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Post by Jon W on Apr 6, 2006 13:32:36 GMT -5
off road adventures just had a write up on the auburn ECTED. i like the idea of the clutches for rapid engagement and dis-engagement. hmmm.... FWIW - I'm would suggest you avoid anything with a clutch pack in it... The clutches will wear out during normal driving and then you are back to an open carrier in a few thousand miles...To replace the clutches you have to have the whole carrier removed/installed and taken apart (big money & a lot of time/effort). Can a regular mechanic take the carrier apart or do you ship it to Auburn? I expect they also require you to run special additives in the oil for the clutches. I doubt you're going to get any more rapid engagement out of their clutch pack than out of any other electric or pneumatic locker. I know my ARBs engage so close to instantly that it isn't an issue... I flip the swich and when I put my foot on the gas the locker is already engaged and I go (ok, sometimes I just spin all 4 tires, but...  ). I don't think there is any value in being able to switch the locker on over speeds of 5 MPH either... If you turn on the locker and there is slippage at the tires you're going to tear up/stress/break something. I wouldn't want to engage my lockers while I was moving unless it is life or death. If you're going to pay for a selectable locker anyway I don't think that having the limited slip (when not locked) gets you a lot of performance. That said, I did look at the Detroit Electrac and it was my first choice over the ARB because it is electric and has a geared limited slip that won't wear out. Having used my lockers for ~1 yr I don't think limited slip is a valuable extra feature though. Just my thoughts... feel free to disagree with me... JW |
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Post by ddewar53 on Apr 9, 2006 11:08:50 GMT -5
off road adventures just had a write up on the auburn ECTED. i like the idea of the clutches for rapid engagement and dis-engagement. hmmm.... FWIW - I'm would suggest you avoid anything with a clutch pack in it... The clutches will wear out during normal driving and then you are back to an open carrier in a few thousand miles...To replace the clutches you have to have the whole carrier removed/installed and taken apart (big money & a lot of time/effort). Can a regular mechanic take the carrier apart or do you ship it to Auburn? I expect they also require you to run special additives in the oil for the clutches. I doubt you're going to get any more rapid engagement out of their clutch pack than out of any other electric or pneumatic locker. I know my ARBs engage so close to instantly that it isn't an issue... I flip the swich and when I put my foot on the gas the locker is already engaged and I go (ok, sometimes I just spin all 4 tires, but... ). I don't think there is any value in being able to switch the locker on over speeds of 5 MPH either... If you turn on the locker and there is slippage at the tires you're going to tear up/stress/break something. I wouldn't want to engage my lockers while I was moving unless it is life or death. If you're going to pay for a selectable locker anyway I don't think that having the limited slip (when not locked) gets you a lot of performance. That said, I did look at the Detroit Electrac and it was my first choice over the ARB because it is electric and has a geared limited slip that won't wear out. Having used my lockers for ~1 yr I don't think limited slip is a valuable extra feature though. Just my thoughts... feel free to disagree with me... JW Hi John The cutch packs in my 8.8 are easily rebuildable - there's a thread in the tech section on NEOW that explains how to do it. For myself, I've had a lot of problems with ARB, and will be avoiding them (not bashing them, everyone has different expriences) |
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Post by Jon W on Apr 9, 2006 15:25:08 GMT -5
FWIW - I'm would suggest you avoid anything with a clutch pack in it... The clutches will wear out during normal driving and then you are back to an open carrier in a few thousand miles...To replace the clutches you have to have the whole carrier removed/installed and taken apart (big money & a lot of time/effort). Can a regular mechanic take the carrier apart or do you ship it to Auburn? I expect they also require you to run special additives in the oil for the clutches. I doubt you're going to get any more rapid engagement out of their clutch pack than out of any other electric or pneumatic locker. I know my ARBs engage so close to instantly that it isn't an issue... I flip the swich and when I put my foot on the gas the locker is already engaged and I go (ok, sometimes I just spin all 4 tires, but... ). I don't think there is any value in being able to switch the locker on over speeds of 5 MPH either... If you turn on the locker and there is slippage at the tires you're going to tear up/stress/break something. I wouldn't want to engage my lockers while I was moving unless it is life or death. If you're going to pay for a selectable locker anyway I don't think that having the limited slip (when not locked) gets you a lot of performance. That said, I did look at the Detroit Electrac and it was my first choice over the ARB because it is electric and has a geared limited slip that won't wear out. Having used my lockers for ~1 yr I don't think limited slip is a valuable extra feature though. Just my thoughts... feel free to disagree with me... JW Hi John The cutch packs in my 8.8 are easily rebuildable - there's a thread in the tech section on NEOW that explains how to do it. For myself, I've had a lot of problems with ARB, and will be avoiding them (not bashing them, everyone has different expriences) Don - If you can replace the clutch packs without removing the carrier that is a good design... When I did my research on the various limited slip vs. locker options all I found indicated the lockers available to me required the carrier to be removed and reinstalled. On a C 8.25 axle the carrier installation is a PITA... Anyway, what kind of limited slip do you have in the 8.8, and have you replaced the cluth packs? JW |
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Post by johnsxj on Apr 9, 2006 19:47:20 GMT -5
My 8.8 came with the factory "limited grip" The biggest problem with replacing clutch packs on them has to do with the gear ratio that is being run on it. Lower ratios with a thicker ring gear make getting the s-spring more of a pain to get out and worse to put back in. I've since switched to a lunchbox locker (PowerTrax NoSlip), and that was a piece of cake to install. If you have to pull the carrier on an 8.8 it's not too bad because the carrier shims are outside the bearings (great when changing gears or carrier).
