not happy with ez-locker

[tombrannen]

Ok I just got done installing my lock right ez-locker in the rear of my samurai. I was warned of the poping it would make taking turns but omg i did not realize it was this noisy and sounds like all hell is breaking in there. does not do it to much but when it dies the neighbors can hear it. that is not my complaint though.

has anyone else here had isues when you are sitting stopped on sollid earth in 2 wheel low you rev up and let off the clutch and the locker makes a lot of noise but you go no where. this is a brand new 1530 locker and i dont want to loose all power the the rear . it seems to have only slipped one or two teeth before grabing again and launching me forward.

the locker was installed by a local 4x4 shop in the third member for me then i just did the chunk install.

[beekiller]

Sure sounds as though your side gears have worn teeth.  After having used 3 or 4 lockers and reusing the side gears, checking them as per instructions, I'm now under the mindset any used side gear has too much wear.  After all, they all have 100k, 200k,....etc.  If I ever go back to a locker (and probably will....I love 'em when they work correctly) I will purchase one that comes with side gears.   

[geckocycles]

Did he flip the side gears? Put the right on the left?

The housing must be straight for these to work well. Trussing is important too to keep them from flexing under loads too.
We made an alignment checking tool.

[Surly]

omg i did not realize it was this noisy and sounds like all hell is breaking in there.

That's not normal.

  when you are sitting stopped on sollid earth in 2 wheel low you rev up and let off the clutch and the locker makes a lot of noise but you go no where.

That's not normal either. It sounds like the backlash wasn't set correctly and/or some bolts were left loose. I'd stop driving the rig immediately, pull the 3rd and inspect it. You might have some damaged gears already.

[john1974]

I agree with Surly although some noise is normal, and does sound like something snapping.  Everytime my friends drive theres around me I cringe as it sounds like parts breaking left and right...

I went with mini spool because I couldnt stand the sound of the clicking and stuff the lockers make.  I love my spool, but I would remove the third and check backlash, etc.

[RockMolester]

With a straight housing and a nice tight rear end (with the stock sidegears swapped left to right, NOT the junky locker coupler gears) and some 140-weight gear oil, my Lock-Right is nearly silent and drives 95% as well as an open diff.  There is definitely something wrong with your diff setup or you have a bent housing.

[mtnsammy]

I wondered about this too. I have a lockrite in the front of my CJ5, sorry, and it makes no noise at all on the snow/ice or on the dirt trail. I keep hearing on this forum about clicking and noises but never in my CJ5, sorry again. I deny this is because the CJ5, again soooo sorry, is better as I got it for $500 as an Urban Insult Vehicle (UIV) that climbs like a goat. I have heard the rattle/ Clicking in the Samurias on the trail. Some seem louder than others.

So is this unique to the design of the Samuria axles and side gears? Or is my Heep just worn out and not clicking anymore?

[RockMolester]

I've almost never gotten any noise out of a front lunchbox locker - only the rear, since that's what's driven on the street at higher speeds where the noise and lurching is more noticeable.

I think most people set up their diffs with too much backlash, and most axle housings are bent - both of which cause the auto lockers to act-up more often.  I took a lot of care to set mine up nice and tight, in an axle that had never been off-roaded, and it's the best-behaving Lock-Right I've ever had.  Before I bend up this housing, I'm going to truss it.

[Surly]

With a straight housing and a nice tight rear end (with the stock sidegears swapped left to right, NOT the junky locker coupler gears) and some 140-weight gear oil, my Lock-Right is nearly silent and drives 95% as well as an open diff.  There is definitely something wrong with your diff setup or you have a bent housing.

x2. Mine is silent when I'm driving in a straight line, and only makes a quiet little clicking sound when I'm turning.

[RockMolester]

Clicking is normal - that just means it's working right.  Sort of like the ratchet in your socket set, it clicks when it's "freewheeling."  And to quiet this clicking, it helps to use 140-weight gear oil.

The clunking and banging is what I'm talking about.  A bent housing and/or too much backlash causes the locker to act up like this.  Even a properly-set-up locker will do this occasionally and that's normal - but when they do it a lot, something is wrong.  They'll still work, but they're much more annoying.

[tombrannen]

      ok the first thing is this is a locker that came with new side gears. we did not use the old ones.

      i am only running 90 weight so i will change oil asap.

      in a strait line no noise just pops when turning. but it is such a dang sharp and a hard pop and you can actually feel it.

     i have not been able to get it to "slip" again in a "burn out" situation. i dont know what that was.

     i am taking it to    www.ecc-orp.com     this week end and am going to give it hell. maybe it is just my imagination do to i am not used to it. i am carrying my spare rear axle fully set up with me so if it breaks i will swap out at the park.

thanks so much for the imput.

[jr4x]

I have 5 lock rites 4 are the ones with new side gears and one that uses factory sidegears. I have had one (with new LR side gears) one time go into neutral when it was brand new. I had to put it in forward and reverse a couple of times till it cought then had years out of it with out a single problem. I have a full lock rite in the rear of our samy and it was a popping banging lurching annoying turd. I found out that I had a bent housing so I built a new one and put the same locker in the new housing. No more annoying issues. It does click like they all do but no more violent eposodes.

[fordcustom]

i have one in the front of my sammi.. with used sidegears.. at first i didn't think it was unlocking but it does... i have yet to hear it pop but my dad said he heard it click when i was playing on some dirt hills and i can hear it click when hubs are locked and t/c is in 2 wheel..

[meanbgreen]

yea my locker clicks a wee bit round corners but I have a soft top and expect to hear everything going on. Every now and then it pops off the line when I take off from a stop but it grabs immediately. As mine is factory manual so i figure it binds a wee bit before the teeth interlock. Can't complain about mine

[zukkiman]

I have Lockrights in the front and rear. It climbs like a goat! Make sure your tires are the same, (air pressure, hight, etc). Everything has to be even. Even then every so often it sounds like the guts just fell out of the rear end!

I think this is "normal" with lockrights. I may go weeks without it making that sound or it may be even longer, or, several times a week. It just depends on where the  freeplay is when you stopped. Unless it does it on every startup it sounds OK. But again, I am not even close to being an expert, just a user. My two cents.