Limited slip differential

Claim 1

In a limited slip differential including a rotatable casing, a pair of output members rotatably received in said casing and adapted to be driven thereby, a pair of side gears in said casing, each of said side gears being adapted to rotate with one of said output members, a pinion shaft fixedly carried in said casing, a pair of pinion gears rotatably carried on said pinion shaft and intermeshing with said side gears such that rotation of said output members relative to one another causes rotation of said side gears relative to said casing, and friction clutch means carried between said side gears and said casing and loadable to frictionally resist rotation of said side gears relative to said casing, the improvement comprising: a clutch loading spring and output member retaining device, said device comprising a pair of parallel flat metal plates and a resilient center plate joining corresponding sides of said parallel plates, said resilient center plate being curved between said parallel plates in a generally omega-shaped configuration to form an unclosed generally cylindrical portion between said parallel plates, said device being placed in said casing with one of said parallel plates abutting each said side gear and said cylindrical portion surrounding said pinion shaft, said resilient center plate being compressed to bias said parallel plates against said side gears and thus load said clutch means, each of said parallel plates having a slot extending inward from the side opposite said resilient center plate, said slots being adapted to engage said output members for retention thereof in said casing.