I put my superlift on my 07 ranger 4x4 today and while my front axle was out, I decided to install my aussie in the front. Before we were done, we saw that the driveshaft was rubbing on my exhaust pipeing so we took my front driveshaft completely out. Well I went and backed out and turned around and when I went around the corner, the front end completely locked up like it was spooled in the front. when I turn one way, it would turn fine but when I tried to turn the other, it wouldn't want to turn at all but you could force it to and it would start binding up and one wheel chirping on the pavement like a spool. Why would it do this if my front driveshaft isn't even in? Could I of installed it locked and without the driveshaft, I couldn't engage 4x4 and unlock it somehow? I have an idea how it all works but just can't figure out why it would be doing this. It was always in 2wd as well. I can hear it ratcheting It sounds like but it does it real hard. Even going down the road you can hear a clunking type sound every half second coming from up there. Trepaul86, fx4wannabe and austin couldn't figure it out either when they came to check it out. I really want this to be figured out. We probably put 5 miles on it to see if it maybe just needed broken in and it didn't change a thing. Sorry for the long post but I dunno what to do. I'm without a ride, gotta work but 2hrs away from home and it had to get towed to the 4x4 shop to see if they could figure it out.
thanks guys

 

yea guys.


i installed it and follow the directions included. even came home to check the forum and other forums on the install. seemed pretty dang straight forward. checked the gaps w/ a feeler. don't remember the measurements right now, but i know i checked them. Took my dang time doing it...i did not want to mess this up.

i drove it...seems like it's fully engaged no matter what. we didn't however, install the shaft to see what it'll do. this little experience has me heavily considering not installing a locker in the front of my rig. There are some moments where it's unlocked, but very very few moments like that in the 1/2 mile drive i took.

worse comes to worse, drop that diff out again and pull the aussie out.




any help is greatly appreciated. this really does suck.

 

The Aussie instructions tell you to use medium to heavy grease on the locker parts during the installation. There is so much surface area where parts meet that the grease creates a "suction" effect between the parts. It is very difficult to get them to break free the first time. Once gear lube makes its way in there, it should "ratchet" pretty easily.

Jack your truck up, take it out of gear and lock one tire by lowering it to the ground. Then try working the other wheel/tire back and forth till it lets go. It will be everything but easy to accomplish this, but if it finally breaks loose it should be fine.

It's also possible it's just fubar. My friend installed one in his front axle and was complaining that it was spooling constantly, right after he installed it, Well I took it apart and the pins were all broken. Every one of them. They had worked loose out of the cam gear. I have no idea how, but they did.

Hopefully you'll figure it out, Good Luck!

 

all parts got a coat of high temp grease(same stuff used to pack bearings) except the outside pieces(the first pieces to go in. We'll have to try that out in the morning.

thanks...great post...we'll have to try that out.

 

By the way i sent you a PM!

 

only thing i can come up with (if it was installed correctly!) is that maybe they sent you the wrong part. The dana 35 in a ranger is slightly smaller than the d-35 that came on the jeeps for example. Probably not the issue, but who knows, something to consider i guess.

 

i kinda thought that too, but i dont even think the Jeep D35 locker will even fit in there.

 

I would pull the diff and redo your installation. Double check your clearance measurements and make sure the springs and pins are in correctly. If all your clearances are correct and the pins and springs are not in backwards then its time to give aussie a call for a replacement. My front locker acts nothing like that.

 

truck is currently at a 4whel shop getting looked at/disassembled. while at the shop, driver cv shaft snapped in half. That shop called aussie and aussie said it's gonna do that on the street?

 

you have the pins and springs in right? really i am not sure how the install could get messed up, its fairly straight forward. Mine was extremely tight and still is in the Dana 60.

 

CV snapped?! And Aussie said its caused by driving on the street?! wtf is that all about?

Maybe you guys should just wait for Torsen to make that limited slip they've been promising. I emailed them about it and they said this winter it possibly will be released.

 

It should NOT do that unless 4x4 is engaged. Besides the clicking noise while turning you should not even know its there.....

If all aussie will tell you is that its supposed to do that then I would start raising hell......providing the clearances are withing spec and the spring and pin orientation is correct.....

 

pins and springs were in correctly....pin goes into hole w/ the notched side facing toward the center of the carrier(notches visible). springs into the opposite side and located on those notches. hard to describe...hopefully i described it correctly.





update on truck. dropped the axle. all pins were sheered off. locker came out...dont know exactly whats wrong with it. was installed within spec as i was the one installing it. shop didn't like how the directions says dodge dakota/durango. If i messed up, i messed up....but don't think i did.

 

Locker was just FUBAR, not your fault.

 

that sucks Shane it seemed like everything was working fine when we put it back together

 

sounds like a bad hand of luck... but hopefully everything turns out fine in the end good luck with the locker

 

good luck? the locker is out and staying out. I would like to find out what actually caused this issues.

 

When that happened to my friend we took it out and called aussie, they sent us a new locker we installed it and it worked fine, so apparently every now and then ones just bad or something.

 

yeah I'm pretty pissed... I'm missing work, new 07 cv was over $500 because it's different than the older years, then labor which i'm not sure about, locker pins are stuck in the locker sheared out so locker is screwed, etc... with the live axle, wouldn't the locker always want to lock even with no torque applied? just wondering. I really want to get to the bottom of this.

 

The locker would only lock when power is applied. A live axle setup does not mean there is power to the front axle all the time it means that the tires are always connected to the axle shafts. The locker should have not locked at all unless you had the front shaft in and in 4wd.

 

yeah, it senses torque to make it lock. If its just freely spinning, it is open. Not in 4x4, theres no torque being created thus it stays open. Thats the extent of my knowledge lol

 

Your right.

 

Mine is a live axle......can't even tell the locker is in there.......

 

it is because the driveshaft was off IMO. the pinion is turning when the truck is moving, but with no drag on it from the driveshaft, the pinion could move to the drive side of the gear instead of the coast side which would cause it to lock. the aussie will lock when the pinion is on the drive side and unlock on the coast side

 

the driveshaft has nothing to do with it... it's still going to spin the same rate with or without it in, because no power is being applied to the front end. Now, had the shaft been in, we could have put it in 4wd, locked it, and then put it in 2wd and unlocked it right there and probably would have been ok..

Grand finale

Cory's lift = trade for 2 guns

shop time for the day $100

$75 tow from mine and Shane's buddy (tow truck)

My hookup at Gresham 4wd - Pending

So all in all, I think you still got a good deal Cory, and learned some good lessons. Like I was telling shane, I will never lock an IFS rig. No point!