Options for rear end - Spider 2000?

[jimincalif]

My pinion gear has a broken tooth, 1980 Spider FI 2000. It seems these are readily available for the older cars but not the 2000s. Any suggestions on what to do? Anyone have a 2000 parts car with a good rear end?

[Fiat1980spyder]

Check ebay to see if someone has one around. I used a Fiat Lada diff at one point gave me a little less in rpm when crusing on highway 4.10ratio aside from the 3.90 the spider has.
Full Diff Spider
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FIAT-124 ... ccessories

131 diff
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FIAT-131 ... ccessories

[jimincalif]

Thanks for the links. Anyone here ever bought from Mathews Parts?

[mikeg]

Yes I have, it's been a while though. They are from what I can tell a recycler, aka salvage yard, and one of the few to cary Fiat and other imports of this vintage. If I recall correctly I bought a spider 2000 drivers side seat from them and the back was broken, called them and they sent out another one to replace it.

[jimincalif]

I was able to locate a used rear axle that appears to be in good condition, gears inside look very clean and don't appear worn at all.

I've cleaned it up and installed it on the car (with lots of help from a good friend) and all seems well so far. The driveline noise I had before is gone, I didn't have any left over bolts or other bits.

Listed oil capacity for the rear end is 1.4 quarts, which would be about 44 oz, but it only took 34 oz before it was full (was totally empty starting out). Is this normal? We jacked up the front of the car a bit higher than the rear and squeezed in a bit more but still under 44 oz.

What about the rear ball bearing assembly for the wheels? Are these lubed from the gear oil in the differential? The maintenance manual discusses checking the front wheel bearings, but not the rears.

Don't know if I will make the Turkey Trot or not. Might be better to shake it down locally before venturing too far away from home and driving in areas with marginal cell phone coverage!

[baltobernie]

Yes, they are splashed from the diff, like old American cars. With a salvage axle, keep an eye out for leaking oil seal. Regarding diff capacity, if you filled it to overflowing, I wouldn't worry about it.