How durable are the factory TJ Rubicon lockers?

[Pchaz1]

So this topic has lots of discussion but I can't find my issue in any of them. My stock rear locker doesn't work reliably but there are no other symptoms. No noises when driving on the road at all. The lights on the dash work correctly. I push it down once and the light for the rear blinks for a second then goes solid. Push the switch down a 2nd time and the front does the same thing. The fronts work perfect all the time. The pumps seem to work correctly. When I activate the rear locker the pump turns on for a second or two and then shuts off. I removed the hose from the pump and it ran until i covered the nipple with my finger. I then removed the line from the diff and the same thing. The only thing I notice is once in a while I hear a blurp from the pump and that happens even when I block the nozzle at the pump. Now this is like every minute or 2 and only for a split second. Is it possible the pump is bad and that is causing my issue or can this be more involved inside the gears. How would I test the pump to see if its the issue? I did have the front pump connected to the rear locker on the trail and had the same results except the lights on the dash would blink until both front and rear were activated and then they would go solid. Everyone I talk to tells me to just change it to a detroit auto lock and move on but I really want the lockers to stay stock if possible. I run 33's and have a 4 inch lift. I will be going to 35's with the next set of tires. Any thoughts would be appriciated.
Thanks,

 

[toximus]

So this topic has lots of discussion but I can't find my issue in any of them. My stock rear locker doesn't work reliably but there are no other symptoms. No noises when driving on the road at all. The lights on the dash work correctly. I push it down once and the light for the rear blinks for a second then goes solid. Push the switch down a 2nd time and the front does the same thing. The fronts work perfect all the time. The pumps seem to work correctly. When I activate the rear locker the pump turns on for a second or two and then shuts off. I removed the hose from the pump and it ran until i covered the nipple with my finger. I then removed the line from the diff and the same thing. The only thing I notice is once in a while I hear a blurp from the pump and that happens even when I block the nozzle at the pump. Now this is like every minute or 2 and only for a split second. Is it possible the pump is bad and that is causing my issue or can this be more involved inside the gears. How would I test the pump to see if its the issue? I did have the front pump connected to the rear locker on the trail and had the same results except the lights on the dash would blink until both front and rear were activated and then they would go solid. Everyone I talk to tells me to just change it to a detroit auto lock and move on but I really want the lockers to stay stock if possible. I run 33's and have a 4 inch lift. I will be going to 35's with the next set of tires. Any thoughts would be appriciated.
Thanks,

To recap your only problem is that it buzzes every few minutes or did I miss something?

It sounds like it isn't holding pressure. Go down the length of hose with a spray bottle of soapy water until you find a leak.

 

[Pchaz1]

To recap your only problem is that it buzzes every few minutes or did I miss something?

It sounds like it isn't holding pressure. Go down the length of hose with a spray bottle of soapy water until you find a leak.

Well the pump will do that buzz even with just my finger on it and no hose. I would just replace the pump but the problem is that even when I hook the front pump to the rear locker (which doesn't buzz every few minutes) the locker doesn't work when I need it to. Its really frustrating because everyone just keeps telling me to replace it. I might have to but I would much rather find the problem which I'm sure would be cheaper. I will go back through the hose and pump checks and maybe just attach a new hose and make sure the plugs aren't seated tight . Then I will see what result I get after that. Is there a part that's know for breaking in the gears that would result in the locker not working but otherwise drive with no issues?

 

[mrblaine]

Well the pump will do that buzz even with just my finger on it and no hose. I would just replace the pump but the problem is that even when I hook the front pump to the rear locker (which doesn't buzz every few minutes) the locker doesn't work when I need it to. Its really frustrating because everyone just keeps telling me to replace it. I might have to but I would much rather find the problem which I'm sure would be cheaper. I will go back through the hose and pump checks and maybe just attach a new hose and make sure the plugs aren't seated tight . Then I will see what result I get after that. Is there a part that's know for breaking in the gears that would result in the locker not working but otherwise drive with no issues?

What makes you believe it isn't locking when it is supposed to and have you done a tire off the ground test?

 

[Jcraig]

The rear locker is not weaker. The fact that it is a gear driven limited slip is the problem. When you work them hard like hotrodding around corners on the street or larger tires offroad, it tends to destroy the small drive gears and the pieces take out the locker. The best way to protect them is to turn them on and engage them when you get on the trail and turn them off when you get off the trail.

Does the same advice apply to both auto and manual trans?

