PointedThree - Lockers revisited

cyntaxx - 8/21/2006 11:59 PM

First off, I'm pretty sure my truck has never had its lockers engaged or used whatsoever. Am I at risk of them seizing or failing on me? I've read about "exercising" them and I'm a bit worried that they won't function properly. My truck is a 2002 so it has indeed been a while!

Well the locker its self will not go bad, ( they can brake but im sure you will never have that problem) What they mean by exercise them in just letting the air pump lock and un lock them. Nothing major

If there is a problem is would be in a "air line or pump" but i dont know of any that have had a real locker failure.

Secondly, I've read that you engage the lockers in the order of: center, rear, then front. And off dry pavement only. Yes, and the dash will only let you do it that way. The reason for driving on dry pavement is all the GEARS in the axles, transercase and tranmission are locked ( hence the locker) there for there is no slippage, so if you turn right the gears have all the extra stress of making the inside tires turn as fast as the out side tire, which can brake the drifferentals. Try it in grass and you will understand... its about impossiable to turn.

I understand that the lockers, once engaged, guarantees that your wheels spin at the same speed. Yes if all diffs are locked all 4 tires turn 100 precent of the time at the same speed.

Does this mean that torque is still equally distributed as if the differential is unlocked? When the diff is unlocked the torue is not distributed eaqually. You old truck had a positraction. So when you where on the gas the rear end would "lock" up so both tires would spinn. The G is AWD so you dont have that. That is why we have lockers. Think of it as a push button possi unit.

What exactly is the benefit to having the wheels spin at the same speed? Does it prevent traction loss? And what does the center locker do exactly?

if all the axles / tires turn the same amount you can go twice as far for the most part, also if you have one or two tires off the ground the other tires will still move the car. Think back to your truck if one tire only had the power that truck would have spunn the 1 TIRE for ever with the torque they make. With a locker / possi unit in the back it makes both tires turn under load. The lockers just make the "load" full time. The center lock splits the power from the front and rear axles 50%. I dont know the numbers off the top of my head but lest say a G runs at 20 % front and 80% rear. If you get in snow or mud the 20% front does not do a lot.... So if you lock the center diff the power is split 50% front and rear.

I ask the question about preventing traction loss because it seems you're supposed to engage the locker preemptively and not as a reaction to already having lost traction or being stuck. each persons does it differently. I like to go as far as i can then lock them as needed... unless it looks really nasty. You also have to remember we have traction controll that does a grate job with out the lockers.

Finally, what are the strategies on which locker to use and when to use it? I know they have to engage in a certain order, but what necessitates each being locked? Again, posts netted from my search taught me that the center is the first one to resort to if I were to run into difficult terrain, then rear, and finally front.

Yes you are correct... Think of the Center for normal off roading if you want to be real safe. rear if you get into trouble. The the front is like your get out of jail free card. At the end of the day use your head. You just have to start off on eazy stuff and as you learn your vehicle and how to use it everything will make sense.

When I get the truck back, I will take it out to a grassy area or dirt road and give it a shot. What should I expect when I engage each locker? I know I will lose steering ability with the front locker engaged, but what about the center and rear? Note that I won't be on tough terrain, just a flat, dry, dirty or grass area.

For the most part you will not notice anything but heavier steering with the center and rear diff locked. Like you said steering is almost lost with the front locked.

Maybe someone could walk me through, for instance, how it would work climbing a steep hill or use some other example?

um... ok lets say your climbing a steep hill unlocked.... the g goes so far and the traction light start to blink causing traction controll to start rotating how the tires " spinn" ( IE like passanger front and drivers rear, then drivers front passangers rear or in some strange cases just the front or rear tires) You then stop and engage the center diff ( some times it take a little time) then try again.. You should be able to get a lot futher up the hill becuase to power is being split front to rear. Now lets say its wet up top.. You again become stuck becuse the tires are spinning like before passanger F and driver R or vice versa. You lock the rear diff and now you have both rear tires turning the same amount which "should" let you go the rest of the way up the hill. If not you will now be spinning both rear tires and one front tire. Now you lock the front diff and all 4 tires turn 100%.

The trick is not digging your self in to deep. once all 4 tires spinn your either going to go or sink in a hurry.

I know of two trails around here that you could take a two wheel drive truck on with no problems when its dry. Its hard packed red clay mud. But when you ad rain its almost impassable. I have been out there twice when the only way we got out was in high rage all the diffs locked and wide open on the gas.

The best part of lockers is having friends go " that just not right" when your locked and climbing stuff you cant walk up.