8.8 posi trick
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8.8 posi trick
I don't know if anyone has done this before but it works great did it on my 90 bronco, but it should work on any 8.8 and almost every ford explorer at the junk yard has a posi to steel parts from.Its very cheap and easy to take the stock posi with 3 clutches and install 4 clutches to increase the friction area .The trick is to take the stock steels (they look thick but are two thin ones stuck together)Bang them on the bench and they will separate. then start with a friction up against the side gear then a thin steel,friction ,steel,friction ,steel ,friction and then put the thin thrust washer last. this stack is the exact same hight as the original but now you have extra friction area. It may even be possible to do this with the carrier in place but I had already pulled my carrier out and had it on the bench. I was able to remove the spring with the ring gear in place and change the clutches but since I was by myself I could not get the spring back without help,no way to hold the carrier a block of wood and the hammer to drive the spring back at the same time ,I needed a helper. So I removed the ring gear put it in the press and pushed the spring in that way .the most expensive part of the job was the gear oil.
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Yes I have done this on both my trucks and the improvement was impressive. I just restacked the clutch packs with the rear cover off the diff utilizing junkyard friction plates. It still works great 5 years later.
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I have lockers now, so I dont need this. But I have to say it sounds interesting. When I use to run the limited slips, I changed clutches several times in eight years. I wish I heard about this then. Good Hint!
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reply for kameronth ,adding additional clutches increases the friction area and in theory should provide additional resistance to slipping ,also having additional friction area means the clutches should last longer before needing replacement,and the cost for this improvment is next to nothing, it is not as good as a locker but its cheap and pretty effective ,another thing you can do make it work even better is refill the diff with standard gear oil , do not use oil for limited slip axles ,limited slip oil has additives to allow the clutches to slip without chattering, with standard gear oil the clutches don't like to slip you can actually feel them when your turning a corner almost feels like a locker.
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Originally Posted by kameronth
What is the advantage of doing this?
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Originally Posted by Conanski
My truck now provides near locker performance, if you get into it with 1 tire on dirt and the other on pavement it spins both equally.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Bonita Springs FL
No, that's not what a limited slip does. 
The best any traction device can do (in these trucks, anyway) is to distribute power evenly between the wheels. There is no mechanism for detecting which wheel has more traction and send more than 50% of the power that way.
The best any traction device can do (in these trucks, anyway) is to distribute power evenly between the wheels. There is no mechanism for detecting which wheel has more traction and send more than 50% of the power that way.
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In theroy, there should be more tire ware. But in practice, I have had no additional tire ware with a locker. My lockers will lock if I breathe on the throttle. The limited slip would not be worse unless you put a lot of preload on the clutches. (In that case, they probubly wouldnt last)
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Longwood, Fl
trac locks
One disadvantage I found on my old van (D 61) when I added a trac lock is that the limited slip will always be slipping unless your rear tires are exactly the same circumference. The tires should wear the same because the slippage is in the clutches. Also, every turn (as is city driving) will cause slippage of the clutches. It will generally be a small amount, but the tires rotate at slightly different speeds--even if the same size. The larger (in circumference), the tire, the greater the slippage. This slippage is inherent with that design.
The clutch unit I think I like the best is the Dana "Powerlock" clutch type. On it, the clutches engage very lightly until a torque difference is detected between axles, which causes a crosspin to increase lockup.
I would like to have a "soft" locker---got any laying around helirich
The clutch unit I think I like the best is the Dana "Powerlock" clutch type. On it, the clutches engage very lightly until a torque difference is detected between axles, which causes a crosspin to increase lockup.
I would like to have a "soft" locker---got any laying around helirich
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Theres all kinds of posi,s lockers,and spools, some will cause more tire wear than others ,If money was no object i would have bought the ARB air lockers ,for my application I'm using My bronco to plow my driveway in the winter, I put a lockright locker in the front and decided to use the stock posi in the back I just added the clutches to improve the perfomance a little bit and it cost less than $20.00 to do it and the gear oil was most of that, I figured the posi would be a little more freindly on the ice than a locker or a spool, My gravel driveway is long and steep and freezes solid ice in the winter right now my nieghbor plows it for me but he has trouble since he has open diffs front and back,gets stuck alot and can only plow down hill when snow is deep, If I was using my truck for something else like rock crawling or mud I probally have spools front and back. .one drawback of have lockers front and back is when you get stuck your really F*^*ed
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