I have a question about rear diffs, i currently have a open rear diff and cant stand the one tire fire all the time. i see lots of guys that have "fully locked" rear diffs, is that the same as welding the spider gears together or does it still allow the wheels to turn at different speeds like an ls or open like mine? ex. going around corners and u turns and such without a tire slipping.

 

I believe so. But then again, I have had a friend stand me down that no one makes a true "locker" that locks the rearend 100% of the time. He says that every locker locks and unlocks.

 

A "lunchbox" locker will unlock when you turn.

A spool will not unlock when you turn making turn difficult. this is the same as welding spider gears.

anybody correct me if im wrong. i only know a little bit on this

 

ya almost every locker, unlocks.. just w/e u do if ur truck is a DD dont weld the gears.. just buy either a LS or get somthing along the lines of a ARB air locker. or look at a detroit.. they are pretty good also..

detroit:
Detroit Locker Differentials

ARB:
Air Lockers


ya forgot about a spool.. but like as said above.. just like welding the gears, not to good for on road use.

 

Interesting.. when we put a lunchbox in my wifes jeep, it didnt unlock while turning.. thing Never unlocked.

 

A "Lunchbox" locker (or drop-in locker) is a locker mechanism that is designed to fit into the stock differential carrier replacing the spider gear set and sometimes the side gears and pinion-shaft. The nickname "Lunchbox" comes from the idea of packing your lunch in a reusable "lunchbox" where you use the same "lunchbox" and pack in a different lunch. The stock carrier is the equivalent of the "lunchbox".


Lunchbox Lockers operate in much the same manner as full carrier automatic lockers. These locker are automatic locking differentials designed to lock both wheels of the axle automatically with power input, when forward or reverse torque is applied, so that both wheels are providing 100% power to the wheels and creating essentially a "spool" that solidly connects the axle shafts together. When torque is not being applied, the locker is allowed to unlock, permitting a differentiation variance in wheel speed while negotiating turns. As an automatic locking differential

 

hmmm. yeah, ours never unlocked.. The rear end would "hop" around every turn whether or not there was "torque" applied, ie us pressing ont he gas water.

 

ya same way with the detriot that was in the 97.. same thing happened.. going around corners n what not

 

yeah, owell.. its not in there anymore.. now it has a dana Trac-Lok

 

FTL! shoulda went ARB... lol jk.. they are good to


ive read mixed reviews on this one. but i do like the cable idea over the air lines like with the arb

http://www.ox-usa.com/ox/Products/Lo...9/Default.aspx

 

Well, the wife didnt want a locker in it anymore.. lol.. didnt like the first experience... the guy that installed the locker/gears F*cked everything up( installed everything wrong), so we had to have everything re-done.. So, we went with dana gears and a dana LS.

 

ah thats sh!tty they screwed everything up

 

There are different "lunch box" lockers. Some will automatically lock and unlock. Like Powertrax's Lock-rites. Detroit also makes a fully locked lunch box locker that you just drop into the carrier.

A full carrier locker is like an ARB. Normally selectable, and it takes place of your entire carrier, not just your spiders.

 

yeah, cost us 2300 euros(around 3500 bucks) to fix everything.. Dana parts arnt cheap lol..

 

If a locker won't ever unlock then it was either installed outside of the tolerance range or there is something wrong with it.

All 'lockers' unlock. A differential that never unlocks is a spool, or mini-spool.

 

well i am pretty sure he did it wrong.. I took off the diff cover to change out the fluid and the little mettle pieces that hold the locker together had sheered off and were sitting at the bottom of the diff.

 

ahh. ouch.. ya who ever installed it musta screwed the install

 

yeah, installed everything wrong, we were lucky that it didnt screw up the axle shafts.. My mechanic had to take everything back out, order parts and intall new everything front and rear.. Not fun..

 

Did you have to pay for it?

 

yes we did.. didnt have any legal leg to stand on, we had already bought the vehicle, then he offered to install everything.. swore he knew how to do it..

 

A ring and pinion shouldn't have cost 3500 US...both should have been under 1000

 

Thanks for all the info red, how hard would it be to do the swap myself if i did go with a locker instead of having to pay a mechanic?
And do you think it would be cheaper to just find an axle at the junkyard with a ls?
and if so, how does the ls compare to the locker? im assuming the locker would be a better set up for what im looking to gain, but how does the ls perform?

 

If your just driving on the street a LS will be fine but if you want to take it offroad going through mud and climbing up hills than I would spend the extra cash and go with the locker.

 

You could do it yourself since its pretty much follow directions but you need a lot of special tools.

L/S and lockers don't even compare. They help a bit but they are limited hence the name. If you pick one tire off the ground the other one will spin all day. When they get weak they will start acting more like an open diff.

 

ya if u plan on doing and heavy wheeling or sumthing id go fully locked.. its not that extrmely bad on the tarmac. just gotta get used to the clicking and little jerking going around corners. installing a locker could be a little bit of a challenge if u've never done it before. but i have a link here for a decent write up on how to install..well actually 2.

So you want to install your own gears: A 'how to' 8.8 gear install - Ford Explorer Ranger Enthusiasts Serious Explorations

No-Slip Positraction Installation Guide - Drivetrain.com