locker ordered, am i in to deep?

[Sp0rtTr4c]

I ordered a Powertrax no slip on tuesday and I have some questions. It replaces the carrier and is not a lunch box. Do I have to pull the ring and pinion? Is this to hard to do at home? I have no intellegence when it comes to diffs, but my dad is a cat mechanic. I found a thread on how to do the gears, should I follow that one? I lost my job recently and I really don't want to pay a shop to do it.

 

[IZwack]

My dad is a dog mechanic. But to get back on topic, judging by your questions, I think you are in the deep end of the pool (did you remember to order a master install kit too?). If cat mechanics routinely do ring and pinion swaps, then you will probably be fine. But IMO, considering you recently lost your job, I would cancel or return the order, especially if you havent ordered a master install kit yet.

 

[Sp0rtTr4c]

That was what I forgot to ask, that was the whole reason I started the thread to. Is a master install kit needed for this job?

 

[kert0307]

MMM... The powertrax no-slip is a lunchbox style locker... It replaces the spider gears, no need to mess with the ring an pinion. I installed one in my old explorer...

 

[buckwill]

hi this is buck,, im going to address this from several diffrent directions so pls bear with me,, if u just lost your job and are hard up and u can return this part with no harm no foul then that might be the thingg to do,,,next i have looked at the master install kit and if you are not changing ring gears to a new ratio or your diff brgs are good then you do not need master install,, it has shims, brgs gaskets, everthing neeeded for complete new setup,, but if your not changing everything inside then its not needed, just a new gasket,,, you do have to pull your axles,, be careful pf the seals inside the axle tiubes if you have them, the ring gear will have to knocked off the carrier but mark the ring and carrier , put it back in exactly same spot and u will not have problems,, use a bench vise,, stay clean, pay attention to torque specs, and u will do ok,, the ring has to come off because the cross pin is under the ring and u cannot remove it without pulling ring off,,, the jeep diff in the article used a roll pin to hold the pin in and use correctly sized pin punch to get it out if your diff is the same,, use a new roll pin to reinstall,,if your dad is handy get him to help, keep every thing clean and if you are any mechanical ability at all u will do ok,,if you have kids, send it back and give the money to your wife she will use it for stuff women are good at,, macaroni an cheese and electric bills, look at this http://www.rockcrawler.com/techreports/powertrax_tj/page2.asp this just an old man talkin,, u have a wife an kids family send it back, if u livin at home with dad jump in its good to be able to accomplish a good well palaned job,, just my two buck, have fun let us know,,,,,, ok update,, i tried it to doublechek my stuff,, i sometimes leave out stuff or add,, anyway on the site it sez page not found,, on techreport when u clik that on techreports it leaves out the ts off reports an puts in ...somethingi think if u cut and past to the google bar u will get tech reports,, buck i dont know how tho fix this one, yall can give it your best i will not be offended if u can add something that works,, buck

 

[Sp0rtTr4c]

Ok thank you for everyones help so far. I'm just a young buck paying 100 a month for rent with no other bills except my truck. I had been saving for a while for a truck show coming up in june when I lost my job, so I had a bit of extra money. The fact that I lost my job is a factor but a small one given my living situation. I more just want to do it ourselves (my dad and I) for the learning experience, time together, and it saves a bit of money. I don't have to much mechanical knowledge but I do have a general understanding of how most car related stuff works. I have been a car nut for years. I'm going to keep up my research and post up pics when i get it.

 

[buckwill]

ok i found something that did work, google rockcrawler.com powertrax no slip and it will come up and i think i saw install, so keep trying that and variations and u will find that if u want to call an mebbe i can help talk u thru it feel free if your dads a cat mech then he certainly would be well qualified , but i will do what i can, i am available most anythim, good luck, buck if i can help dont hesitate to let me knuw u want to call ane we will set up some way to talk, give your dad a hug twllem u love him, he can be taken out of your reach in a second,, and that always leaves things u wish u had said,, let us know how it does, buck

 

[LONO100]

im not 100% sure on this being that you have a LS diff, but being that its an auto-locker (lunchbox) i dont think you have to remove the ring gear. go find the sticky on the sport trac with the SAS and message the owner of it. his name is chad. he bought the same locker and he had an LS diff. i think you'll be ok. read my how to on installing auto lockers. its an aussie locker and on an open diff, but the general principles are the same. im no mechanic, but i was able to get it done, so im sure you and your dad can. good luck!

