Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I've an ARB air locker in the front diff of my TJ Wrangler. It's been in for a few years now and has always performed well, and still does.

The issue I've got is backlash. Initially thought that the pinion needed to be adjusted to the crown or the diff needed to be lapped. However today we've dropped the fluid and inspected the front diff. There was 0 metal in the fluid, the fluid looked near new. And we can now see that the play that we orginally thought was crown pinion is actually inside the locker.

With the air locker on, the front diff is locked and there is 0 play. With it off there is quite a lot of play. It appears as if the driver side axle's pinion is somehow moving inside the locker ?

I'm guessing that I've got to pull the diff center and disassemble the locker to inspect it.. I was just hoping someone might have an idea or a direction to look at prior ?

Anyhow thanks

C

do you mean that the axle spline is moving in your locker? it might be damaged from using axles with too much wear on the spline.

Mine did the same. My mates all did the same. When I asked ARB's engineer, it's common.

If it pisses you off - as it did us - have it shimmed up.

It's not a weakness , but in AWD it's irritiating.

Paul

backlash can be many things. to determine backlash with an open diff and either rotating the tyres or the tailshaft will give you no real idea of where the lash is comming from. you mention with the diff locked there is no lash. if this is the case the contact between sidegears seems as it should be. for the locker to operate one sidegear is locked, so if there was lash you will notice it in the other gears. all open diffs will have some lash, as you have to take up slop from ring and pinion, all the sidegears, axle splines and cv joints if applicable. the only way you will know for sure is by pulling the diff out and having a look, but if there is no play when locked i would be looking at everything else on the diff as well.

I have seen ARB's get substanial waer in the spider and side gear teeth. Again ARB said not a warrenty issue. They can also wear the case and spider gear shims giving excess movement

OK guys thanks for the input ... guess I'll be dropping both my front axles out and ripping out the center for a peak

Will update this once I've it sorted.

C

This may help:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-cha ... ocker.html

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-cha ... t-3-a.html

The play will be from the cross pins the spider gears run on .Because the pins aren't one piece and are only supported where they go though the case they flog out the case. Eventually the gears will break as i have seen happen a few times. Its serious design fault one that ARB don't seam to care about and still use in there new diffs .The TJM prolocker has a one piece cross shaft it runs the 4 spider gears on ,a much better design a design 99.99 percent of all 4 spider gear diffs use

i would say its A LOT less than 99.9%. most if not all slippery 4 pinion diffs run a one piece crosshaft. most open 4 pinions run seperate shafts and a cross-shaft block in the centre. hitachi, one of japans largest diff makers, are a company that does it that way.

ARB Air Locker issue

Unpossible.