Daily Driver, Go Where I Want To Build

The bad news is that my rear factory locker has failed. The locking plates are not meshing together and just skate over each other. There were metal flakes in the diff housing.

Fortunately the LSD still works and the Jeep is fully drivable until I can fix it.
 
jjvw said:
The bad news is that my rear factory locker has failed. The locking plates are not meshing together and just skate over each other. There were metal flakes in the diff housing.

Fortunately the LSD still works and the Jeep is fully drivable until I can fix it.
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Are you still able to get parts, or are you going to need to replace the whole thing with with an ARB or something? That has been in the back of my mind lately and a big reason I decided to stick with 33s
 
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I most likely won't repair this one. New parts are not available and I want to trust what is back there. I don't know if mine was having trouble when I bought the Jeep 5 years ago, but I have never liked how finicky it was to lock and unlock.

I'm looking at the ARB RD117 so I can reuse the ring gear.

An Eaton E locker is interesting, but I don't know enough about their reliability.
 
With the Jeep not suitable for tougher trails, I rode along with tworley on Sunday to run Holy Cross. This is a great trail and it was fun being a passenger for once. I hope to bring mine up to Cleveland Rock someday soon. Read more about it here...
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/tworley-build.10974/#post-208882

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This is a good video comparing the Eaton e locker, ARB, and TJM (which I am unfamiliar with).


I never knew about the Eaton unlocking for a partial wheel rotation when going into reverse. That characteristic immediately rules the e locker out.
 
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jjvw said:
With the Jeep not suitable for tougher trails
Click to expand...

What does it need to be suitable for tougher trails? Seems like you've already got a good setup.

jjvw said:
This is a good video comparing the Eaton e locker, ARB, and TJM (which I am unfamiliar with).


I never knew about the Eaton unlocking for a partial wheel rotation when going into reverse. That characteristic immediately rules the e locker out.
Click to expand...

I wonder if there is a reason though for the Eaton doing that.
 
What's the problem with it partially disengaging in reverse? does it re-engage when you move forward?
 
bobthetj03 said:
What's the problem with it partially disengaging in reverse? does it re-engage when you move forward?
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The e locker will reengage within half a tire rotation, but that is a lot of distance to not be locked. That would be a problem for what I need lockers for. And it seems like if wheel spin is involved during that open spot then damage could happen.

Once the ARB is locked, it stays locked until the air is cut off.
 
jjvw said:
The bad news is that my rear factory locker has failed. The locking plates are not meshing together and just skate over each other. There were metal flakes in the diff housing.

Fortunately the LSD still works and the Jeep is fully drivable until I can fix it.
Click to expand...
What tipped you off initially as to the locker not meshing right, did you notice something while wheelin or would it not engage when u hit the locker switch?
 
KCsTJ said:
What tipped you off initially as to the locker not meshing right, did you notice something while wheelin or would it not engage when u hit the locker switch?
Click to expand...
The dash light would not stay solid, I couldn't feel it while driving and the people around me said the rear wasn't locked.

When I finally pulled the cover, we found metal flakes. And when we tried to engage the locker, we could see and hear the light rumble of the two halves not meshing.
 
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jjvw said:
The dash light would not stay solid, I couldn't feel it while driving and the people around me said the rear wasn't locked.

When I finally pulled the cover, we found metal flakes. And when we tried to engage the locker, we could see and hear the light rumble of the two halves not meshing.
Click to expand...
I know u can't say for sure until the rear diff is disassembled but do you have a theory or do u know by now the cause of the not meshing problem?
 
KCsTJ said:
I know u can't say for sure until the rear diff is disassembled but do you have a theory or do u know by now the cause of the not meshing problem?
Click to expand...
Hard to say. I do wonder if there has always been a problem since I've owned the Jeep. I've never been happy with how fussy the rear has been to lock, which makes me wonder if there was a bad spot in the plates and they never did fully engage. Perhaps this last trip was the final straw.

I would like to open the locker up to see and understand the damage. Obviously, that will have to wait until an ARB goes in. I'm just happy that I can still drive it.
 
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