Lock-Right Locker Install

[smkd13]

This is a thread dedicated to the installation of a Lock-Right locker.

Thank you [MENTION=88391]NateMob[/MENTION] for your trial and error contribution
Thank you [MENTION=82211]TCMach[/MENTION] for bring up the stud torque issue


Links to install manuals:

Richmond Gear - LockRight Locker Install Manual

US Standard - Spartan Locker Install Manual

This thread can also be used when installing a Spartan locker as well. The design of the two are the same. Please pay attention to the "EDIT" that i have added concerning the thrust washers.

Supplies needed are:
Floor jack, jack stands, and wheel chocks
1/2" socket wrench
3/8” socket wrench
Cresent Wrench
Torque wrench
24mm socket
14mm socket
12mm socket (deep) with extension
10mm hex key or socket
12mm hex key or socket
Oil Drain Pan
Gear Oil
Crush Ring for Drain Plug

Thank you [MENTION=88391]NateMob[/MENTION] for your trial and error contribution
Thank you [MENTION=82211]TCMach[/MENTION] for bring up the stud torque issue

The process is easy but time consuming. But here is my write up on how to install it:

The first step that you have to do is to chalk your wheels and jack up the rear (just enough to get the tires off the ground.) I used jack stand just to hold the axle high enough to get the wheels off the ground.

(Also drain out your fluid at this time as well. (24mm) (36 ft/lbs) When you pull the plug there will be a build up on the end of it. Wipe this onto a clean shop towel and inspect it for any large particles or chunks. A fine powdery dust that is like a thick paste will be present. Normal wear and tear will create this. I reused the crush ring but it was in good shape.)

If you don't chalk then your truck will more than likely start to roll away on you. :loco: but after it is chalked the first thing would be to disconnect the driveline.

These are 14mm bolts and are on there TIGHT!!! but after you get them off just use a hammer and tap the flange a bit and it will loosen up. (Torque spec is 54 ft/lbs)

Next if to make life easier when you put it back together use a set of vice-grips to pinch the brake lines (if your sill running OEM).

Remove the tires. (83 ft/lbs)

Next disconnect the e-brake (pinned), brake lines (10mm), and abs sensor (10mm). The ABS sensor is a little hard to get out but just use a flat head screwdriver and ease it out.

You then separate the axle shafts from the housing. There are 4 nuts (14mm) - (48 ft/lbs) that hold them on. The shafts should separate fairly easy from the housing. I just hit the back of the drum with my palm a few times and they came right out.

I removed the drums when I did this so that I could check the brakes. Good time to check your bearings as well.

All you really have to do is pull the axle shafts out about 3 - 4 in. but i wanted to bull them all the way out and inspect all the bearings and seals as well. (I don't have any pictures of this but some will get posted later when i do my rear bearings.)

After you pull the shafts out you can then remove the 3rd member. remove all the nuts around the 3rd memeber (12mm). Sometimes the studs will come out when removing the nuts. Good luck finding them. they are a dealer thing. The studs are a M8x1.25 if your wondering and are about $1.74 a piece. They come with a thread locker on them. P/N # 90116-A0018 (NOT A LOT OF DEALERS CARRY THEM SO PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE SOME BEFORE YOU START.)

Using a flat scraper or chisel. lightly separate the 3rd from the housing. Careful cause it is actually kinda heavy and the weight is offset. Once you have it out set it on its side and let the left over gear oil drain out. (use a towel) While it is draining remove the remaining gear fluid from the diff. If you want you can wipe the housing out but not necessary.

Here is some side by side comparisons between the older 3rds and the new 3rds. The first one is out of an 81 IIRC and the second one is out of mine. Notice the difference in the carriers. You will see the bigger difference later on.

Next I cleaned off all the remaining fluid and metal dust. (normal wear). I used brake cleaner to do this. Worked great. Now we can get onto the fun stuff

Mark each adjuster ring on each side so that you know where they are suppose to be at and as well what side they go on. I used a center punch for this but you can use a sharpie or paint pen or whatever. JUST MARK THEM!!!

next remove the clips that hold the adjuster nut in place (12mm)

Then remove the two bolts on the top cover for the carrier bearings (17mm)

I used a shop towel to keep things organized:

To remove the carrier you have to loosen the adjuster rings, this can be done with a screwdriver, punch, or just a 3/8 extension.

it will take about one full turn to get them loose enough to be able to remove them. just lightly tap and it will turn. Place the adjuster rings and the outer races to the side Again keep the sides separated

 

[smkd13]

It will take about one full turn to get them loose enough to be able to remove them. just lightly tap and it will turn. Place the adjuster rings and the outer races to the side. Again keep the sides separated

