Guys (gals?)... My 96 dually needs a new posi since the old one has crapped out on me (long boring story) so Im looking for feed back on whats good stuff and what I should avoid. This truck is my driver/tow vehicle and is 2wd so a brutal locker/spool isnt needed but on the other hand I dont want to get stuck in wet grass either. The factory posi fulfilled my needs fine right up until the time it decided to eat itself (8+hrs from home I might add ) so if a stocker can be bought for a decent price then a stocker is fine with me or if there are better aftermarket units for similar money then those are fine too. Feed back from other posi ppl appreciated BTW, Im not interested in an air locker...the truck has enough do dads installed as it is and I dont need anything else that can break that I cant buy parts for over the counter which would leave me stranded several miles from home.....again. TIA Dave
i had the same problem with my suburan when i was about 60 miles from the house when my spider gears shattered (destroyed everything) i had had the same rear end.what your talking about is an 10.5" Eaton Locker which are hard to come by at a good price . you will have to go to a rear end shop ,or dealer. you might get lucky an find one at a junk yard i ended up putting a stock LS/posi in mine ,and 4.10 gears just for the hell of it
I believe the spider gears in the locker/posi unit is what failed in mine as well. I tore the diff apart to inspect all the bearings and ring/pinion and evrerything looks fine. I even yanked both drums off to look over the bearings there too and found nothing. The only thing that I did find was when I popped the cover off the diff the fluid came out black....really black. I put everything back togeather and continued to drive the truck thinking that the grinding/popping noises I was hearing could be coming from the trans (failed planetarys or torrington bearings) but the noises just werent coming from up front. The only time I could get it to make any noise was at low speed and extremely light on the throttle like when youre easing through a crowded parking lot. When doing this the rear diff would raise three kinds of heck...to the point it sounded like it would lock up at any minute (if youve ever broken a ring/pinion and had the broken teeth get ground up thats the sound it was making). I pulled everything apart again and as before I didnt find a single thing wrong so Ive pretty much narrowed it down to the locker/posi being the culprit. Bout the only thing in the locker that could make that kind of noise (IMO) is the spider gears eating each other. Im going to make some calls today to see what kind of $$$ Im looking at to just go back with a stock piece but Im thinking I'll get sticker shock when I call my bud at the local GM dealer...even with my discount. Christmas might be slim pickins around my house this year LOL.
sounds like your going to need to replace the entire carrier assembly. check with the guys over at ck5 site and see if they make an arb air locker for your differential. I believe one exists and should be close to the cost of the eaton unit (maybe cheaper).the air locker will help give better fuel mileage due to being an open diff when unlocked and just flip a switch to lock up when needed.
Your factory unit is a G80 Gov-lock model, they grenade pretty easily in stock form. You are going to need a full carrier replacement. I would recommend a eaton posi unit if you want a more transparent posi, or a open carrier with a detroit locker if you want maximum traction. Either way i'd say you're looking at $500+ new, or less used. Check Randy's ring-pinion.com or somewhere similar for prices.
I dont have a prob with air lockers but to be honest with the air bag/lowered suspension theres enough stuff under the truck that makes just about any garage or repair shop run the other way should I break down too far from my own shop that I cant fix it myself. An air locker is just more stuff to break that I cant buy over the counter.....I wouldnt mind having one for the 4x4 beater though .
Yeah its a stock G80 gov lock....I swear I dont ever recall anyone actually having anything nice to say about the gov-break. Ive broken two in other vehicles myself...one was being beat on and the other while just driving down the freeway when it exploded. Ive heard a lot of ppl say good things about the Eaton and thats probably the route I'll take. Id be happy with something that I can put in there and it last ~100k before it needs attention. The truck is 2wd and is mostly street driven but I do encounter wet grass or loose gravel when I tow my race car to the track so an open diff would eventually lead to me needing a tow to get un-stuck. Thanks again for the info guyswaytogo
FWIW I had an Eaton posi and install kit arrive today from Randys Ring and Pinion. Should get it installed in a week or two and I'll let you guys know how everything works out. It wasnt cheap but hopefully I'll never have to mess with it again in my life timewaytogo .
I've run eaton units in two trucks now. Never had a problem. They are great for street driven vehicles and light off roading. Not too agressive, and not too soft. Good luck with the install. It's pretty simple. waytogo
yeah, this is a SORE subject.... for me anyway. i got stuck in a pasture with wet grass ANDmy locker was working. 11.5AAM in my dodge and for some reason it works unlike everyone else's... anyway, if it were me, id still think about an ARB... i know cost is up there, but you can run around in town unloaded with an open carrier, then lock it with the trailer in town and unlock it on the highway... a detroit would be next in line. im not one for limited slip. its kinda all or none, but a spool isnt good for every day driving/towing Grant
Been there done that myself. A lot of tracks I go to only have paved pits for the pro racers and us bracket/streetable vehicle owners get stuck having to pit in the grass (or dirt) areas surrounding the track. I went to Rockingham a few years ago had to pit in the grass but what I didnt know was it had rained pretty hard the day before. No probs until I went to leave and when I eased down on the throttle the sod just gave way which put the rear tires on wet clay....there I sat with a loaded trailer and a stuck dually on level ground . I had to unload the trailer, unstuck the truck, and load everything back up which didnt make for a happy better half since she was ready to leave an hour or so earlier.
FWIW I got the Eaton posi and install kit from Randys Ring and Pinion finished up last week and the truck seems to be doing fine (so far...knock on wood). I put a few miles on the new parts to check things out and yesterday after getting off work at 6AM I decided to let'er rip since the roads were a little damp see if the rear would stay in one piece. Pulled onto the service road that runs in front of the plant I work at and lit all four rear tires up (co workers enjoyed it LOL) and then did some sharp turns a few miles later at low speed. No noises, bangs, pops, or other nonsense which is a relief since Ive got about 10 kabillion other things Id rather do than work on a rear diff in a cold garage. Thanks for the help/info guyswaytogo ....much appreciated.
