Autolocker for JK rear diff .....

[TRBN8R]

Hi guys,

Last trip I really missed some sort of locker in my Jeep. It is a 2008 JKU sport auto with 2 inch lift running 285-70-17 MTZs, diff ratios 3.73. I cant afford a air locker or elocker (Too much money going into other stuff at the moment). Front dana 30 is too weak to run any lockers without significant mods. So I am thinking of putting some sort of autolocker in the rear D44. If the experts can comment on the feasibility and pros and cons of it. Also if u can suggest decent priced brands. And if it can be done in the frontyard.

Any suggestions and comments are welcome.

Thanx in advance

Mani

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[Cpage66]

You preferring a lunch box or a full locker like a Detroit? In the little XJ I'm running a Detroit in the rear and a Spartan lunch box type in the front. In the WJ, I run an Aussie Locker lunch box type in the rear and have for quite a few years now without any problems.
I'd call Wooders and see what lunchbox types are out there for the JK. Unlike the full Detroit, you don't need to replace the carrier with a lunch box locker. I did run the Truetrac for a while in the front of the WJ and it was a pretty stout beast. Lots of people in the States run the Truetrac in the rear diffs...

[TRBN8R]

You preferring a lunch box or a full locker like a Detroit?

Dont know Chris. All depends on the money. With the detroits I believe I have to pay someone to do the swap,whereas in Aussie locker style lockers I believe I can do it myself. Also if some one can comment on its effect on the esp system and daily driving behavior on road....



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[TRBN8R]

Just ordered a Truetrack for the rear end.... traction control and truetrac will hopefully get me thru most of the stuff I wanna do.... eventually gonna go for an e locker in the front as well but probably next year....

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[Cpage66]

Just ordered a Truetrack for the rear end.... traction control and truetrac will hopefully get me thru most of the stuff I wanna do.... eventually gonna go for an e locker in the front as well but probably next year....

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Good stuff!

[TRBN8R]

Hi Guys,

I wanted some better traction aid than the factory traction control and recently got a TrueTrac fitted to the rear diff of my JKU after much reading. I had three options

1. Lunchbox Autolocker like AussieLocker etc.
2. Gear Driven LSD like Truetrac (the one I went with)
3. Proper locker Eaton E Locker

My main criteria was Money, Effectiveness and stress on the drivetrain, Relatively Less Complicated Setup, Ease of maintenance, Minimum chances of failure and vehicle immobilization off road.



1. Money:
Autolocker: Cheapest Approx $500
TrueTrac: Medium $750
Eaton E Locker: Approx $1100

2. Effectiveness and stress on the drive train:
Autolocker: Very effective. Provide 100% lockup. Will engage and disengage while turning. May be noisy in operation. Relatively higher stress on the drive train.
TrueTrac:Will not provide 100% lockup but will provide a high percentage of torque to the wheel with traction as long as the other wheel is on the ground. This effect can also be attained by partial application of the handbrake so very suitable for rear diff applications. Also in most circumstances you lift the front wheel as most of the weight is transferred on the rear axle forcing the rear wheels on the ground. Least stress on the drivetrain.
Eaton E Locker: Most effective setup, provides 100% lockup on command. Big advantage is that it is selectable, so you can have open diffs when you dont need the locker. No stress on the drivetrain when disengaged

3. Relatively Less Complicated Setup:
Autolocker: Easiest to setup. Can be done in you front yard as it retains the carrier and only the spider gearsare swapped with the new components.
TrueTrac: Medium. Will need a professional shop to set up as the whole carrier will need to be replaced. The ring will have to be reset (not technical terminology) with the pinion. We ran into an unexpected glitch here. The holes in the new carrier were 7/16 but on the original were 1/2". In addition the carrier was hardened. So it needed specialized tools and a bit more time to drill the holes out to 1/2" adding to the install cost.
Eaton E Locker: Most complicated of the three.It requires all the steps as above but in addition the diff housing needs to be drilled and wires need to be laid to operate the electric locking mechanism.

