Locking Rear Differential

word... i use my locker a lot when i wheel and i offroad at least once or twice a month...

i engage it when at a dead stop, then turn the wheel back and forth as i slowly roll forward... the light will blink if its not engaged, but when it engages, you will hear the reaf diff click and the light will go solid...

once locked, you can drive at full speed... just remember to disengage before taking it on the street... i made that mistake once when i left the dirt to get gas and turns onroad locked are quite interesting...

as for disengaging, i make it a habit to again come to a complete stop, then hit the button, then roll forward, turning the steering wheel left and right until the light turns off...

 

Mine engages nice and smooth at 50 mph on a flat stretch of road. I've used it enough to break it in so it's a smooth transition. In fact, it kicks in faster than 4WD if I need just a little extra traction (red lights on wet pavement, steep hills, etc).

Personally, I like having my locker in the snow. I've used it a few times on bad roads with less than perfect tires to keep the truck straight and cut the fish tailing. Granted it's a fine line between keeping it straight and power sliding, but it was better than 1 wheel spinning and pulling to the side.

 

Keep in mind that while turning in 2wd the front wheels spin at a different speed than the rear. Thus the different set of tracks if you drive through water, mud, snow, etc. The rear tracks inside the arc the front wheels follow.

Now, when you have 4wd engage the front and rear wheels are forced to try to spin at the same speed due to the drive shaft and transfer case. Nothing in the drive line allows the front and rear to have different speeds to compensate for turning. That's the difference between "4WD" and "AWD". We have a locked transfer case while AWD cars have an open transfer case that allows the front and rear to have different speeds. Some even allow you to change the power ratio from 50/50 front/rear to 40/60 f/r, etc.

So if you're trying to turn on pavement in 4wd a few things happen:

• driveline bind up can break the drive shaft if nothing else gives first
• tires hop/chirp as they're forced to spin faster than they should
• steering is harder and you may have to give it more gas to keep it from stalling or not moving

 

ya ur right i forgot to mention it will void the warrenty on ur truck if u have one

 

Depends on what you're trying to get covered under warranty. Dealer has to show your mod(s) caused the particular problem. Google the
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.

 

The only other selectable locker (besides the factory one) is an ARB which requires an air compressor, tank, lines, actuators, etc. The other options are various lockers that are engaged all the time, but rachet to allow the wheels to turn at different speeds while cornering.

Either way, you'd have to replace the LSD with the locker.

 

I thought the ARB was an open diff when unlocked? Either way, the factory e-locker is an open diff when unlocked.

 

You can't do it (with factory stuff). The non locked rear is an 8.4" and the locked is a 8".

 

You are correct.

The ARB is an open diff when not engaged.

 

There is no auto locker. The factory e-locker is a push button electronic locker (which, btw, can be engaged with a screw driver if the actuator fails unlike an ARB). The LSD is simply a limited slip differential using clutch pads that will eventually wear down, and can be practically useless if you have 1 wheel in the air. The LSD will NOT lock the rear axle. Some people have gotten around that by working the brakes to slow the spin of the wheel in the air to transfer power to the wheel with traction, but it's not the perfect solution.

 

Yeah, there is those as well. Don't know much about them myself.