Almost destroyed my rear end

[KPT]

So my brother and I head over to the shop today. He has to put some new shocks on his Heep and I have to put my Aussie locker in.

Putting the locker in is simple until it comes to getting the cross pin in. The damn left spacer won't slide over enough to get the cross pin in. I fight with it a little while. My brother fights with it some and gets it in.

At this point I'm cleaning the cover. I RTV it and bolt it in. What I like to do is get the bolts just past hand tight and wait the hour the RTV instructions say to before torquing the bolts to 35 ft lbs. So we push the truck out of the shop as it doesn't have gear oil yet.

We get the shocks on the heep. I start to pack the tools up and notice the 1/4" ratchet. Its still switched to off, not on. ****.

Get the truck back on the lift and this is what I find:

 

[my pos mounty]

DOH!!! One thing at a time. Better now than later.

 

[techieman33]

That would have been ugly, it's a damn good thing you figured it out before you drove it.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

dang

 

[Elessar65]

Hah! Glad to find out I'm not the only one who can't install a locker properly the first time around, lol. Just be glad you aren't like me and didn't break a piece. Now I'm sitting on my a$$ waiting to get a part overnighted to me, and I am stuck 800 miles from home at my Dad's. Hows the Aussie btw? I wanted one but went with the Powertrax No-Slip since I have a LS carrier. The Powertrax was the $hit for the 6 hours before I broke it. Apparently its VERY particular about installing exactly perfect.

 

[KPT]

Hows the Aussie btw? I wanted one but went with the Powertrax No-Slip since I have a LS carrier.

No complaints. I knew it was going to be loud at first until gear oil got a chance to coat it. Didn't think it was going to be that loud. I'm reversing while turning in the driveway at the shop and its going BANG BANG BANG BANG.

I have a 5 speed and when I get off the throttle to slow down or shift it seems to push the truck one way or the other. Didn't do that before the locker.

My spiders were worn enough that there was a clunk when they'd switch from the drive to coast side. Obviously doesn't do that now.

What is seems to be good at is revealing limitations in other parts. I have geolander AT's and my brother has pro comp MT's. I was struggling on steep muddy hills while he had no issues and he is fully open. On one hill I had to hold 2500 RPM's in 2nd, 4 Low and saw the wheel. I'd move forward a few inches, stop, move forward a few more inches and so on.

Locker didn't help at all when I turtled it (see other thread).

 

[Elessar65]

What is seems to be good at is revealing limitations in other parts. I have geolander AT's and my brother has pro comp MT's. I was struggling on steep muddy hills while he had no issues and he is fully open. On one hill I had to hold 2500 RPM's in 2nd, 4 Low and saw the wheel. I'd move forward a few inches, stop, move forward a few more inches and so on.

Yeah, just cause the axles are locked doesn't mean you will have better traction, it just means you have the potential. Those Geolanders are pretty much agressive street tires. About as good in the mud as slicks would be. Throw some MTs on it, or get in some spots were you are lifting a tire, and you'll smoke his ass.