Still wishing Ox would make a locker for the 8.8 though!!!!!
John C
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Post by ddewar53 on Apr 9, 2006 20:25:17 GMT -5
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Post by Jon W on Apr 10, 2006 10:19:12 GMT -5
Interesting... At least that is a simple install... That said, it wasn't obvious to me from the Auburn ECTED locker review that it is that easy to replace the clutches, so I would still tend to suggest if you're looking for a locker steer away from a clutch based limited slip.
I'd also say that if I could choose an electric locker instead of the ARBs that I've got I'd have done that... I haven't had a problem with the ARBs, but have heard a number of people say they had the seals on the ARBs fail, which caused issues that required the whole carrier to be removed to fix.
JW
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Post by ddewar53 on Apr 11, 2006 8:11:07 GMT -5
Also, keep in mind that, in most cases removal and replacement of the carrier does not require new gear setup. As long as you don't disturb the pinion, and replace all the bearings and shims exactly as they came out, you can generally remove and replace the carrier with no problem.
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Post by Kurt on Apr 11, 2006 12:19:17 GMT -5
Don, Unfortunately I will be changing the stock carrier to a Detroit AND changing the 4.10's to 4.56's. Looks like I'm going to learn how to setup a new R&P  Kurt |
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Post by baseshakers on Apr 11, 2006 12:22:03 GMT -5
think i could trust you to do mine when i regear and put in lockers? |
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Post by Kurt on Apr 11, 2006 12:24:18 GMT -5
Let's see if I actually get them setup.
Just starting to read about the process.
I may reach out to others in the club that have done this.
Maybe it would be a good Tech Day event??
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Post by Jon W on Apr 11, 2006 15:20:15 GMT -5
I tried setting up my own gears last year... what a PITA! I don't think I'd try to do it again (on my own rig, but I'd try it on yours ). I'd suggest having lots of extra parts on hand... Get extra bearings and shims from Nappa and take them back if you don't need 'em. I have a dial indicator, an inch-lb torque wrench, and bearing separator if you need to borrow them,. JW |
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Post by Kurt on Apr 11, 2006 15:33:50 GMT -5
I tried setting up my own gears last year... what a PITA! I don't think I'd try to do it again (on my own rig, but I'd try it on yours ). I'd suggest having lots of extra parts on hand... Get extra bearings and shims from Nappa and take them back if you don't need 'em. I have a dial indicator, an inch-lb torque wrench, and bearing separator if you need to borrow them,. JW Jon, Thank you for the offer on the tools. I'll be sure and take you up on it! I was planning on buying a master install kit and use the old bearings for the setup (will grind them out a bit so they side off easier.) Kurt |
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Post by Jon W on Apr 11, 2006 16:19:42 GMT -5
Jon, Thank you for the offer on the tools. I'll be sure and take you up on it! I was planning on buying a master install kit and use the old bearings for the setup (will grind them out a bit so they side off easier.) Kurt Yeah, I ground down the old bearings to make a setup bearing kit... It worked really well... I used a drill and a small drum sander set to machine the bearings down a bit. That wasn't the reason I needed extra bearings though... The extra bearings were required when I assembled it but didn't have it quite right and I needed to replace the new bearings because the races were damaged when I tested it. Hopefully that is a mistake you can avoid. My point is that it is cheap insurance to have the extra parts on hand - you can take them back if you don't use them... There were several nights I got everything assembled and, tested it, and took it apart and then had to wait until the next AM because the parts stores were closed. The master kits I got (mine came from Superior Axle & Gear) used Timken bearings... I discovered that several local parts stores (Napa and Auto Zone in Nashua) stock the bearings and were able to look them up form the Timken part numbers on the bearings I had. The master kit also had new shims (where needed) and some setup grease (lithium grease, I think). JW |
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Post by johnsxj on Apr 11, 2006 19:12:05 GMT -5
Kurt, if you need a hand setting up the 8.8, let me know. I regeard the one I put in my XJ myself. The 8.8 isn't bad to set up as the shims are outside the bearings (put the carrier bearings on once and leave them!)
The Dana 30 on the other hand... A set of set-up bearings are definatly needed there!!! Using the old bearings for set-up ones may not be a good idea unless they have low miles on them. They wear just like everything else and you could end up with the carrier a little too tight when you put the new parts in.
John
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Post by Jon W on Apr 11, 2006 20:08:13 GMT -5
I also have a set of setup bearings I made for my D30 kicking around somewhere...
JW
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