Brand new ARB locker leaking air

Sounds like you have a seal Or two gone but I’m definitely not a mechanic. Please keep us informed.

 

Have the 8” front lockers been an issue with leaking? I am planning on getting a front locker with new gears soon, and I keep seeing stories how the arb units tend to leak. I’m considering a Harrop for the front now instead but they are a $450 premium over the ARB...

(I already have an ARB twin)

 

ARB are world standards but I would do research beyond TW. but hey, if you already have the compressor why not? I heard about problems with them all

 

yeah true and I have the manifold already too....I guess if it fails ECGS will take care of me.

 

The way I understand it, the seals fail due to constant wear while driving, because something is always spinning against the seal. Just how it’s designed. With our ADD system in the front, the ring and pinion dont spin in 2wd.

not sure if this translates to that seal not being worn against, but thats my theory for why front lockers leaking is way less common.

 

ARB sent me some seals and is asking me to pay labor costs for the install. They say I can submit the invoice to petition ARB to cover the labor costs.

I am trying to get ARB to settle with the gear shop directly but it is not going well. Have you guys been successful getting reimbursement from ARB?

 

Dang it! Did you go through ARB and file a warranty claim? I’m about to do the same damn thing tomorrow, and I’m also discussing the 3rd rear differential with a botched seal ...

 

i contacted ARB before getting anything repaired. i provided a serial number and they told me to get the locker fixed and send them the bill. maybe there was a bad batch? they took 4-5 weeks to pay after submitting an invoice but it was fairly painless.

 

Boy am I glad I found this thread. I had an air locker installed in May and the seal was busted almost immediately after getting it installed.

From the advice here I called ARB and they're sending me some new seals. From there I guess I get it repaired at the shop of my choice, the shop jots-down the Serial # for me while they're in there, and then I send the bill + serial to ARB and they'll reimburse some of the labor. I just need to hope my serial number falls within the "defective seal" window. I don't have the box anymore so I have to crack it open to find the serial #. Kind of a gamble but better than a busted locker.

 

If it was purchased in May odds are higher that the install was botched. There's a chance it's an old one that qualifies for reimbursement so I hope that's it for your sake. Was the original install done by a quality shop?

 

Got quoted $865 for labor to tear down the rear and fix the seal. I am like 90% sure ARB is going to tell me to piss off with that quote.

 

they covered my repair bill of $900. i think geographic region comes into play.

 

Kicking this dead horse and adding my name to the list of

$1,110 RD129 Air Locking Differential

RD129 failures...
(locker purchased end of 2018, installed Summer 2020)

ARB is refusing to pay labor costs on my 2nd bonded seal failure. Living in Canada, ECGS costs more than having a local gear shop do the work, so I went with that route. For the first failure (2020) I just took the truck to the gear shop for diagnosing, they found that the bonded seal was the cause and they ordered in a replacement and I was on my way. ARB fought me on that first warranty claim because apparently I should've contacted them FIRST. Anyways, after many emails they finally did the right thing and sent me a cheque ($658 CAD). A year later (2021) and maybe three locker engagements since and it's failed again. This time, dealing with the same customer service rep, they are refusing to cover labor costs claiming that they have no way of knowing if the shop installed the revised seal and that they were doing be a "FAVOUR" to be nice the first time. Their supplier of seals shitting the bed is definitely not a ME problem IMO.

Anyone successfully won this warranty battle? Do I ditch this customer services rep and try another one? Wisdom is greatly appreciated!

 

Damn I just got my arb locker installed and am gravely concerned. Even the gear shop guy who did my install said even the new arb locker seals are defective and its just a luck of the draw. Shame on you arb for making a shit product and yes I will call it shit due to the high rate of failure. If it's one of two guys we can call it a fluke when tons of guys are getting it it's shit

 

3 years on mine. No leaks.

But I agree ARB is all mouth no action. Their stuff simply is not heavy duty as it seems. I think over in Australia they laugh at stupid yanks buying ARB junk.

 

They had a bad run of seals back in the day. I’ve got arbs front and rear and both seem to be working good. My installer replaced the original seals in both during the install.

 

My install from 2020 is still problem and leak free. The 20 year old one in the trail rig is still going strong too.

 

Super reassuring! I keep thinking a matter of "when'.

 

We had both front and rear diffs put in 3 years ago. The front diff has been perfect. Rear diff after a few months, started leaking a tiny bit of oil up through the air line into the compressor and also out the diff breather. Finally had the rear diff rebuilt. It looks like the original installer did an okay job but possibly it was a seal that went bad. Had it repaired in England for £580, about $700.

It also didn't want to be unlocked but now it works great. Figured it was time to get this thing repaired before we head into Africa this winter.

 

I'm a year in with gears and ARB lockers from ECGS with no issues at all. Many trips and many engagements.
I had what I thought was a leaking issue on a recent trip but it turns out with all the bouncing around over time both my lines had wiggled themselves out a little, not completely from the solenoids at the manifold. It might be a good idea to put that connection on a monthly PM to make sure the lines are seated in correctly.