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IRS 960 estate with G90?

T

Turbeam

New member
Joined
Jul 19, 2009
Quick question, in the UK all 3-litre 960 estates with the live axle got the Eaton G80 diff as standard equipment.

On the later cars that had the IRS and transverse leaf spring arrangement, was there any kind of LSD type of option, including a G80, or did they all usually come out of the factory with normal open diffs?

The IRS probably makes the cars ride better, but having no means of controlling or limiting differential speed in the axle seems like a backward step if nothing else was available?

I've seen a late model IRS-equipped 3-litre 960 estate that appears to have an open diff and am considering the options.
 
I've owned 4 gen-2 IRS 960s so far, and all of them have had G80 lockers. In my opinion, you're more likely to find one of them with a G80 rather than without. Easiest way to tell if a car has one is the jack up the rear axle and give one wheel a swift spin.
 
FlyingTog said:
I've owned 4 gen-2 IRS 960s so far, and all of them have had G80 lockers. In my opinion, you're more likely to find one of them with a G80 rather than without. Easiest way to tell if a car has one is the jack up the rear axle and give one wheel a swift spin.
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I wonder if this is the case for UK cars? If you jack the car up and spin one wheel it should lock and spin the other the same way right?
 
monty400k said:
I wonder if this is the case for UK cars? If you jack the car up and spin one wheel it should lock and spin the other the same way right?
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There you are Jonathan.... it seems that other IRS axled 960s DO have an Eaton G80 option... at least in some other markets.

From what you were telling me the other night though, your car doesn't sound like it has one. I haven't heard of a G80 breaking or stopping working in some way in normal use that might otherwise explain one wheel spinning on its own as you described?

Could it possibly have been the case that BOTH rear wheels might have been spinning at the same time on an icy slope?

On my G80 equipped live axles, it really takes quite a bit of hard and rapid 'rotating' effort to simulate the 100rpm lock up speed. If you can't get it to do this, it isn't necessarily conclusive that a G80 isn't fitted. For definite confirmation one way or other it might be necessary to remove the rear cover?

It is of course perfectly possible that later IRS cars didn't get a G80 for the UK market.

I'm curious to hear what you find fitted to your car.
 
FWIW, all 4 of the IRS 960's in my family have the locker which doesn't always engage. That is on ice/snow/gravel, never tried spinning the wheel with the car jacked up. Also, when it does lock, on occasion it won't release for a while. So I'm guessing it could just be sludge or smth. considering the diff oil has probably never been changed.
 
My 95 960 did not come with a g80.

It didn't have seat heaters either, but it did have headlight wipers. :domo:
 
The IRS cars had the 1055 and the 1065 - basically IRS versions of the 1031 and 1041.

My S90 is currently on its third rear diff. It's been through the original 1998 3.54, a 3.73 from a 1998 V90 and a 3.73 from a 1997 S90. Every one has been a 1055 open diff.

Maybe I'm unlucky (probably so, breaking diffs with a stock B6304 :lol:) but I don't think the 1065s were very common in the UK market.
 
SeriousSteve said:
Maybe I'm unlucky (probably so, breaking diffs with a stock B6304 :lol:) but I don't think the 1065s were very common in the UK market.
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As I suspected, do you know if there is any way to identify a 1065, is the casing different? I know a guy with a quite a few 900 series cars, would be good to check if any had one fitted without having to open them up
 
Silver said:
I have an extra IRS G80 sitting around. Would trade it for a set of 960 3.31 gears or you could just buy it.
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Im in the UK, so Im not sure if you would still be interested in a trade? What would you be looking for if I bought it outright? What car was the 3.31 gears fitted too? Thanks
 
blkaplan said:
My 95 960 did not come with a g80.

It didn't have seat heaters either, but it did have headlight wipers. :domo:
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As a '95, was that still with a live axle or an IRS?

Was it also a 3-litre or a 2.5? The G80 was standard fitment on the 960 Estate in the UK, but only on the 3-litre model.

3.31 and 3.54 are listed as ratios, but all of the 1041 G80-equipped live axles I've seen in the UK from 3-litre 960s have had the 41/11 3.73:1 ratio.... maybe expected to carry a bit more weight in the back?

