Alright fellas,

My rear end is almost gone and it's the spider gears that are going. If the carrier is busted or cracked then I know i'm in trouble. I am just thinking that if it's cracked should I buy a new carrier or just buy a locker. I was going to upgrade to 4.10 gears but it sounds like too much work. I know there are alot of threads on lockers but would it be alright to get a locker instead of a new carrier? BTW I was offered $250 canadian to install new spider gears from the best company in the city. How delicate is installing spider gears can it be done by anyone with some tools? If the ring and pinion is o.k then nothing has to be adjusted right?

I was watching horsepower tv and it did a segment on lockers. They installed a locker in about 2 hours. So I was wondering if you had my truck with not alot of money what would you do? Replace the carrier or install something better?

 

anyone? I called the dealer today and stuff is so expensive. A pinion shaft for $250 CAN. Holy crap. Maybe I should install a locker.

 

OR...you could get a "lunchbox" locker that keeps the stock carrier but replaces the spiders...just a thought. That job takes about 2 hours, if you stop for beer in the middle of the job...

Replacing spiders is an easy job. You do not need to remove the differential to do it. Just remove the axles and the pinion shaft, and then rotate out the old spiders and side gears. Don't forget the thrust washers when you put the new ones in.

If you get a full-carrier locker like a Detroit or an ARB, you'll need to pay careful attention to the shims when you put everything back together. That's a job that's best left to a shop if you're not sure how it all works.

 

what other lockers are there?
Is an Auburn a good locker?

 

Auburn is actually a limited slip. It's a good one, but still limited slip.

For limited slips there are some options, but they all work fairly much the same. They use a series of clutches to put drag on the side gears to allow some torque transfer to the wheel with more traction when one wheel breaks loose. In seriously hard stuff, those clutches are not strong enough to provide true locking.

There are 2 basic kinds of lockers:

1. "Lunchbox" lockers, which replace your spider and side gears and still use the stock carrier. These are fully automatic lockers, which means that they do not require any operator input for control. Automatic lockers allow for some difference in wheel speed, but will not allow a wheel to turn slower than the ring gear, which is why you hear chirping when going around corners in a locked vehicle. There are 3 different lunchbox lockers on the market that will suit your needs:
2. Full-Carrier Lockers. This type of locker completely replaces the differential in your axle. All you retain are the bearing caps. These are super strong, and most hard-core off-roaders prefer these to lunchbox lockers, especially in the rear. They come in two types:
GM gets an honorable mention with their Gov-Loc system. It is only available for GM Corporate axles, is very expensive, and can provide some hair raising moments when engaging, since it requires a speed differential of up to several hundred rpm before it will engage. You can imagine the sound this makes. However, it does work.

Another thing you will hear about is Spools. A spool physically locks the axles together, all the time, period. This is the ultimate in traction, but can be a real handful on the street. When spooling the front, you will find that your ability to steer has suddenly disappeared when in 4WD. I do not recommend spools for anything but the most extreme hard core off-roaders, and then only in back. Others have a different opinion on this, but I stand by my assessment.

Hope this helped!

 

It did but you forgot one of the major manufactures of lockers. EATON. EATON makes some wicked lockers and my buddy has them in his GMC.

What is the cheapest locker available?
What is the best limited slip? Auburn looked good but is it a good replacement to the spider gear setup?

 

Well looks like I'm going to bid onj a powertrax no slip. Tell me why they suck!!!?!?!

 

They have this thing called a "Synchonizing Ring" which is REALLY weak. I have seen two of them break pulling out of my shop, just turning the corner. I won't sell them anymore.

 

o.k if not that then what are some good ls's? Need one ASAP so any help would be frigin great!

Don't want a locker cause this is a street driven vehicle. I need a ls cause i want traction. hahaha. traction is happy. Any help fellas?

 

You really should get that rebuilding video I told you before about...I really can't stress that enough.

Also, don't forget you can edit your post within an hour vs making 2nd posts

Side/spider gears are simple to replace. Just pull the drums, take off diff cover, push in axle shafts and remove the clips, slide out axle shafts, remove pinion lock bolt, pull out pin, remove gears, install is reverse of that...very simple.

My spider/side gears went out too and it doesn't really cause the carrier to get damaged unless something really grenades on ya. I would definitely change the ring/pinion gears while your in there if that's what your going to do. You can drive the truck with a different gear set in the front as long as you dont use the 4wd.

I just installed auburns new LS/Locker called the ECTED. It's selectable from limited slip to locker for driveability, 530 bucks.

Cheapest LS you can get that is still good quality is the standard ford traction lok. They are dirt cheap and rebuildable to make them in like new condition. They are all over ebay and they're clutch pack kits are 60 bucks or so. Eaton and auburn have some good limited slips. I wouldn't use a ford limited slip if you're going to run big tires though, I'd limit it to 33s.

 

peteyg...

what do you think about the "True Trac" from TracTech... IYO how does it compare to other limited slips?

How durable are EZ-lockers? do they lock up smooth?

a buddy of mine has a 91 Suburban with a 10 bolt... his rear diff acts just like an open diff on the street, you dont feel a thing, but if you put one wheel in mud and the other on dry concrete, it will spin BOTH tires... we pulled the diff cover to see what it was, and we still dont know, it had spider gears like an open diff and small springs that kinda looked fragile. have any idea what it might be? like i said, normal driving there is no churping or anything, its completely smooth... ocasionally after playing around on slick surfaces, my buddy says you can feel something dis-engage... he described it as a small 'clunk'

 

That fragile looking spring driven thing is the gov-loc. They break really easy. I've seen a 10-bolt completely disentegrate. Literally, even the spiders were broken. Don't be too hard on it.

I had an EZ-Locker in the front of a Full-Size Jeep wagoneer D-44 and wheeled the heck out of it. I loved it. It still wheels today in another full-size. It was a lot smoother than the Lock-Right I had in the front of another Jeep. You will feel a lock-right, but you soon become used to the noise.

Trach-Tech is the maker of the Detroit Locker, and the True Trac is a decent LSD. It isn't quite as aggressive as the Auburn LSD, but it's a great LSD.

 

Peyteg-Great Info.

If I put one of those "lunchbox lockers" in my rear, and it goes (breaks) do I still have power to one rear wheel, or am I limpin home in front wheel drive?

 

Well I guess it's time to pull off the cover and survey the damage. I prolly isn't that bad and well as much as I would like to change the ring/pinion it cost too damn much. It's so expensive to have anything done and i sure am not going to tackle something like this.

 

We have a NoSlip in our Cherokee and love it. It is limited by the size tire you run with it. I think their website might list that. Breaking them when leaving the shop? What were the trucks running... 44 inchers?

The True Trac is a torque sensing diff. We have one in the front. You need to apply torque to the spinning wheel with a light application of the brakes to get it functioning