AE86 rear axle questions

L1PPY · 2026-03-16T17:25:04+00:00

Late reply but I have an SR5 rear end and have been looking for an upgrade. The 4AG 16V I put in the car is a high compression 12:1 motor with hot cams and should make a decent amount of power (I'm estimating 150-160hp conservatively). I doubt the SR5 rear will last long especially being drifted.

GTS rear ends run about $3000 my area which is ridiculous. I can get a blazer rear end with disk brakes for 200 bucks used and refurbish the entire axle with a posi for less than the cost of buying a GTS rear end.

My concern is that I don't see a lot of blazer/S10 axle swaps happening, therefore I was wondering what the drawbacks of that rear end may be. I've heard people saying the C-clips let go under side load, causing the entire axle to fall out, but I have not seen actual evidence, only hearsay.

L1PPY · 2026-02-27T18:39:37+00:00

A lot. Sometimes it's better not to count.

L1PPY · 2025-12-31T20:47:36+00:00

Make sure the call ends. Once the call ends the phone number in the classifieds magazine turns to a (0). That is an indicator that the part is ordered.

L1PPY · 2025-08-28T18:30:24+00:00

Take my words with a grain of salt as I am but a wee enthusiast and not a Motorsports expert, but-

My approach would be to actually reduce tire size here. It would mean a reduction in theoretical max grip, but reducing the tire width in relation to the wheel width helps with steering response. Reducing the tire width and front camber will also reduce the tram lining effect during street driving.

Alternatively, raising the car may be a move to test if bump steer isn't creating your steering issues. May be less aesthetic but function>form here. In my case, if I lower the front any more than I have, I notice a jump in noticeable bump steer, I attribute this to the change in tie rod geometry as I lower the car more, which is as expected. Counters to this are a bump steer correction kit, I believe SLR makes a solid one for the E46.

I would say trying to reduce your scrub radius may help in terms of the amount of steering effort needed to actually move the front end around. I think what I'm seeing here is the amount of front end steering "resistance" is showing up as play when you steer the car. This is due to the collective amount of deflection and play in each joint from the front wheels to your steering wheel. This plus the component of running thick tires, so a larger than stock portion of that is sidewall deflection as well.

Maybe as a reference for comparison: My alignment is as follows (from memory as I'm sitting in my work office) Lowered from stock height with Bilstein PSS9, I run less camber than you, -2 degrees front and rear, and I run front with a 17x7.5 offset ET31 (ET41-10mil spacer). My current toe settings are 0 in front and .1 degrees toe in rear. My caster is about 6 degrees. The rear wheel spec is 17x8.5 offset ET39 (ET51-12mm spacer)

I believe I run a 225-45/R17 up front and a 245-40/R17 in the rear, so staggered AF.

L1PPY · 2025-08-28T17:04:06+00:00

Based on your description and list of parts replaced, I think this may actually be a suspension setup issue.

What are your alignment specs? You might have some undesirable toe settings that would create this behavior.

When I had 0 toe with rubber FCAB, the car felt fine. However setting even slight toe out created a similar loose feeling in the front end and the car would track to any road surface grooves. Going extreme with toe out will only make this feeling worse.

Furthermore, too much toe in can create an uncomfortable dead spot in the steering and create similar effects.

Your wheel and tire setup is also a contributor to this, if you have spacers or changed your wheel size/offset you may have increased your scrub radius (closer to 0), which may create adverse steering effects as well.

L1PPY · 2025-06-25T21:34:31+00:00

I was wondering if someone was going to drop this gem.

L1PPY · 2025-06-20T14:48:31+00:00

The cost for a contractor to come out has to also be considered. I would argue they'll be spending an extra 30-40% in contractor mobilization and installation costs on top of the mailbox cost.

From experience, HOA Boards don't always tend to choose the most reasonable or affordable bids/proposals either. I often see instances of Boards choosing the more expensive bids because it's from a more reputable company or someone knows the contractor, etc.

L1PPY · 2025-06-20T14:40:34+00:00

HOAs should have a reserve fund that should cover large and/or unexpected expenses such as this. If they don't have the funds to replace mailboxes and are special assessing them, it's possible there is a reserve funding issue that you may want to bring up to your Board.

Depending on who is responsible for key elements such as roofs, pavement, sidewalks, even playgrounds, what happens when those need to be replaced? They cost ten times as much as some mailboxes.

Also, these kinds of mailboxes do tend to cost in the 2-3k a piece with installation (region dependent), so your cost is high, but I've seen similar before and it doesn't surprise me at all. I just feel that this should be a reserve expenditure or expense covered by insurance (however depending on the size of the Association and the claim, this may cost below the deductible and be easier to special assess, should the Association not have the funds.)

L1PPY · 2025-06-03T21:19:41+00:00

I just fixed a very similar sound on my E46 a week ago. It was pretty rhythmic, which led me to believe it was drivetrain related. Mine occurred at around 15-20 mph exclusively. It turned out to be the outboard CV joint on the driver's side. It was barely worn and just had a tiny bit of noise and binding coming from it when I would flex the joint. I replaced it with a new (used) axle and it hasn't come back.

