Should I add air lockers?

[Knutsond]

I have a 1999 TJ Sport which I understand has a dayna 44 rear axel with True Track difff. In the intrested of moving forward (no pun intended) with limited funds, should i up grade the front axel to air locker now and try to get by with the rear with true tract.
Thanks for any input!
Dennis

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Verify that your rear is a Dana 44 or not before making any plans.

A Dana 44 has an apple/angular shaped differential cover with a steel threaded fill hole plug. This axle is suitable for a locker.

A Dana 35 has a perfectly oval shaped differential cover with a black plastic snap-in fill hole plug. In stock form this axle is not suitable for a locker.

 

[suicideking]

You'd be fine with air or an E locker.

 

[TWiG01]

Personally, I’d go E locker or even save some money with a powertrax no slip up front.

 

[DWR]

As a person with arb air lockers.... go electric locker or otherwise.

 

[Zorba]

You might want to consider a "Lunchbox" or "auto" locker for the front. Much cheaper, and they work fine from what folks here are telling me - as long as you're not driving in snow/ice.

 

[N_CARRERA_]

Im

As a person with arb air lockers.... go electric locker or otherwise.

Im close to being finished plumbing up my arb lockers I thought they were supposed to good any reason not to recommend them ?

 

[DWR]

Im

Im close to being finished plumbing up my arb lockers I thought they were supposed to good any reason not to recommend them ?

To many potential points of failure and issues. I currently can’t drive my Jeep because the front locker is forcing diff fluid up the pressure line and out the solenoid... they are great when they are working though.


maybe I’m sour about them... I bought my Jeep with them already installed so it may be issues just popping up but I’ve had to repair the air compressor, and need to replace the seals in the front and rear. The front started doing its thing recently... the rear had a small leak since I bought it.

 

[N_CARRERA_]

To many potential points of failure and issues. I currently can’t drive my Jeep because the front locker is forcing diff fluid up the pressure line and out the solenoid... they are great when they are working though.


maybe I’m sour about them... I bought my Jeep with them already installed so it may be issues just popping up but I’ve had to repair the air compressor, and need to replace the seals in the front and rear. The front started doing its thing recently... the rear had a small leak since I bought it.

yeah I had to cut a vent into the dana 30 since if they arent vented they tend to do that maybe the previous owner didnt do that but maybe to the OP get a rear arb since you have to do less and then a lunchbox in the front

 

[DWR]

yeah I had to cut a vent into the dana 30 since if they arent vented they tend to do that maybe the previous owner didnt do that but maybe to the OP get a rear arb since you have to do less and then a lunchbox in the front

would you mind posting a pic of the vent you cut? I have a suspicion that the prior owner didn’t do that

 

[Darkwing327]

yeah I had to cut a vent into the dana 30 since if they arent vented they tend to do that maybe the previous owner didnt do that but maybe to the OP get a rear arb since you have to do less and then a lunchbox in the front

I have ARB's front and back. Would like to know more about this. Which venting are you talking about? The Dana 30 in mine has a factory diff vent that comes up by the rad support. I also cut a lower drain slot when installing. The Dana 44 instructions for the rear said to do this, but by the time I noticed in the Dana 30 instructions it wasn't required, I had already cut it. Did I do something beneficial by accident?

 

[N_CARRERA_]

I have ARB's front and back. Would like to know more about this. Which venting are you talking about? The Dana 30 in mine has a factory diff vent that comes up by the rad support. I also cut a lower drain slot when installing. The Dana 44 instructions for the rear said to do this, but by the time I noticed in the Dana 30 instructions it wasn't required, I had already cut it. Did I do something beneficial by accident?

its on my build thread dont wanna steal posts especially from a local

 

[JRamboLJ]

To many potential points of failure and issues. I currently can’t drive my Jeep because the front locker is forcing diff fluid up the pressure line and out the solenoid... they are great when they are working though.


maybe I’m sour about them... I bought my Jeep with them already installed so it may be issues just popping up but I’ve had to repair the air compressor, and need to replace the seals in the front and rear. The front started doing its thing recently... the rear had a small leak since I bought it.

I have ARB on my 3rd gen 4runner and I have the same issue. The shop I trust said they must have goofed up the seal on install. I beat the ever living shit out of that 4runner and I've checked the rear with no issues. That truck has 300k. Not sure why it matters as long as your not running out of fluid? Hell it was leaking on Gold Mountain and I got home no problem. The fluid was still fairly full.

Not that i recommend but i still drive mine and have been for months...haha....

 

[tworley]

My ARBs have been pretty much maintenance free. I did have to replace the pressure switch after 5 years. The $7 dollar replacement has been great for the last year. I also had an oring on the seal housing fail. I cant blame ARB for that though as my rear ARB has seen many different gear setups, so it has been in/out so many times that it just plain wore out. $16 replacement if I remember. The poly tubing that comes with ARB is a hardened material that can take some serious abuse. It is not a weak, thin-walled tube.

If you are blowing out oil from the solenoid, it could be a # of things:

Plugged vent line. Your diff builds pressure when things are moving. If it cant vent easily it will take the path of least resistance.

To much gear oil ( I am guilty of this). The ARB takes up quite a bit of space in the diff. You fill with a bit less oil because of the space it takes up in the diff housing.

Not enough preload during the install--Gear oil can weep past the seal housing and be pushed thru the tubes.

Inadequate drainage. ARB specifically calls this out in their instructions. Some axles didnt have enough drainage, so now with a bigger carrier it fills an axle tube which results in a blocked line. Which again, path of least resistance, goes back thru the ARB line. Most likely this is your issue.