The rear differential went out on my 1988 Bronco so, I replaced the entire rear drive axle assembly with one that was supposed to be a factory locking type differential. The guy at the salvage yard said that the “L” stamped on the case after the gear ratio stood for “locking differential.” That winter I got stuck in some snow and only one wheel would spin. So here are my questions.

1. Is there a true “positive traction” differential out there and if so, who makes it.

2. If only “Locking” differentials are available, which one is the best?

3. Can a locking differential be put in the front too?

I don’t do a lot of 4 wheeling off road but when I do, to me, 4X4 should mean exactly that. Thanks for any and all help with these questions.

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L = Limited Slip, It does not stand for locker. Either you don't have a limited slip or the clutches are worn-out or the other wheel was so stuck you over powered the clutches and the other wheel spun.

Yes you can get a true locker for both the front and rear, but its costly and not very friendly on the road.

Do a search in this forum ad you'll find more info than you know what to do with.

 

Here are a few brand names and manufacturer websites to check out for more info on locking differentials:

-Detroit Locker and EZ Locker auto lockers and Electrac electrically selectable ltd slip/locker: www.tractech.com
-Lock Right and NoSlip auto lockers: www.powertrax.com
-ARB Air Locker air operated selectable open diff/spool: www.arb.com
-T-Locker air/electric selectable open diff/spool: www.teraflx.com
-E-Locker electrically selectable ltd slip/locker: www.eaton.com
-ECTED electrically selectable ltd slip/locker: www.auburngear.com

Here are some limited slips:

-True Trac torque sensing worm-gear ltd slip, by TracTech.
-Eaton Posi clutch type ltd slip, by Eaton.
-Auburn Ltd Slip, by Auburn Gear.
-Power-Loc and Trac-Loc Dana-design clutch type ltd slips: www.precisiongear.com
-Ford Traction-Loc clutch type ltd slip: www.fordracingparts.com
-Torsen torque sensing worm-gear ltd slip: www.torsen.com

For additional information about axles, gears and differentials, visit these websites:

www.reiderracing.com
www.ring-pinion.com
www.precisiongear.com

Have fun reading!

 

Hey Meathead,

Sort of a dumb question but,.....

Did you insure that you got the same ratio axle as was the original?

If not then you will have problems when in 4x4 as there will be too large of a ratio mis-match between front and rear axles.

Lee

 

Lee,
yes I did get the same ratio as the stock set up but, as I am sort of new to
4 Wheeling, the guy at the salvage yard misslead me in saying the "L" stood for locking.

 

meathead, if that has the factory traction lock in it, you can rebuild it easily enough. A clutch kit runs about $50.

 

Only limited slips have cluches, thus the slip. lockers have cogs, that lock under load.

 

from the powertrax site

Limited Slip/Posi's
Limited-slip differentials behave very much like open differentials. Through various forms of friction mechanisms, they transfer a relatively small amount of power to the non-slipping wheel. They are generally smooth and quiet, but as the name implies, performance improvement is limited. Friction clutches reduce gas mileage, degrade under normal driving conditions, easily overheat when slipping and usually wear out rapidly becoming useless. The clutch packs require that friction/silencer additives be added to the differential fluid, which reduces overall lubrication effectiveness. Despite the marginal traction benefits offered by limited-slip/posi differentials, consumers have had little alternative but to accept the limited-slip/posi differential options offered by vehicle manufacturers, for marginal traction improvement, in lieu of conventional open differentials.
TOP

Lockers
Locking differentials, in effect, lock the two drive wheels together -- somewhat like "spools" that solidly connect the axles together. When powering straight ahead, engine power is equally delivered to both drive wheels. However, unlike spools that will not differentiate when turning and are therefore not streetable, lockers allow full wheel differentiation when cornering. Unlike the poor traction characteristics of open or limited-slip/posi differentials, when one wheel looses traction, locking differentials deliver engine power, not to the slipping wheel, but to the wheel with the highest amount of traction. Although locking differentials deliver excellent traction output and allow full wheel differentiation when turning, they are notoriously harsh and noisy. Disengagement is abrupt, you can hear a ratcheting noise when cornering depending on the background engine noise, engagement is delayed, and significant backlash (slop) is added to the driveline.

Used primarily in heavy industrial applications, that can be more forgiving than passenger cars or trucks, lockers have been adopted out of necessity by extreme off-road and performance-racing enthusiasts despite their harsh drawbacks. Until the development of the Powertrax®

 

Powertrax paints a slightly more dismal picture of the clutch-type limited slip than is realistic, but they are basically on-target. There are some good clutch type limited slips out there that work good and last a long time. The Dana Power-Loc is one of them. I have that one in the Bronco.

I also have the Powertrax Lock Right in the back of my F350. It operates as they described and works excellent off-road. Without re-reading their website, they are probably speaking to the benefits of thier NoSlip locker, which has softer engagement than the Lock Right and famous Detroit Locker automatic lockers but locks up in the same way as they do. I'm quite happy with my Lock Right .