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. 

[durnzuki]

I also had LOTS of issues with mine and finally paid to have Lowrange set it up for me with a new one and STILL had issues.  I finnaly got tired of the undependability of it and threw it away and welded the front.

[skyhiranger]

A 1530 locker, like he had installed, does not reuse the stock sidegears, it comes with the new replacement sidegears (or couplers, I think they call them).  The 1530s are not as tolerant of bent or slightly misaligned axle housings as the 1510 lockers are.  So assuming (I know, bad to assume) the shop set the locker up correctly, then I am guessing the axle housing is bent or out of alignment.
No locker, 1530 or 1510 should slip when taking off from a stop.  One side should always be engaged and provide immediate drive to at least one tire.
I have set up 1510s and 1530s in a sidekick and my samurai and have never had a dependability issue with any of them.  The 1530 was very quiet and never made the loud pops like the 1510 in my samurai does.  I don't know if it was just the difference in the 1530 and the 1510, or if there were some manufacturing changes that attribute to the noise (I heard the lockers have been redesigned slightly, since I put my 1530 in my sidekick back in 96 or so).
One thing that does seem to quiet down the 1510 is to run gear oil with limited slip additive in it.....it still pops occasionally, but it doesn't seem to be as loud.  I would be a little leary of running 140 gear oil, that stuff would probably be as thick as grease in the cold of winter.

[RockMolester]

skyhiranger is absolutely correct with everything he said.

I should specify more accurately that I use 85/140 gear oil to quiet my lockers in all my vehicles, not just straight 140-weight.  My climate is California, which is generally pretty mild.  The coldest weather we get is about 10°F at our cabin in the mountains, where I can definitely feel the oil is t*h*i*c*k until I've driven a bit.  In colder climates, I would definitely recommend sticking with 80/90 gear oil in the winter and change to the thicker 85/140 in the summer.

[tombrannen]

ok well the only gear oil i could find was the 85-140 so i will change it out tonight. it does seem the more i drive it the less popping it tends to do. i am taking it to the park and putting it in the mud this week end so i will see what happens. although i may go ahead and have my 1510 installed in the front next week i believe i will swap to a spool in the rear asap unless the 1530 impresses me this week end. thanks everyone.

[naracermcb]

every once and a while mine will pop real bad like a bang and youll feel the truck lurch to the left and this only happens from a dead stop and starting. but other than that it seems to work fine. dotn know how much youve driven it on the street. ive been thinking i might not drive mine so much anymore cause im sure it makes it hard on the lockers. but if its popping real bad then it must be out of wack and all i can say is its made by richmond and i doubt that its a defect. i would talk to the shop you had assemble it for you. i didnt even torque boplts or nothng when i did mine just set the impact to a low pressure and buzzed it back together real wuick and put it back in. just got to make sure that the bearings are set back to how they were when it was taken apart.

[tombrannen]

it does not see the streets just a toy for the mud. it is loaded in my horse trailer right now to go to the park tomarrow.

[mikes88zuk]

I think welding the rear works great  my 2 sence 

[RockMolester]

Yeah, I tried that back in 1997, and after burning through a brand new set of tires in only 8,000 miles, I put my locked 3rd member back in along with a fresh set of tires, and I've never gone back.  The locker drives so much better than the welded diff.  Sure, there's the occasional pop and bang, but without the welded diff my Sami had half the turning circle, half the steering effort, and the tires last 5 times as long.

[Surly]

Yeah, I tried that back in 1997, and after burning through a brand new set of tires in only 8,000 miles, I put my locked 3rd member back in along with a fresh set of tires, and I've never gone back.  The locker drives so much better than the welded diff.  Sure, there's the occasional pop and bang, but without the welded diff my Sami had half the turning circle, half the steering effort, and the tires last 5 times as long.

*Surly doesn't like spooled/welded rears either.

[JRickey]

air pressure is huge on mine with regards to noise.  I ended up having a shop set my rear one up due to the same issues.  I also ended up changing out my rear housing.  Now it makes popping noises on acceleration on turns (normal) and racheting sounds when not accelerating.

[tombrannen]

ok well i took it out and well lets say the locker is shot. the others at the park say it must be bad springs. the passenger side locks in tight but the drivers side wheel has no power to it at all just side gear on locker gear ratchet racket. i gave it hell any ways had a lot of fun took the 3rd out when i got home this morning. my axles and housing are good but the drivers side side gears are almost worn smooth. oh well out with the locker in with a spool. wont have that issue again. since i never use this on the road only as a toy i might even weld up the fron since i can not find a front spool and do not plan on changing axles. when i am on park dirt roads i will just unlock my drivers side hub.

[tombrannen]

well i save money and did not buy the spool i welded the locker side gears to the locker inner gears. now it is a spool. works great now.