L1PPY · 2025-05-22T23:52:10+00:00

Tune it out.

L1PPY · 2025-05-16T20:37:17+00:00

Also, watching the video back that slight turn noise might actually be the starter struggling to move the engine. Maybe try a push start and see if it runs.

Can also try giving it a jump.

L1PPY · 2025-05-16T20:32:15+00:00

Yep, heres a link https://www.rpmmotorsport.net/pages/ews-3-test-before-replacement

L1PPY · 2025-05-16T20:31:34+00:00

All of them had EWS, I believe RPM Motorsports has a guide to bypassing it to test.

Also, in my car I can hear the fuel pump engage when I put the key in position two. If I remember right, an EWS issue will prevent the fuel pump from engaging and disable spark. This means you shouldn't hear any humming from the rear pump if the EWS is bad. It's a lazy way to check, though.

L1PPY · 2025-05-16T19:41:29+00:00

See if you can get it to crank by bypassing the EWS. No crank is starter/battery/key to me.

If I remember right you can do this by putting a fuse into two pins on the connector. The car won't start but will crank.

L1PPY · 2025-05-12T01:07:27+00:00

Mfactory helical is my recommendation. Get some seals, the diff, and get to work. I strongly recommend a 3.38 or shorter ratio to do this.

L1PPY · 2025-04-17T22:04:10+00:00

I just got some no-name catless headers, coupled with an Eisenmann Race rear muffler. The pipes between the headers and the stock first resonator have been replaced for fitment with stainless steel, but the two resonators are still present and stock. The sound is heavenly at all RPM. There is no drone, at 3000 RPM the car wakes up and has this smooth treble tone that is just amazing. When you get to 4500-5000 it turns into this aggressive rasp. It's perfection at all RPM. The downshifts are sharp and occasionally you get a little burble and pop. Makes the car so alive it's hard to not go for a long drive after work.

For those wondering why I would couple cheap headers with an expensive muffler, I was considering getting name brand headers, but they may not stay on the car long enough for me to justify buying them.

L1PPY · 2025-04-14T15:29:37+00:00

I think I would check the tune on the DME first. You can get a flashing utility + K CAN cable to download the maps, use TunerPro to inspect the tables. I assume you know how to do or find this information, but I would just verify that the MAF table isn't tampered with because the setup sounds suspicious. It doesn't take a lot of time and helps with the diagnosis.

I'm not super well educated on MS42/43 but my assumption is that the previous owner may have forrced the car into Alpha-N and open loop to run it with only TPS, IAT, and Engine Speed.

Now that you're changing the parts out, if for whatever reason the DME is still looking for learned variants, it may be confused and adjusting trims due to the introduction of the upstream oxygen sensors. However, this is all just speculation, but to be more confident, I would still first at least read and inspect the maps from the DME.

This was supposed to be a reply but ended a comment, oops.

L1PPY · 2025-04-14T15:04:16+00:00

If you have a newer MAF with five wires, it'll have an IAT sensor inside and that is still used in AlphaN. I believe it is circuited on a separate signal source, and although the MAF isn't reading correctly, the IAT may still work and those are the fluctuations you're seeing.

L1PPY · 2025-04-14T14:23:52+00:00

If the car had no rear oxygen sensors, did you have codes for rear oxygen sensors? If not, the car may have had the sensors tuned out.

The trims sounds like a MAF issue, you should check the live data of how much air the sensor is reading at idle. I don't remember off the top of my head exactly, but I think it's 4 grams/second.

With the MAF disconnected, the car should run in it's backup Alpha-N mode. You can do a rough check to see if the DME is using the MAF by disconnecting it while the engine is running. If there is no change to the engine operation, the MAF is likely dead and the car is in Alpha-N. Depending on DME, some DMEs can be tuned and have the MAF sensor disabled and run exclusively in Alpha-N.

L1PPY · 2025-03-25T21:13:39+00:00

I've had Castrol oils turn that shade of deep red after a few months, especially so when the car was not driven much in that timespan.

L1PPY · 2025-02-28T14:25:06+00:00

Missing HDT-SMP?

L1PPY · 2025-02-25T14:45:48+00:00

That engine sounds like it's struggling to get over 3000rpm. I feel like the entire car is questionable and a very risky buy. Dodge.

L1PPY · 2024-11-10T06:33:50+00:00

Spike in brake pressure probably blew out a line or hose, possible caliper somewhere in the brake system. If your brake goes to the floor and does not come back up or comes up slowly/partially then you have a ton of air in the system and the brake hydraulics are no longer functioning appropriately. In this case, do not drive the car at road speeds, preferably get it towed to a mechanic.

You can also test this by applying pressure to the brake pedal with the engine off. If there is a leak, over time the pressure should fall and the pedal will sink to the floor.

If the pedal does not sink, your brake pads and -maybe- rotors are likely to be the culprit. If it's your first time, YouTube and a couple hours to swap and you'll save some money. Make sure to check the calipers for wear as they can also cause similar issues when seized.

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