I think that rear cover needs to come off for a look see!
 
Turbeam said:
As a '95, was that still with a live axle or an IRS?

Was it also a 3-litre or a 2.5? The G80 was standard fitment on the 960 Estate in the UK, but only on the 3-litre model.

3.31 and 3.54 are listed as ratios, but all of the 1041 G80-equipped live axles I've seen in the UK from 3-litre 960s have had the 41/11 3.73:1 ratio.... maybe expected to carry a bit more weight in the back?

I think that rear cover needs to come off for a look see!
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IRS, and 3 litre. They only sold the 3L version in the US.

95+ got more torque and a 3.73 with less topend.
 
I got one with the transverse spring in it here sitting on the ground and it has a white tag on it says 1065 on it. Pretty sure that means locker. All 960 sedans are IRS earlier before 96 wagons have the solid rear end.
 

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Turbeam said:
There you are Jonathan.... it seems that other IRS axled 960s DO have an Eaton G80 option... at least in some other markets.

From what you were telling me the other night though, your car doesn't sound like it has one. I haven't heard of a G80 breaking or stopping working in some way in normal use that might otherwise explain one wheel spinning on its own as you described?

Could it possibly have been the case that BOTH rear wheels might have been spinning at the same time on an icy slope?

On my G80 equipped live axles, it really takes quite a bit of hard and rapid 'rotating' effort to simulate the 100rpm lock up speed. If you can't get it to do this, it isn't necessarily conclusive that a G80 isn't fitted. For definite confirmation one way or other it might be necessary to remove the rear cover?

It is of course perfectly possible that later IRS cars didn't get a G80 for the UK market.

I'm curious to hear what you find fitted to your car.
Click to expand...

I broke one, it went right back to the one tire fire but it still drove.
 
sbabbs said:
I got one with the transverse spring in it here sitting on the ground and it has a white tag on it says 1065 on it. Pretty sure that means locker. All 960 sedans are IRS earlier before 96 wagons have the solid rear end.
Click to expand...

That sounds the same as in the UK. I think the G80 was an option on the saloon/ sedan with the IRS, but I've never yet seen one that anybody has specified this option on.


BTW.... that axle looks to be in very good condition, no real corrosion anywhere and all of the factory tags still present.... I guess you don't have salted roads in the winter!
 
VB242 said:
I broke one, it went right back to the one tire fire but it still drove.
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Did you ever pull that one apart... I'm curious as to what actually failed? Was there a lot of torque/ tyre being used, or perhaps very hard launching when it failed?

One of the attractions to me of using the Volvo live axle in the first place was that they have such a good reputation for strength.

So, on the axle in question, it could either be that despite being a 3-litre 960 Estate that the UK IRS versions DIDN'T get a G80 from the factory as standard (which would be slightly surprising), or it could be that the stock G80 HAS failed or stopped working in some way (which would also be a little surprising).

I doubt that there will be any evidence of factory spec tags remaining on this axle!

Rear cover off time I reckon.
 
What are you actually trying to do? Your Sunbeam has a live axle, so why the interest in the 960 IRS setup?
 
For the record, my IRS 960 has over 237k miles on it on the stock G80 equipped rear axle and it hasn't broken yet or stopped working. And I beat the ever loving shyt out of my car. Clutch kicks, burnouts, hard launches, etc. It takes it like a champ. I've put almost 100k miles on the car (97k+) personally and it's still going strong. Only thing I did was when I had the rear suspension apart when I did the coilovers, I welded the weight inside the G80 to keep it from unlocking above 30mph. Other than the associated flush and fluid change when I did that, the rear axle is stock with close to 240k miles.
 
crogthomas said:
What are you actually trying to do? Your Sunbeam has a live axle, so why the interest in the 960 QUOTE]

It's not for the Sunbeam, it's for my 960, i am also planning to fit a supercharger later this year which Jim has been advising me on, one thing ive been concerned about is the lack of traction, we have been trying to work out if my car has an open diff or not, i had a look this morning and its a 1055 as i suspected so I will need to look for a 1065
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