Who's got high mileage on a lunchbox locker, how long to they last?

[RangerX]

i have an easylocker in the rear of my Ranger, I think, or possibly a lock right. I may have somewhere close to 100,000 miles on the locker, it's been in there for 8-10 years, and it's a daily driver. Do they wear out? Does anyone else have anywhere near that much on any kind of lunchbox locker?

I'm wondering because lately I'm getting frequent slip and catch action from it. Loud like an axle snapping, I freaks out my dogs. It mostly happens right after I shift gears, but sometimes just driving down the road. Last week I put on new tires, and it's better, but still happening. ( had near bald km2s, replaced with new km2s.)

I figure the edges wear off the teeth, and that's what's making it have less positive engagement. And I figure almost no one keeps a vehicle long enough, and street drives it enough, to get to the mileage I have, but thought I would put it out there. Am I in unexplored territory?

 

[Stic-o]

The springs wear out over time. Summit sells a spring kit for pretty cheap. Mine broke from Moab and a snapped axle shaft. Lasted 13 years though and maybe 40k or so. I can see if I have a full set of spare springs I can send you.

 

[RangerX]

Do the springs need to be for the specific brand, or are they all the same?

 

[Stic-o]

The spares I have are not a complete set.

I would get the original ones. Not sure if others would match. I have mine out currently out if you need a picture. Mine is the powertrax no slip however, same company as the lock right, but I had to get the more expensive version for my l/s carrier, as it's the only lunchbox that exists for it.

 

[Brian1]

I have put 40k on the Powertrax I got used from you around 9 years ago and it still acts the same as the day I put it in.

Something simple to check would be the tire pressure side to side, you said it got better with the new tires so maybe the pressures were off in the old ones before you swapped them. I 2nd the springs idea, if they are weak or broken it is easier for the locker to skip. There should be rebuild kits with the springs and some new diff oil may do the trick.

 

[Maniak]

Not a lunchbox, but the full detroit in our X now had 220k or so miles on it.. It is to the point though that the left side won't unlock... I've been holding off fixing it until I finally get around to regearing (been hoping to do that for the last 35k miles).

~Mark

 

[RockRanger]

My 86 ranger ran a lock right for maybe 80,000 miles in the 7.5 rear axle. It looked fine when I sold it to someone else. Only reason I got rid of it was I had two teeth come off the pinion. I found a replacement axle with the right gears and a Detroit for cheaper then I could buy gears for my original axle.