Rubicon locker binding

[Morks]

I have a rubicon 44 out of a tj in the rear of my jeep with the factory Rubi locker. So far after my driveway regear everything has been good for a few thousand km. All of the sudden today I went to turn left and got some binding followed by a pop. Stopped at the closest parking lot and was able to recreate it. Went home and checked all the suspension bolts, nothing loose. Put a white zip tie about 8" in length as far into the diff as possible and nothing but clean oil. So I engaged the locker and drove for a minute, disengaged and all gone... Going to drive for a bit and see what happens and have about 40km I have to drive tomorrow (can use my parent's car if I want). Should I be popping the cover to look for a messed-up regear on my end? LS teeth broken? Or can the locker bind in any way that'll make that happen with no other effects? Thanks for any and all help.

 

[JKP]

If the fill plug is overtightened, it can cause the locker to not engage or disengage completely. Yours may not have been completely disengaged.

 

[Morks]

If the fill plug is overtightened, it can cause the locker to not engage or disengage completely. Yours may not have been completely disengaged.

Definitely have read that. However, after a few thousand km after last touching the fill plug and wheeling trips using the locker I doubt that is the case.

 

[AndyG]

The number one problem is usually the sensor pin- Typically it gets to be on the wrong side of the flange during carrier install

The fact that you have some mileage on the vehicle and have not had problems would seem to indicate that is not the case

Being a Rubicon guy I would sure love to keep an eye on this and hear what you find out.

 

[Morks]

Did some running around and drove the piss out of the jeep. No noises... I will be tearing into it Sunday most likely to see if I can diagnose what went wrong if anything.

 

[AndyG]

Did some running around and drove the piss out of the jeep. No noises... I will be tearing into it Sunday most likely to see if I can diagnose what went wrong if anything.

If you plan to pull the carrier and all that before you do that you can unscrew the locker since your pin And see if it is catching on the locker flange- I think you can unscrew it and if it’s catching screw it back in and it’s going to stay in position but if you wiggle it out the only way you’re going to get it back on is to remove the carrier that you’re talking about doing that anyway- If you unscrew it and it falls out then that answers the question that you’re going to have to remove the carrier and go back into it and make sure you keep the locker center pin open while you put the carrier back in- A piece of spaghetti works well to do that and it will dissolve.

I hope this is making any sense and I wish you the best with it it scares me when I have any kind of differential noise.

 

[Morks]

Definitely know what you're saying. My jeep is not a rubicon and I know if I flip my locker switch it is locked, so that sensor pin doesn't affect me in any way (someone correct me if I am wrong). However, it was installed with the pin hooked right when I did it. Will crack it open, if there are no shavings or chunks I am gonna slap it together and run it. I do remember running across your fun situation when looking at regearing myself so I feel ya there lol.

 

[rasband]

The LSD is known to go bad in these carriers, it's possible yours did. Though I would expect it to be persistent (at least from the little I've read about it).

 

[Morks]

That is my thought. can I remove the LS gears from the locker and run it as an open carrier? I am going to look at what the locker looks like internally tomorrow morning to get a good idea of how it functions.

 

[jjvw]

That is my thought. can I remove the LS gears from the locker and run it as an open carrier? ...

No. Get an ARB.

 

[JKP]

That is my thought. can I remove the LS gears from the locker and run it as an open carrier? I am going to look at what the locker looks like internally tomorrow morning to get a good idea of how it functions.

No.

It's a torsen limited slip.

 

[Morks]

Well hopefully I don't hear a sound and there's nothing of the suspect when I pop it open. I will message the jeep parts guy buy me I know he bought a rubicon to part out 2 days ago

 

[rasband]

Well hopefully I don't hear a sound and there's nothing of the suspect when I pop it open. I will message the jeep parts guy buy me I know he bought a rubicon to part out 2 days ago

You can swap in the front carrier off another Rubicon. It's weaker than an ARB/eLocker but that may be enough for some folks.

 

[Morks]

So far have about 200km since that and not a single noise or issue (including doing some hill climbs and playing around in construction sites), dipped another white zip tie in and the oil came out clean. If I have another issue I will update the thread, for now, I will wait for the next batch of rubicon parts that go up for sale at a good price!

 

[jjvw]

So far have about 200km since that and not a single noise or issue (including doing some hill climbs and playing around in construction sites), dipped another white zip tie in and the oil came out clean. If I have another issue I will update the thread, for now, I will wait for the next batch of rubicon parts that go up for sale at a good price!

My timeline is a bit fuzzy. But I suspect the rear Rubicon LSD/locker on mine started to fail at the LSD about a year before it actually broke apart into chunks. I didn't understand it at the time, but I remember occasional moments in the garage or in a parking lot where there would be a hesitation during a slow speed maneuver. A couple of times, I actually got out to make sure I wasn't driving over something. But that was never the case.

Some time later, when the helical gears were actually breaking into pieces, a similar more severe and violent hesitation was happening. Basically, the diff would lock up during a turn and push the Jeep straight down the road. The tires would skip and chirp until whatever piece of metal was jamming the works broke up and got out of the way.

It was an unpleasant two weeks of daily driving to work and home until the ARB arrived and we were able to install it.

 

[Morks]

My timeline is a bit fuzzy. But I suspect the rear Rubicon LSD/locker on mine started to fail at the LSD about a year before it actually broke apart into chunks. I didn't understand it at the time, but I remember occasional moments in the garage or in a parking lot where there would be a hesitation during a slow speed maneuver. A couple of times, I actually got out to make sure I wasn't driving over something. But that was never the case.

Some time later, when the helical gears were actually breaking into pieces, a similar more severe and violent hesitation was happening. Basically, the diff would lock up during a turn and push the Jeep straight down the road. The tires would skip and chirp until whatever piece of metal was jamming the works broke up and got out of the way.

It was an unpleasant two weeks of daily driving to work and home until the ARB arrived and we were able to install it.

If I lock it would it stop the LS gears from being used? I assume so. Just need it to make the winter!

 

[jjvw]

If I lock it would it stop the LS gears from being used? I assume so. Just need it to make the winter!

Correct. And doing exactly that is fine for as much as you can stand it.

One thing that is quite clear once you have the factory locker next to an ARB is how much larger and better fabricated the ARB is. It inspires a confidence that I look forward to putting in the front of mine some day.

 

[Morks]

Absolutely, so it sounds like that locker is staying locked lol.

 

[jjvw]

Absolutely, but as a uni student just doing what I have has been a HUGE investment was hoping not to do anything until I am ready for tons or have a tow rig lol. Sounds like that locker is being locked!

As long as you aren't locking it in situations where a locker can get you into trouble. Remember, a locked differential in a slippery section will always find the low spot. Out here, on a snow covered shelf road, that can mean over the edge of a 1000 foot cliff.

 

[Morks]

No cliffs here, barely any ditches. It'll definitely stay unlocked during snow storms, other than that should not have any issues.