[Tgator]

I installed my lockers myself they work great for the price I have 15,000 miles on mine and they do have there quirks on the road that is for sure you just learn how to drive them when to shift and when to accelerate on the corners so it doesn't dart and dive but you do get use to it I am running 31s with lockers front and back I second the climbs like a billygoat I use mine for hunting and it goes anywhere I ever want to go

[skyhiranger]

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

ok well i took it out and well lets say the locker is shot. the others at the park say it must be bad springs. the passenger side locks in tight but the drivers side wheel has no power to it at all just side gear on locker gear ratchet racket. i gave it hell any ways had a lot of fun took the 3rd out when i got home this morning. my axles and housing are good but the drivers side side gears are almost worn smooth. oh well out with the locker in with a spool.

Well, I'd say if you would have pulled it back out, right when you knew something was wrong, the shop should have fixed it.  But since you went ahead and ran it, even after you knew something wasn't right, then even though it sounds like the shop set it up wrong, they probably aren't really liable for fixing/replacing the locker.

[tombrannen]

I dont blame the shop. never said i did. when i took it apart i found the springs had failed keeping one side from engageing. that is not shops fault that is just crappy parts. i had already been told that the locker could not be returned do to the type of part it is and the abuse they take some times so that was not and option. i was hopeing the noise was just normal but oh well i guese not. i just turned a negative into a positive by welding it and saving me some money. when i started this thread people talked about spools any way so i made one out of it.

[durnzuki]

I have always liked a spooled/welded rear better than a locker.  When I hit the gas I want to KNOW both tires are gonna grab, not hope they do.

[tombrannen]

i agree with that. well i am not against lockers just had an issue with this one. i dont know why the springs failed but oh well. it is spooled now. i will still put my new locker in the front but i will do instal my self so i can learn. i am going to hold off on that until i get new ring and piniun ( how ever it is spelled ) to go in the front and rear.

[skyhiranger]

I dont blame the shop. never said i did. when i took it apart i found the springs had failed keeping one side from engageing. that is not shops fault that is just crappy parts. i had already been told that the locker could not be returned do to the type of part it is and the abuse they take some times so that was not and option. i was hopeing the noise was just normal but oh well i guese not. i just turned a negative into a positive by welding it and saving me some money. when i started this thread people talked about spools any way so i made one out of it.

I wasn't saying you ever blamed the shop.  But if the locker was brand new and it made noises right after you installed it, then the shop didn't set it up right in the third.  So yeah, it is the shops fault.  There are probably 100's of guys on here, myself included that run lockrights and many have never had issues with the springs, pins, etc. (especially immediately after it was installed).
But you don't seem to be concerned with the shops work, so I guess I shouldn't be either....since it wasn't my money that was wasted on buying a locker and having it installed, then ending up just welding it up.....when a spool could have been bought and installed for a lot less money.

[tombrannen]

        then why does it bother you so much. you know who you are. i never said it was a crappy product either. this thread was just to ask about the noise and several people told me it was normal to pop. the locker was purchased new but from an individual so getting my money back was not an option. i did not want a spool at first i wanted a locker, but i was not about to spend anouther 200 for a spool when i could just weld this up. i could have replaced springs and pins but i did not want to risk the same thing hapening again. this time i did the work my self as will i from now on that i have the time to do so. the shop refunded the instal cost but my tubes and locker set up was correct per two other 4 wheelers so i must have gotten the one in a million bad set of springs. i had it, it failed, i could not return it, did not want to spend more, adapted and overcome by using what i had, welded it up, works great now. thanks for your opinion. good day sir.

[durnzuki]

Yea man,  I did the first one myself and wasnt happy with the performance of it so I sent everything back to the place I bought it from and they set it up and I STILL wasnt happy so I just welded up a stock R&P and have never looked back.  I know where you are coming form with the "Not going to spend money on another one" thing.

[skyhiranger]

        then why does it bother you so much. you know who you are. i never said it was a crappy product either. this thread was just to ask about the noise and several people told me it was normal to pop. the locker was purchased new but from an individual so getting my money back was not an option. i did not want a spool at first i wanted a locker, but i was not about to spend anouther 200 for a spool when i could just weld this up. i could have replaced springs and pins but i did not want to risk the same thing hapening again. this time i did the work my self as will i from now on that i have the time to do so. the shop refunded the instal cost but my tubes and locker set up was correct per two other 4 wheelers so i must have gotten the one in a million bad set of springs. i had it, it failed, i could not return it, did not want to spend more, adapted and overcome by using what i had, welded it up, works great now. thanks for your opinion. good day sir.

It doesn't bother me.....your money, so you can spend it however you see fit.  You initially failed to mention the shop refunded you the install costs.....so I was just looking out for you......I won't do that in the future, no matter what the circumstances.
Oh, and yeah, you did say it was a crappy product.  Well, you actually said crappy parts, but parts make up the product, right?