 

[Pchaz1]

What makes you believe it isn't locking when it is supposed to and have you done a tire off the ground test?

I went Wheeling this past weekend with a large group and the rear tires would not lock in. It really put me in some bad spots so I ended up having to bail off the trail and I did some damage to my rig because of it. I have not lifted it up yet but I did quite a bit of on the ground testing Saturday and could not get it to lock in it. I do have plans to bring it in the garage at some point this week to get it up off all 4's. Just putting together a list of what to check once I do that.

 

[mrblaine]

I went Wheeling this past weekend with a large group and the rear tires would not lock in. It really put me in some bad spots so I ended up having to bail off the trail and I did some damage to my rig because of it. I have not lifted it up yet but I did quite a bit of on the ground testing Saturday and could not get it to lock in it. I do have plans to bring it in the garage at some point this week to get it up off all 4's. Just putting together a list of what to check once I do that.

That makes no sense. Put a jack under one side in the back, lift a tire off the ground, flip the switch and then turn the tire. It locks or it doesn't and that tells you more than anything else you can do. If it isn't locking when it should and you have air going to it and the compressor isn't cycling, that leaves it internal to the diff. Compressor not cycling tells you that it isn't the little rubber air line and it isn't the actuator. That doesn't leave much except the shift ring and bits of broken LS gears in there locking everything up so it can't shift. If everything to the locker is good that is supposed to make it lock, the tire test shows it not locking, then open the diff and look for bits of broken LS gears.

 

[mrblaine]

Does the same advice apply to both auto and manual trans?

How do the locker know what trans is in front of it?

 

[Pchaz1]

That makes no sense. Put a jack under one side in the back, lift a tire off the ground, flip the switch and then turn the tire. It locks or it doesn't and that tells you more than anything else you can do. If it isn't locking when it should and you have air going to it and the compressor isn't cycling, that leaves it internal to the diff. Compressor not cycling tells you that it isn't the little rubber air line and it isn't the actuator. That doesn't leave much except the shift ring and bits of broken LS gears in there locking everything up so it can't shift. If everything to the locker is good that is supposed to make it lock, the tire test shows it not locking, then open the diff and look for bits of broken LS gears.

Perfect. Thank you for your suggestions. That's exactly what I am going to do. I kind of figured that from the beginning but I just wanted to poke at all talent since I don't have much experience diagnosing locker issues. I've always hit the button and it worked. It's awesome when it works . Once I figure all this out I'll come back on and post my findings. Thanks again for everybody's input.

 

[Jcraig]

How do the locker know what trans is in front of it?

Just wishful thinking. Thanks for the reply.

 

[g.hayduke]

And make sure the right air pump is connected to the correct locker. I found your bit about hooking them up backwards really confusing. Just so you understand, the switch controls the locker pumps individually. The lights on the dash are controlled by switches installed in the front and rear diffs. The locker switches are actuated by the actual locker parts inside the diff.

When a locker is engaged, the pump will do what it has to do to maintain correct air pressure in the line to the locker. Some cycling of the pump is not really a problem. If the pump is running continuously or more than a short burst every so often while the locker is engaged, then you have a leak somewhere you need to fix.

 

[Grant Lasson]

Conditions under which the rear Rubi locker fails...I rarely use lockers as I prefer to try first without. A lot of So. Utah trails are doable that way. Two Memorial Days ago I did the Escalante side of the Hole-in-the-Rock trail to Lake Powell. For anyone that's done it it is memorable as one of the most miserable dirt roads in existence. If I remember, it is about 30 miles out--almost constant deep washboard.

I ran it without lockers and did it as fast as possible given all conditions. When I got back to the camp, my spiders were gone and my LS differential became a locked differential. Fortunately, I trailored the Jeep down and overall it wasn't anything other than expensive to fix. I replaced front and rear with ARB.

I guess the point I'm asking/raising is this: does running w/o lockers on gear-driven LSD increase the risk of failure? My hypothesis is that it does. The spiders are weaker than the locker and the stress put on LSD from hard trail running does periodically break them. If I had locked the rear, I don't think it would have blown up.

What say you?

 

[AndyG]

I would not shelve an operable set of Rubicon lockers for aftermarket.

Even 13-16 years old , there were a lot produced and problems just aren't that common .

Word was they are actually Japanese made , but please don't take my word for it ...I can't remember the source for that information .

