Diff locks?

[Richard buttocks]

Thats what i paid for mine.

So bargains are out there.

[Jimmyb]

Got an ARB in the D44 in the rear of my XJ, and a Spartan auto locker in the front. The spartan was installed as a budget locker and it's just that, budget.

The auto front is a great locker when your doing slow 'rockcrawling' as it will stay engaged, BUT if you're trying to do so throttle work and wheels are bouncing, it has a tendancy to pop in and out, and this makes a huge amount of noise, and also throws shit loads of shock through everything in the drive line.

Also the auto in the front make U turns and parking a headache, not impossible, just you will need to change your driving style.

BTW I'm running 4.88's and 33's

[Redemptioner]

Just stay away from ARB and you should be fine. ARB anything should be your last choice if you want quality and reliability.

E-lock should be your first choice, the best all round solution. All lockers require a diff rebuild and should only be done by an 'experienced' diff guy. Meshing gear sets decently is an art and requires an artist with the right tools to do a good job, not something a mechanic or 99% of home builders can do. Ask the person you are looking at for potentially doing the work if they have a pumpkin spreader, if not walk away.

[alexbrown64]

I have 33's and 4.88 gears too. I run Dana's front and back, but have the super 35 axles in the rear which are much bigger and stronger. I am using the ARB air lockers.

Doesn't really matter to everyone, but something to consider is that auto lockers are not exactly legal in Australia. If you really want to play by the rules, or you think your vehicle may be subject to a road test in the future...

"The differential must not be locked either by the use of spools or welding to prevent any difference in speed between the wheels on any axle. A proprietary part-time differential locking device may be utilised, provided that the driver can control it from the normal seating position." NCOP11 Section LB 2.3

Cheers,

[awg]

Originally Posted by Steven1995jeep

Hey guys, diff locks? Where are you getting them from and what should u stay away from etc? Prices at all? R they easy to install yourself or? Thanks in advance

fairly wide-ranging discussion here, mainly about a perceived drawback of ARB, but also on diff locks in general with links

http://4x4earth.com/forum/index.php?...-locker.19067/

interesting point from Alex about "legality" of auto lockers, did not know that.
I personally dislike auto locking action, (even rear LSD) on wet tarmac in traffic

[Tallpieman]

Originally Posted by Redemptioner

Ask the person you are looking at for potentially doing the work if they have a pumpkin spreader, if not walk away.

You definitely don't need a diff spreader.

[xjdavid]

Not sure I like the idea of the elocker the way it unlocks and relocks as you go from forward to reverse. I think if any locker has the shims on the outside then you prety much need a spreader. If the shims are under the carrier bearings then dont need a spreader. I have had ARBs for 10 years and the main thing wrong with them are the people installing them. They need to be installed with a spreader to get the correct preload on the carrier bearings.

I have had trouble with my front ARB because it was installed initially by the shop with the bearing cap upside down and the diff had been bashed in so hard without the use of a spreader there was marks in the bearing cup. I dont know of many shops that use a spreader and there lies the problem with ARBs. I do my own installs now and havent had a problem but I use a spreader and install with a measured 15 thou preload as per the workshop manual. I wish the ARBs had the shims under the carrier bearings where they belong but a lot of the new lockers have them on the outside now making them a bitch to install unless you have one large shim.

If the ARB has insufficient preload it will leak air.

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