2wd locker question

[jimtmcdaniels]

Sounds like your very lucky, already have a limited slip rear that you want that might meet your needs perfectly.
Sounds like the friction plates may be worn down requiring a friction plates kit rebuild that can be done diy following videos on line.
The factory friction plates usually require a friction modifier added to an axle oil change.
Often there are a few spacers that can be replaced with the best used friction plates during the kit installation that will increase the bite and activation of the friction plates if usually desired but can give a bit of shudder on road turns especially under heavy throttle till the new discs quickly normalize.
The factory friction plates are not lockers and can only give a certain amount of resistance which is ideal for street racing and light off road use when one wheel has a bit more traction than the other like in mud or ice.
For the price, I'd say you can't beat rebuilding with a ford friction discs kit diy call it good for the next 60,000 miles or more. But if you need heavy spinning use or more of a full lockup then it's not going to meet your needs.
I talk from experience with my 1993 ford ranger with a limited slip.
I never do hard core 4x4 off road but I enjoy snow and mud some and our vans already have higher clearance than cars so I'm content with factory builds.

Our mind's dreams and fantasies can lift our feet off reality and talk us into getting things we may never need. A great tool I've found to keep it honest and real is write on paper all the pros and cons and what you expect to use and encounter with the van and then you can make a real decision with grounded feet.
Take care

[dkonzelman]

Originally Posted by jimtmcdaniels

Sounds like your very lucky, already have a limited slip rear that you want that might meet your needs perfectly.
Sounds like the friction plates may be worn down requiring a friction plates kit rebuild that can be done diy following videos on line.

Our mind's dreams and fantasies can lift our feet off reality and talk us into getting things we may never need. A great tool I've found to keep it honest and real is write on paper all the pros and cons and what you expect to use and encounter with the van and then you can make a real decision with grounded feet.
Take care

Good advice! On paper the only thing I wrote down was "Don't ever get stuck in Baja alone". It has happened a few times in a few rigs. All the rigs I have been in though 99% of the time are running in 2wd and if the goal is to avoid getting stuck we should be able to do that!

[dkonzelman]

Originally Posted by vintageracer

Just remember a supposedly 2WD vehicle without a locking device in the rear-end is a 1WD vehicle. A supposedly 4WD vehicle without any type of axle locking device installed in either the front or rear axle is a 2WD vehicle. Add a rear locking device to the rear or front axle and you now have a 3WD vehicle. It takes locking devices front and rear to have a true 4WD vehicle.


The ARB also gives you a good air pump to air up and down your tires when needed!

Thanks for the help and thoughtful reply VintageRacer. I appreciate that.

Yes! The ARB compressor is a must. My syncro has this as well as a factory VW locker and I use the comp all the time to air up and down, blow up floaty toys etc. Now debating a rebuild of the limited slip vs putting a locker in. Anyone with experience of rebuilding the LS? Check out the photos of traction I posted on the build thread.

https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/fo...r-26086-5.html

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by dkonzelman

What is the easiest way to test if it’s working or not? Because I’m not able to identify the rear end I’m not positive it’s been swapped out or not. If it’s not actually a limited slip I’m definitely going to have to put a locker in.

If I'm not mistaken, you can raise both rear wheels off the ground and then spin one tire. If the opposite tire spins in the opposite direction you have an open diff.

[jimtmcdaniels]

Great replies and discussion all!
My understanding is the factory limited slip is ideally for street racing where both rear tires are on similar gripping ground. The word limited seems to really apply to how much the factory design can help when one tire is on a slick surface and the other is not. If the two grips on the tires is quite different, the friction plates can't hold the tired together anything near as strong as a locker. This allows the factory LS to make turns and slip.
But the factory LS can work immediately for street racing where lockers and such will have a delay to engage.
But if your need is hard core like rock climbing, the factory LS isn't going to help at all, it can't transfer all the power when one wheel is totally off the ground, the friction plates can't lock, they just resist to a certain limited extent and excessive spinning will wear them.
My ranger that had it, one problem with the factory LS was I couldn't use the Stickler rear wheel attachment for splitting wood with. Because the Stickler requires no limited slip so that the tire axle the stickler was attached to was off the ground and the other side was on the ground. Because of the LS, the other rear tire on the ground would start rocking the truck trying to move it could fall off the jack.
I believe the test for factory friction plates limited slip is to jack one rear tire off the ground and with a tire blocked and in neutral, try spinning that raised rear tire by hand. With the LS if the friction plates aren't worn out, will resist the turn because it wants to keep both wheels locked together.
I'm not hard core at all, I just enjoyed the LS for winter time and once rebuilt with new friction plates with some extra plates in place of spacers(factory seems to use some spacers to illuminate any chatter when new and turning a corner but reduces the action when needed). It worked well in snow yet if I was to get really stuck, and really gun the engine, it would have trouble holding the tires together if one is on ice and the other on bare road and this will wear the plates eventually. Additionally the LS is dangerous on snow ice if you accelerate too much or down shift too hard, then instead of one wheel spinning while driving, Both rear wheels can start spinning and then your rear end is no longer steering and can whip around. For an inexperienced driver who doesn't know what is going on, this could cause an accident if not corrected immediately.
Or you can jack up both rear tires off the ground in neutral with a front wheel blocked and turning one wheel by hand should also turn the other wheel strongly.
If your rear diff has factory ls, I think it can be hard to add a locker are designed for conventional diffs...