 

[Brianj5600]

My rear is locked almost all the time when I'm on anything more than a dirt road. It seems like practically all failures are happening with the locker off.

 

[jjvw]

They are Japanese lockers.

FWiW, after breaking the rear locker I ran two seasons with just the front locker and rear LSD, and did a bunch of stuff I probably shouldn't have. I was careful too avoid too much wheel spin and I got pretty good use from the winch.

 

[Pchaz1]

And make sure the right air pump is connected to the correct locker. I found your bit about hooking them up backwards really confusing. Just so you understand, the switch controls the locker pumps individually. The lights on the dash are controlled by switches installed in the front and rear diffs. The locker switches are actuated by the actual locker parts inside the diff.

When a locker is engaged, the pump will do what it has to do to maintain correct air pressure in the line to the locker. Some cycling of the pump is not really a problem. If the pump is running continuously or more than a short burst every so often while the locker is engaged, then you have a leak somewhere you need to fix.

Just a note but I purchased this used and the pumps were already switched. My lockers always worked when I purchased this vehicle but lights were kind of funky and now I know why. I could go into detail but when trying to diagnose issues from the trail last weekend I watched a video and noticed that my air hoses were swapped. When I put them on correctly the lights on the dash started working correctly. Ultimately after doing all the checks this morning I am convinced something is wrong in the diff. No leaks and pumps are working correctly. I guess the next step is to open the cover and see whats going on. To me that's funny because other than taking a gear set out and putting the same gear set back into a diff I have no other experience working on one. I guess I will be on the green to moderate trails until I get this figured out.

 

[one100bill]

Hello,

New to the forum and came across this thread due to my 06 LJR lockers not engaging. Will go underneath today and hope I am able to fix the issue. Was about to purchase 2 new pumps but after reading this thread I’ll try and troubleshoot. Hopefully @David Kishpaugh has items for sale if I need new/used pumps/parts. Since I’m new, not sure I am able to contact members. Thank you all, great forum with lots of great information. Will post back soon.

 

[Pchaz1]

Hello,

New to the forum and came across this thread due to my 06 LJR lockers not engaging. Will go underneath today and hope I am able to fix the issue. Was about to purchase 2 new pumps but after reading this thread I’ll try and troubleshoot. Hopefully @David Kishpaugh has items for sale if I need new/used pumps/parts. Since I’m new, not sure I am able to contact members. Thank you all, great forum with lots of great information. Will post back soon.

There are some pretty good videos online that will help you with basic information and checks that you can do with your lockers. Unfortunately in my case I have to either replace them since they are not rebuildable or change them to a different style. I am going to upgrade the rear lockers since they have to be replaced anyway. This is not a project I will do on my own so I reached out 2ct axle in Ellington Connecticut and they are working up some prices on different options. Good luck and hopefully yours doesn't need to be replaced. Most issues are simple.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Hello,

New to the forum and came across this thread due to my 06 LJR lockers not engaging. Will go underneath today and hope I am able to fix the issue. Was about to purchase 2 new pumps but after reading this thread I’ll try and troubleshoot. Hopefully @David Kishpaugh has items for sale if I need new/used pumps/parts. Since I’m new, not sure I am able to contact members. Thank you all, great forum with lots of great information. Will post back soon.

Two thoughts... most Rubicon locker failures are from nothing more than an air leak somewhere between the compressor and locker. A leak would be indicated by the compressor(s) running continually and not shutting off.

Also know that your lockers will not engage unless you're in 4Lo, they will not engage when you're in 2wd or 4Hi.

 

[one100bill]

Thank you both for the prompt replies @Pchaz1 and @Jerry Bransford. Just got under and tested both air pupms. Testing - turned them on and unplugged the output hose (small hose) from each pump and both pumps had air coming out. As soon as I cover the nipples with my thumb from where air was coming out, the pumps stopped pumping meaning they are working? Correct?

The problem was in the rear differential. The nipple coming out of the differential where the hose connects to is leaking air. It’s corroded and leaks. The front is also corroded but does not leak and the pump for the front locker does stop after a second or two so seems to be working.

Where may I purchase these fittings snd how hard are they to replace? Is it even possible? Also what are they called so that I can start looking into it. And finally, does the front locker lock/engage if the rear locker does not? I was not able to get the front locker to stop blinking.

I did swerve slowly down the street but couldn’t get front locker indicator to stop blinking. The rear locker indicator I understand wont stop flashing due to the leak.

Thank you in advance for any and all of your help.