I dont blame the shop. never said i did. when i took it apart i found the springs had failed keeping one side from engageing. that is not shops fault that is just crappy parts.

Good day to you too.

[tombrannen]

          Wow this guy demands the last word. yea crappy parts. the springs were crappy i did not want try anouther set. oh that reminds me lock right must know their parts fail since they sell new springs and pins. that meens they must fail right. 3 months 3 years but they will fail. any ways i have no further use for this thread but i will continue to reply to your rants any time. just let me know bye bye 

[skyhiranger]

          Wow this guy demands the last word. yea crappy parts. the springs were crappy i did not want try anouther set. oh that reminds me lock right must know their parts fail since they sell new springs and pins. that meens they must fail right. 3 months 3 years but they will fail. any ways i have no further use for this thread but i will continue to reply to your rants any time. just let me know bye bye 

Oh, believe me, my replies are far from rants.  I was simply trying to help, but I guess it is like the old saying goes......."a fool and his money are soon parted".
Like any type of mechanical part, the pins or springs can fail.  Should they fail immediately when put into service.....no.
I am through with this thread too, and you.
You are free to have the last word, since I will not be reading anymore of your threads.

[tombrannen]

     yay i win. dang and this game was getting fun too. lol

     sorry to those who gave me great help i have learned so much from your replies. you guys are absolutely great.

thanks again.

[ecoast]

I installed my lockers myself they work great for the price I have 15,000 miles on mine and they do have there quirks on the road that is for sure you just learn how to drive them when to shift and when to accelerate on the corners so it doesn't dart and dive but you do get use to it I am running 31s with lockers front and back I second the climbs like a billygoat I use mine for hunting and it goes anywhere I ever want to go

Such a different experience, I can't help but wonder if all things being equal;IE, no warped housing and new/serviceable parts in the locker,  what causes the problems the OP was having?

As mentioned, with who knows how many hundreds (or thousands) are in service and operating like Tgator ?

[tombrannen]

from the looks of it one set of springs look like they got pinched and were flattened. i figure the locker was sound but one of the spring sets were just week enouph for some reason they failed alowing the others to have to much force on them and it was uneven force since i only noticed one set of springs were shorter than the other three sets. like i said with my luck i got the one bad spring set out of thousands. the bottom line is it failed on me. and before i took it out everyone i talked to locally at a mud bog said "weld it up" my gears were gone because i was a dumb butt and did not keep up with one. could not get refund for locker. was not going to pay for spool. and did not want to spend even 20 bucks on new springs.

oh and to the one who said a fool would be seperated from his money. i gave less for the locker than a new spool costs so i still spent less than if i had just went with a spool. locker installed was $187.00 total thanks to locker from ebay only costing me $140.00 dang here i go being childish again sorry guys.

[Luke]

Last time I checked a spool was around a hundred bucks

[ZukiEd]

109.00 from trail tough actually, and these ez-lockers are known for having bad springs, i did the research before i locked my rig, just went with a spool called it a day. my friend on the other hand bought a ez same thing happend, his housing was bent a little also which makes a difference in lockers

[VA88ZUK]

I've had the locker in the rear and hated them. I run a spooled rear and a locker in the front and as far as the spool goes, I loves it's simplicity and its reliability. Yeah it drives a bit weird and it causes the tires to wear out way to fast but driving it on the road, the consistency in it's handling is a big plus over the erratic nature of the lockers.

The locker in the front of mine makes the odd noise as would be expected when wheeling though.  Next one may get spooled on both ends.

[tombrannen]

109.00 from trail tough actually, and these ez-lockers are known for having bad springs, i did the research before i locked my rig, just went with a spool called it a day. my friend on the other hand bought a ez same thing happend, his housing was bent a little also which makes a difference in lockers

well that is cool the cheapest i could find was 190 at two sites and on ebay. i only drive off road and i have thought about welding my front and just unlocking the left wheel when on hard serface but i have the locker still new in box. also got it from ebay for 200 it is a 1510 lock right ez locker. but to be honest i really hate the poping and clicking. i will instal it and if it acts up i will weld it together as well. next upgrade then will be power stearing.

[durnzuki]

I am welded in the front of 3 of mine and while I like the way it grabs and NEVER misses, I wouldnt do it if I had a locker handy.  I steers like crap and it's hard on the shafts to drive in 4wd with only one tire pulling.

[Luke]

well that is cool the cheapest i could find was 190 at two sites and on ebay. i only drive off road and i have thought about welding my front and just unlocking the left wheel when on hard serface but i have the locker still new in box. also got it from ebay for 200 it is a 1510 lock right ez locker. but to be honest i really hate the poping and clicking. i will instal it and if it acts up i will weld it together as well. next upgrade then will be power stearing.

You'll definitely need power steering with that Lincoln locker in the front