Hope you find what you need.

[dkonzelman]

Thanks all for the info and help here. I have identified that my rear end is indeed a c2 rear end (so long as someone didn’t swap in something else). That means I should have a LS with 4:10 gearing.

What are the options for lockers for this? It is a Dana 60 if the above info is correct I think. Wondering what I need to know before pulling the trigger on a kit.

Thanks in advance!

[FCAshevlle]

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

A less expensive solution to installing a locker is to simply make sure if your thinking about travel in extreme conditions, make sure you travel with friends who can give you a tug. I run the stock limited slip in my rear diff, and despite having 4wd, I rarely use it, and i do a lot of off road in Baja and elsewhere. About the only times I get stuck is in deep sand, and at that point, even with 4wd, I still get stuck.

As a fellow open diff 2WD owner I'm coming around to this. When we bought Margo some kind of axle swap was on our list and now I'm probably not going to bother. AT tires, shock upgrade, and conservative decision making are probably a much better route for me!

[TRAVRSS]

2WD with ARB locker and compressor is about as good as it gets without the jump to 4WD. Don't forget the traction boards and a shovel though... I dug myself out of the deep sand twice last week in Anza Borrego, testing my limits. It's hard to admit that twice part. The Mrs was impressed we got out of both situations!

I also learned that the diff fluid flows differently once the locker is installed, so consider larger bored holes for the recycle flow vents and raising the overflow tube a bit higher to avoid a mess.

Tires, shocks, and springs were the most beneficial upgrade for the extended washboards though... with tires aired down.

[BenJJ]

Originally Posted by TRAVRSS

2WD with ARB locker and compressor is about as good as it gets without the jump to 4WD. Don't forget the traction boards and a shovel though... I dug myself out of the deep sand twice last week in Anza Borrego, testing my limits. It's hard to admit that twice part. The Mrs was impressed we got out of both situations!

I also learned that the diff fluid flows differently once the locker is installed, so consider larger bored holes for the recycle flow vents and raising the overflow tube a bit higher to avoid a mess.

Tires, shocks, and springs were the most beneficial upgrade for the extended washboards though... with tires aired down.

Hey TRAVRSS, I ended up with a big mess of diff fluid leaking after getting an ARB locker installed. Mine was installed by a professional shop (Weldtec). They basically told me that it would just find its happy place and stop leaking? This sound accurate at all?

After first discovering the mess and talking to them I added about a quart of fluid which then caused it to just leak more. I filled it up just below the drain plug level. I have driven it quite a bit since, over 1000 miles, and haven't had any issues and the locker seems to work just fine. I do carry extra diff fluid with me now just in case though.

Anything I should keep an eye out for? Their suggested solution just doesn't sit well so its been in the back of my mind on some of my more remote trips.

[TRAVRSS]

Originally Posted by BenJJ

Hey TRAVRSS, I ended up with a big mess of diff fluid leaking after getting an ARB locker installed. Mine was installed by a professional shop (Weldtec). They basically told me that it would just find its happy place and stop leaking? This sound accurate at all?

After first discovering the mess and talking to them I added about a quart of fluid which then caused it to just leak more. I filled it up just below the drain plug level. I have driven it quite a bit since, over 1000 miles, and haven't had any issues and the locker seems to work just fine. I do carry extra diff fluid with me now just in case though.

Anything I should keep an eye out for? Their suggested solution just doesn't sit well so its been in the back of my mind on some of my more remote trips.

Yep, that sounds accurate. I had a differential shop do mine. And since the fluid spins in a different pattern now, he ended up going back in and bored out the return flow tube holes, to triple size, and then lifted the overflow tube to the top of the underside.

I had done a 1k mile trip and yep, it made a huge mess on the underside... I was concerned that the fluid would compromise the new spare tire underneath, but folks reassured me it would be fine.

Here is the thread from that incident: https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/fo...art-26994.html

H/T to carringb who sent a Banks video that got me up to speed...