[254]

I have a 88 Samurai with a lockright in the rear end, also 5:88 gears, I bought the vehicle with it already installed and have trail ridden the vehicle about 5 or 6 times and have been very impressed with how it works, my Sammy will virtually go anywhere. The rear end pops alot and i have heard that this is normal with the lockright and have grown acustom to its noisy traits and willing to live with it. TODAY I got in some nasty ruts and got it in a pretty good bind. It began to pop repeatedly and I finally had to winch out in fear of blowing my rear. I wheeled a little while longer and the poping seemed to get a little worse and I was afraid I would mess up my ring and pinion so I put the old boy on the trailer and brought her home. Is there any adjustments or maintainance that I should be doing to it? I am thinking of taking it out and going with a spool. This is a trail rig only and I am about to be put out with this noisy locker. ANY SUGGESTIONS would be appreciated

Mark

 

[CTBrent]

Check your tire pressures before pulling it apart.

 

[daxe]

Hey Mark,

I have never wheeled with a locker, though I bought one yesterday already installed in a front sami axle with knuckle over steering. I can't tell you if your locker's behavior is good or bad, right or wrong.

I do have a TT minispool in the back of my sami which sees both trail and street duty. I am very happy with it and based only on the the stories i have heard and read about the "spooky" behavior of lockers on the street, I can say I am glad i have a spool in the back and not a locker. It's very simple, so there is no mechanism to wear out or break or need adjusting. Of course it is completely unforgiving and increases the possibility of breaking axle shaft, U joints, whatever, but that comes with the territory.

Even on the street it is pretty much unnoticable unless you are turning very sharply coming out of a driveway or street and it chirps the tires. PArking lots are another story, you WILL attract attention, but if you are trailering the rig, this isnt a concern.

If the locker isnt broken of f*cked up at all I am sure you coule sell it for the price of a minispool and then some. Personally I say go with the spool, but remember thats based on never having run a locker myself. The locker I just bought is in a front axle, so I will soon find out what its like to be locked/spooled and SPOA, too.

HTH,

~daxe

 

[254]

did you install your spool yourself? What it a big deal? I am pretty mechanically inclined but I have never fooled with diffs much.

Thanks for your input

Mark

 

[CTBrent]

Sorry, I didn't realize how vague I was. Check your pressures of the tires (on the locked axle) because if they are not equal pressures you will experience something similar to what is happening from how I read it anyway.

It happened to me once or twice before, I noticed it most in tight trail corners where wind-up would occur. It was a horrific sound if you weren't used to it.

If it's just a trail rig... weld it and forget it!

 

[Sarge]

You've either got one tire that is a different diameter than the other , or more than likely a bent axle housing . Bad part is , now that it's been slipping the clutch teeth's faces are rounded off , it's probably toast . Unless you got lucky and cracked a spider gear in half .....
Sarge

 

[RRich]

Try it again after you make sure tires/rims are the same and have equal pressure on that axle. Drive it straight across a flat smooth area.

The popping is the locker gear trying to engage with the side gear - Actually the "pop" is it slipped - think of notches on both gears trying to lock together.
If it's still doing it too much, like all the time, it could be that the little springs that push them together have broken or the teeth have become rounded too much.

Normally you'll hear that pop when one axle has to travel faster than the other - the pop is when they disengage. Going straight where both axles are turning at the same speed you shouldn't hear any noise.

Lock Rite will send you a new set of springs for free if you call them - well they used to anyway.

 

[254]

Thanks for your input Rich, I am gonna check tire pressures this morning, Alot of talking about Spools, I am thinking I want to install a spool in my rear and maybe move this lockrite to the front (is this possible) Is the install of a spool in the rear a big deal? I am pretty mechanically inclined but I just have never fooled with the inside of a differential.
Thanks again

Mark in Ky

 

[rockrat]

You definatly have a bent housing Guaranteed... I would guess a 1/4" on the long side. Get a tape measure and with both tires aired to same amount measure from the the ground to the bottom of the housing. The measurement should be the same side to side also if you have one of those new laser levels, set the beam on horiz and set it up so the beam hits the botom of one axle and see if the line is diff on the other side.

