature relates, I'll find out more tomorrow on 60 mi round trip through the canyon roads.
Update on OS-Giken LSD install.
I added ~4oz of Amsoil Slip Lock and drove it about 20 miles. Most of the audible noises and clunking/popping stuff is gone. That said, when cold it was pretty happy and on a 95°F day, after highway runs it was pushing 185F breaking in New bearings and undeniable a slightly different gear mesh.
There was little highway time in that 20 mi, and the diff temp only hit 116F. So if it's temperature relates, I'll find out more tomorrow on 60 mi round trip through the canyon roads.
I think this helped but need more time to know.
Magic fluid FTW.
All abnormal behavior has ceast and it behaves very nicely now! One could say it is undetectable until needed! What a relief!!!
Also I pushed it through some canyon corners and it sticks well.
I'd recommend this upgrade to all wanting a new experience!
I definitely want to get this LSD for my car, the question is how much would a shop charge to install one on my IS350?
With some basic tools it's super easy to R&R. Others have done it the hardway by pulling the suspension apart and then you have reset all the bushings and shock mounts to ride height and check the alignment.
R&R time for the case is 3 hours. 4 if your slow in and out.
I did a lot of cleaning during that R&R time.
Verify backlash, preload, and gear pattern 0.5 hours.
With the right tools, the open carrier can be out of the case, seals out, and the ring gear off in 0.5hrs or less.
Check pinion preload and record value.
Clean the ring gear, heat it, install new bolts on LSD, torque to yield, and press on some new bearings. Let's say 1 hr.
Its now ready to be fitted to the case if the pinion bearings are good and left alone. Otherwise add several hours.
Here is where many will be in trouble if they have pre-2011 case, the case needs clearanced to fit the LSD while the 2011+ case, the LSD drops in. Add several hours for grinding and fitting and clean up time to get all that metal out.
For the 2011 up crowd, fit LSD unit to case and install snap rings and check that clearances dropped back in line. 1 hr.
Install seals. 0.25hrs.
So, if a shop had all the tools, lowered the diff without tearing the whole car apart, and everything went well, easily an 8 hour job or less.
If I were in a shop some of the basic things i didn't have would exist as most of my down time was waiting for tools and for example, making a seal driver as my limited selection didn't have something that wouldn't damage the seal. See exhibit A. Made from Home Depot Lifeproof flooring.
It protected the seals dustshield while being driven in. It added another 30min but it all adds up.
Bottom line, COVID knocked this whole thing back in time as I had shop access and it went away making it a garage activity. Then moved, had to remodel the house, and well life took over and 1 day job took 3 years! Haha!
Hopefully you can get a quote for 8 hours work and see what they say.
@redspencer
Hey Chris, having had your F-Sport exhaust on there for a while, did you notice it getting louder over time? It sure seems to me it is.
I was surprised by the 350 this weekend that a 150 miles of flat land driving at 70mph it obtained 30 MPG with a peak of 31.3. There were so many people on the road that the pace was the pace and that the car is even capable of such things. Haha!
Prior to the LSD install I did just under 400 miles of mostly open road freeway miles with perhaps 15% city crawling traffic and got 26 MPG doing 80+ a majority of the way outside the city. There was plenty of passing and it did okay by me.
The 270° freeway on-ramps sure let you feel the difference in grip with the OS-Giken doing its thing back there. Such a different car to drive!
@redspencer
Hey Chris, having had your F-Sport exhaust on there for a while, did you notice it getting louder over time? It sure seems to me it is.
I was surprised by the 350 this weekend that a 150 miles of flat land driving at 70mph it obtained 30 MPG with a peak of 31.3. There were so many people on the road that the pace was the pace and that the car is even capable of such things. Haha!
Prior to the LSD install I did just under 400 miles of mostly open road freeway miles with perhaps 15% city crawling traffic and got 26 MPG doing 80+ a majority of the way outside the city. There was plenty of passing and it did okay by me.
The 270° freeway on-ramps sure let you feel the difference in grip with the OS-Giken doing its thing back there. Such a different car to drive!
The IS350 definitely feels hunkered down when engaging in the corners and onramps with the OS Giken. It's also great for correcting steering angles if you need to point the front out a bit more by applying a bit more throttle mid corner.
Regarding the F-Sport exhaust getting louder, it's always been a loud exhaust to me (in a good, non-nuisance way). I can't tell if it has been getting louder over the years but then again, I might be losing a bit of my hearing each passing year as well
The IS350 definitely feels hunkered down when engaging in the corners and onramps with the OS Giken. It's also great for correcting steering angles if you need to point the front out a bit more by applying a bit more throttle mid corner.
Regarding the F-Sport exhaust getting louder, it's always been a loud exhaust to me (in a good, non-nuisance way). I can't tell if it has been getting louder over the years but then again, I might be losing a bit of my hearing each passing year as well
Hunkered down is a good description, like it does feel like it's squatting more in the rear. I think it's reducing the body roll significantly which allows more power to be applied before traction is compromised. Not rolling = hunkered down?
Where is that roll indicator from the old Toyota trucks? lol
04-15-23, 05:33 PM
Good news w/OS-Giken LSD