4. Ease of Maintenance:
Autolocker: Needs no maintenance but locking teeth are prone to wear and eventually need replacing.
TrueTrac: No maintenance required at all.
Eaton E Locker: Will need little maintenance as electronics is involved and solenoids etc can fail and if not routed properly the electric wires can wear and cause shorts and failure.

5. Minimum chances of failure and vehicle immobilization off road:
Autolocker: Failure will immobilize vehicle in most cases. As they normally go out with a bang.
TrueTrac: Will not immobilize vehicle. Worst case scenario you will have open diffs. It does not engage with sudden force and will slip before the force reaches component breaking level.
Eaton E Locker: Failure is not common and most common failures will leave your vehicle with open diffs but drivable.


Based on the above research I decided to go ahead with the Truetrac. Although I have not come across many JKs in Australia use it but on recommendation fro Chris Covington and reading thru a lot of US Jeep forums (Where most people loved it) decided to go through with the purchase. It is a good tool for C+ to B+ grades but if you are venturing into the A, A+ category I will recommend installing the E Lockers.



Initial Impressions:


OffRoad:

On the recent trip to Lake Lyle I left the front swaybar connected so I can see a bit more use of the rear axle. On a couple of climbs on the Quarry and behind it I used to feel one of the rear wheel spin a bit and the electronic traction control grip the brake and let go again and again and some wheel spin was unavoidable. This time with the TrueTrac I felt a tiny bit of initial wheelspin probably less than one revolution of the wheel. In that spin the TrueTrac engaged and I could feel the rear axle act like a locked axle and I climbed up the hill with no further spin. I had the same experience on a few more climbs. The spin was so small that the traction control failed to detect it. Overall I was very happy with the behavior of the TrueTrac.

OnRoad:

On road the axle behaves just like an open diff and you will not feel any difference in driving.

Sometime when I used to turn right or left and accelerate from a standing start (like turning right on a traffic light when you find a bit of a gap in the oncoming traffic, or turning left from a connecting road onto a main road especially on a wet road) I used to feel the inside rear wheel spin and the whole traction control go into spasms. The traction control used to apply random braking on different wheels coupled with reducing the engine power trying to control the Jeep from going into a spin. This used to sometime leave me dangerously slow to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. Today I tried the same thing on a no traffic area of the road. I again felt a little bit of initial slip but then the axle acted like a locked axle. I could feel the tyre scrubbing on the road but the traction control failed to detect any slip and didnt go int a spas attack which was a very good unexpected outcome for me.

Hope this helps someone in similar circumstances as me....

Cheers

Mani

[Steve F]

No full autolocker option like the detroit? near on indestructible as they are a full carrier locker but the ease of use of the lunchbox lockers but more refined and stronger :) They are my preferred option as there are no air lines or electrics to worry about and they are very strong as well as being able to forget they are there and just drive :)

Cheers
Steve

[TRBN8R]

Just didn't want too much stress on the drive line.... the truetrac will be somewhere between the full auto locker and open diff in the stress level as it will probably slip before I break something.... I don't do A grades so probably will be a reasonable tradeoff between longevity of the drive train and traction..... Will do a trip to Capertee to test out how good this thing is after I come back from holidays......... The climb after the RoofRack Canyon is where I lose traction sometimes.... If I make it up that with the truetrac I will be happy as larry....

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[dobbo56]

Mani I see a guy on AJOR selling a Detroit Locker for $600 BNIB for a dana 44. If only I had the spare cash... Doggy.

[TRBN8R]

Mani I see a guy on AJOR selling a Detroit Locker for $600 BNIB for a dana 44. If only I had the spare cash... Doggy.

Yup, I believe that is a full autolocker like SteveF mentioned...... I wanted the Diff to slip before any of the components in the driveline (Uni Joints, CV Joints, Ring Pinions, Transfer case, Transmission etc) reach breaking point.....I do only B, B+ tracks and am not after 100% lock...... Will reinforce the front diff and put an E Locker in the front to assist the TrueTrac in the rear when I plan to do tougher tracks and have enough funds.....