How do you tell if your diff bushing is shot?

[dongoesby]

I try to narrow down my questions. What do you feel when your diff bushings are shot?

I have nismo 1.5way diff with stock rubber bushings on a s14. (the driver side axle suffered a slight accident impact and has a tard leak, but not much)

New clutch, flywheel and motor and tranny mounts and assume nothing wrong wirth my driveshaft (installed correctly), I suffer jerky 1st gear start for the past 1 month after SR swap.

Every gears are awesome, except first, which I have to play with the friction point and gas to minimize the jerkyness/clunks/shakes. Whenever from a dead stop, the car has to jerk/shake for a sec or two before moving smoothy. If the car did not stop fully, i can manage a smooth 1st gear start like how it should be doing every single time. Is this a symptom of shot diff/subframe bushings? or a bad 1st gear synchro? I don't feel a bump whenever I shift.

[FRoSt415]

sounds like black spots(burn marks on the flywheel). these make it harder for the clutch disc to clamp on the flywheel. Hard to put in first? Or just lost of shaking?
for the bushing look at them if they are deteriorating or cracked to the point that impairs the bushing from holding the diff securely then replace if not then its just preference if you want to change it out.

[dongoesby]

thanks bump for more answers

[s14unimog]

^ I think that's the most informative answer you are going to get. Its going to be difficult for your ass, literately, to tell that they are shot when its likely that every other rubber bushing on your 11+ year old car is shot too. Visual inspection is your best bet. Either way, they are not that expensive to replace so, just do it and see. Don't forget, you have a clutch type differential, its not a stock car anymore.