 

[841]

another way to meashure for a bent housing is to place somthing known to be straight under the axle (I used a chunk of steel) then meashure up on each side to the housing from the straight piece(chunk of steel )I meashured as close to the tire as i could on the axle tube and then adjusted the tire pressure so it was the same heigth then meashured the tubes at the diff shure enough the long side was bent 3/8 of an inch

So I pullde the housing welded some big beads on it with the welder and warped it back to within 1/8 inch (weld shrink causing warpage) then I built a truss and a beam I tweaked the axle as much as i could with the beam and then welded the truss on

 

[254]

QUESTION...If I were running a spool, say in the future.... I wouldnt have a problem with the bent housing ? Visually it doesnt look bent, its sitting on a trailer and I just havent had time to get out and make any checks yet (work is getting in the way of play again) I really appreciate all the input and hope to get out and make some measurements and tire pressure checks soon, I was hoping one of my back tires would have been flat this morning (easy and cheap fix) no luck with that

Will keep you apprised

Mark

 

[rockrat]

with a spool it most likely wont engage/disengage BUT the pressure on the axle shaft at the spline due to the bent housing would not be good either.... or the outside bearing

 

[254]

Ok, I checked the tire pressure and the drivers side tire had 25 lbs and the pass = 20 (12x31x15 Boggers pretty new) I did a little measureing and the drivers side (long) side seems to be straight. (10 1/8 inch from chunk to brakes taking about 4 measurments) The pass side looks like it could possible be bent, measurements show that the brake side of the spring mounts higher than the chunk side of the spring pads by about 1/8 - 1/4 inch, its sitting on a trailer though and i probably need to get it off and on a level surface and remeasure. Do you think the diff in air pressure would make that much difference? Its probably been that way for a while. i plan to get it off the trailer later and drive it some to see if equalling the air press helps any. (work getting in the way again) THANKS GUYS

 

[rockrat]

Offroad I dont think the tire pressure would play that large of a role. another way to check would be to yank the long side axle out to where the bearing comes out of the housing if you have to tap it out or tap it back in place chances you are bent also

 

[Guest]

I’m with Sarge and Rockrat.
If your locker is differentiating (popping) under torque you more than likely have a bent housing. I have had two this year, (I know wheeling too much to have time to truss it the toys are planning to go under it this winter anyway).

Check the area around your spring perches. My tube crushed and then bent the housing. The housings almost always bend on the long side, at least everyone I know that has bent one bent the long side.
I measured from top of tire to top of tire and then bottom of tire to bottom of tire. There was nearly a ½” difference.

It was easy to fix.
If bent, take a chain and wrap over the axle tube outside the spring perches and make a sagging loop. It should look like a rubber band draped over a pencil. The bow obviously has to run under the driveshaft/pinion. Take a floor jack and run in between the chain and the housing. The point of contact should be right at the base of the housing and the bent tube. Jack it up and you will see the wheels start to move inward at the bottoms. Stop every so often and measure your progress while the jack is still in tension. I had to try 3 times before I got mine straight. When under tension, the measurements were ½ inch short from bottom to bottom than top to top of tire. Once relaxed it was within an 1/8 inch. To fix the crushed tube I welded a brace from the stock spring pad to the SPOA spring pad and cut a wedge from 2”x2” square tubing using a 4 ½” grinder and welded the wedge on the SPOA pad. It worked the last time I took it out running some extreme stuff and through several hunting trips near the house. The locker works like it always used to.

 

[Guest]

Once you straighten the axle housing, you want to truss it.
Once they bend once, they will bend a lot easier the next time.

 

[Guest]

i hosed a ez locker just playing around in the yard be for going to the badlands , a spring pushed though into the gear and messed it all up , i ground the outside gears down in 2 places and welded it together so now its a spool,so far no problems

 

[254]

I am thinking (by some preliminary measurements along the housing) that the axle housing might be bent, I really like the quick fix with the jack remedy that SILVERJACK suggested. I also like that welding it and making it a spool idea. I am really leaning on going with a spool at this point even if I do have to change out the housing. I cant stand the popping that goes with the lockright. Thanks for this great input guys.

 

[1438]

Speaking of axle trusses:

http://www.roadlessgear.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?&store_code=rgl&screen=PROD&product_code=SM-SUZ-FAT-001

 

[DougO]

Not to pick on roadless cause I think they're A-1 but SKY has the trusses on his november sale for $20