 

[LONO100]

link to my locker install
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325006

PM chad551, he might be able to help.

 

[WidgetTrac]

If you are not changing the gears or replacing a worn out pinion gear bearing, then you don't have to deal with setting the pinion gear depth. that's good news, because pretty much everything else on an 8.8 is relatively simple.

So if you don'tt have to mess with the pinion gear, then the 2nd most difficult thing is setting the carrier bearing preload and ring gear backlash. This only needs to be done if you are changing gears, or replacing the carrier bearings, or replacing the carrier. If you take the carrier out to rebuild trac-loc clutches or install a locker in an open diff, you just make sure you put each spacer back on the side it came from. As far as I know, a virgin factory rear setup will always have just one thick iron spacer ring on each side - a little easier to deal with than shim stacks. Eather way, you just put it back like you found it... not technically difficult as far as figuring out what to do next and how to do it, but it will take muscle and cussing in most cases. And a good assortment of prying implements and hammers and wood blocks and whatnot...

If you can install the locker unit inside the OEM carrier without even having to remove the carrier, then this job is like an extra dirty, stinky oil change, except instead of wrestling to get a stuck filter loose, you might have some mild frustration getting the big pin & spiders out, or back in.

I really hope Ford has started putting in a reuseable silicon/steel shim gasket on the rear end, because to me, scraping the old gasket gunk off the housing is the hardest part of the job. ...well, getting the carrier out & in is no picnic either, but if you've done it a couple times... Anyway, if you don't have a nice clean-releasing reuseable gasket, then IMO the best thing to do is to skip the gasket and just use silicone.

if your truck is lowered, getting the new fluid in might be a bit tough too - no room to invert the jug.

Anyway, should be pure cake if you have experienced help. Also, if you ARE "in too deep", then a locker is the best thing to get you out! rotflmao

 

[WidgetTrac]

The 8.8 uses a screw-in pin to hold the big pin, not a rolled pin. Official instructions say to always use a new small pin (because they come with loctite pre-applied on the threads), but if it shows no wear from the big pin, then most people just clean well and apply new loctite.

 

[LONO100]

when i was doing research on getting and installing a locker myself, one of the guys i hit up was chad551. as i recall, he said the install of his powertrax locker for his LS diff was "incredibly easy", or something to that effect. i think it would be a good project for you and your dad.

 

[WidgetTrac]

Yeah, nice writeup, Lono! The ptrax unit goes in the same way as the Aussie, and if you google "powertrax 8.8 Ford", one of the first few hits that comes up has a good installation article of a ptrax in an 8.8 trac-loc LSD rear. If yours is an open diff, then it's even easier.

Yipes! The prices have gone way up since last time I looked...

 

[Sp0rtTr4c]

Thank you everyone for the help. I found the pdf manual for the exact locker I got down to the part number. I went though and it does look reaaly easy. The guy at 4wp told me the no slip was a full carrier style locker but I thought it was a lunchbox. I will update with pics when it comes in.

 

[Sp0rtTr4c]

Well I just cancelled the order because it is on back order for 2 months. We have the truck and jeep fest coming up in june so I am going to keep my money until then and hopefully get a nice deal on something.

 

[LONO100]

i hate ordering something and finding out its on backorder.

 

[kert0307]

Ever think about using an Aussie Locker? It's very similar and others on the site have run them with success. I think they are a little less money than the no-slips too.

 

[Gse Brent]

Well I just cancelled the order because it is on back order for 2 months. We have the truck and jeep fest coming up in june so I am going to keep my money until then and hopefully get a nice deal on something.

Order the locker thru www.drivetrain.com, cheapest legitimate place i've seen and get the install kit thru www.desertrat.com. Planning on doing the same thing with 4.56 gearing later in the year.