Changing Diff Ratio in ED 5L - Ford Forums

ol_mate · 08-15-2007, 22:59

Hey forum dudes,

Well I'm up to the next stage in waking the ED, I've now fitted the Explorer manifold and tickford 70mm TB, with some 24lb injectors and GT40 heads (and already got a Crane 2030 Cam). That's done heaps the old girl is certainly moving well with those mods.
It's still sluggish off the line, so I'm thinking a diff ratio change is in order (I think mine's 3.23 - correct me if I'm wrong!) for the 4spd auto ... I wanna throw the XR ratio (3.45) in .. something nice that's not gonna rev it's tits off at 100 km/h.
I've never attempted anything to do with gears and diffs (I'm okay under the bonnet to swing a few spanners .. I've got this far!!) - is it real hard to change the ratio in the diff - I can get a set of 3.45 ratio gears - is it possible ( or super difficult) to change the gears themselves or am I better to just find myself a complete diff and rear axle assembly
Any ideas would be great
Thanks heaps, Pete

Ghia5L · 08-22-2007, 04:54

Hi Pete,

Don't be scared to go for shorter gears than 3.45s... I have 4.11s behind my EB and they're great. The first gear launch is about the same as a T5 + 3.27s, to put things into comparison. As for highway RPMs, I sit on 2250rpm @ 100kph, 2500rpm @ 110kph.

R31 skylines came out with 3.7s, 3.9s, and the Pintaras with 4.11s, which are interchangable with E-Series diffs

Look for 28 spline centres (I can't remember if it was Skylines or VLs which possibly came out with 25 spline centres) if you look towards these diffs

You'll need the pinion and crownwheel from one of these diffs, and use your LSD centre, plus reuse your shims & bearings if they're in good nick. I'm not well versed in actually checking a diff for backlash or correct meshing of the teeth, but I've pulled apart & put together diffs & have helped a mate fit his.

After assembing & driving, make sure that you flush the diff after the first 100kms (and look for metal shavings in the oil), and repeat again after another thousand or so kms.

I've read elsewhere that you should go easy on the diff for the first few hundred kms, but I went nuts with mine and it's still just as good as the day I got it.

Oh, and check out Boosted E-Series • Index page

Cheers

-Dave-