Is there a visible way o practical way to know yo have LSD??

[jondee86]

I am interested in this, as I have my back axle in the shop at the
moment to get new pinion bearings and wheel bearings fitted. When
it was opened up, the Crown Wheel and Pinion were in great condition,
so I am not planning to disturb the carrier bearings, or dismantle the LSD.

The LSD still works fine, despite having negligible preload on the clutches.
This because the clutches are locked up by the forces generated when
torque is being transmitted by the "spider" gears. AFAIK the AE86 OEM
unit is a one-way LSD, so it only locks up under acceleration, and not at
all under braking.

Here are several examples of how I understand the clutches to work :
1. Straight line acceleration (wheels not spinning) = clutches loaded but
not slipping and not wearing.
2. Acceleration round a curve (wheels not spinning) = clutches loaded
and slipping only slightly to allow for normal differential action. The
harder the acceleration, the more force on the clutches, and the more
understeer... until breakaway occurs and you have oversteer
3. Coasting around a curve = clutches not loaded and normal diff action.
4. Straight line acceleration (wheels spinning) = clutches loaded and
acting to keep both axles turning at the same speed.

Note that if only one wheel has grip, the torque being transmitted to that
wheel will keep both clutches loaded up. The wheel without grip will
continue to spin at the same speed as the other (not one speed up and
the other stop, as with a non-LS differential).

As I say, just my take on how these things work But I'm not a
mechanic, so I don't mind if anyone has better information

Cheers... jondee86