Now with the carrier out, not all carriers will have this but it is a good way to remember how to put this thing back together.

there will be two rows of bolts behind the ring gear. The ones that we need to loosen are the ones on the inner circle. There are 8 - (14mm) bolts to remove. To remove these I used an impact, I only use impacts to remove bolts, Not to put them back in

this is what your shop towel should look like now:

Flip over the carrier over, remove the now what is top piece, the ring gear half should be on bottom. (You dont have to remove the side gear, I just did for this tutorial)

here is a close up of the spider gears. To remove them, just lift up on the "X" - center pin, and slide the spiders off. here how the carrier should look now:

here is a picture of the side gears, thrust washers, and center pin.

Now, lets get this locker installed This is everything that comes in the Lock-Right box:

First coat the thrust washer in some medium grease (dont over do it, this is only to help reduce wear until it has time to get gear oil there.) Next put the thrust washer in and then place the side gear back in (make sure they are on the same side that they came out).

(EDIT: For a Spartan Locker install, omit the thrust washers. They are not used with the Spartan Locker!!!)

Then place once side of the locker face down so the "teeth" mesh up. Then place the gray spring in the blue spring, drop them in the slots that dont have holes going all the way through if you do the silver spring will fall all the way through and place the posts into the slots with the holes. (Hint: Put a little bit of grease on the gray spring, before you insert it into the blue spring, as it will hold them in place while your putting them in.)

Then place the spacer in like so:

Place the center pin in like this:

Put the pins and springs in the other side. I used a little bit of grease to hold the springs and pin in were as you have to turn it upside down to put it on. Place the spacer in the same position. I will look something like this:

Now put the other half of the carrier on. make sure that the marks (if there) align and holding the whole thing together, flip it over so that you can see the bolt holes again. Place and hand tighten the bolts down, then torque in a star pattern. FSM states a Torque Spec of 35 ft/lbs. I torqued them down as much as I felt comfortable with as my torque wrench was not acting right (time for a new one).

Place the Outer Bearing Race's on each side and slide it back into the carrier, place the adjustment rings in place and put the bearing caps on. Hand tighten the bolds down so they are snug. Line up your marks on each side. I then turned the adjuster cap on the ring gear side one full turn on each side and lined up the markings. I started with the side that has the ring gear and then moved to the other side. MAKE SURE THAT THE THREAD LINE UP!!!

EDIT: These rings are what determine your backlash. It is important to get them were they were before. This is the point where you will use the note that you made before of where they were positioned.

Torque the bearing cap mounts down to 63 ft/lbs. install the adjuster ring retainers and torque to 9 ft/lbs. And then you are ready to reinstall the third

 

[smkd13]

I drove the studs in using two nuts that i pinched together, that way i was able to remove the nuts without the stud backing out.

I use RTV. Generally I use Ultra Black but this time i went with "The Right Stuff" which sets up fast. This stuff is AWESOME!!! will always use this stuff (Thanks Konsta)

put the 3rd back into the housing. (kind of a pain honestly) and torqued the nuts down to 54 ft/lbs
(FYI e-locker nuts are only suppose to be torqued to 18 ft/lbs)

EDIT: Now don't be all gung ho and just force it to 54 ft/lbs. I doubt i got mine that high but then again sometimes i use the "GuttenTight" method. [MENTION=57546]4-Ripcord[/MENTION] and some other memeber experienced some issues of the studs breaking off under too much torque. Just something to keep in mind is that the diff house will also be held on by the gasket maker as well.

from here just follow the steps backward to installing the axle shafts. after you get the axle shafts in go ahead and fill the diff up. Factory is 75W-90, but here is what I used:

Front - 75w-90 / Fill Spec is 1.25 qts
Rear - 75w-140 / Fill Spec is 2.75 qts

and just because I wanted to post this lol I am a small dude lol

"OPERATION TIPS"

As for the operation of the locker. It is a pretty quiet locker. You will normally not hear it in the cab.

if you have your window down you can hear the ratcheting (clicking) going around corners. sometimes a loud bang. and you will notice when you press on the gas there is a slight jerk that sounds like a slam. it will be more prevalent in reverse as well.

THIS IS ALL NORMAL!!!

This is a full time locker but will unlock when going around corners. The actuation of the locker is achieved when the driveline applies torque to the ring gear. The ring gear turns the carrier which in turn turns the "center pin". The slots that the center pin sits in are slightly oval. When at rest or with a small load on it the center pin is resting in the middle. This allows the gear plates to be "free floating" relatively. So when one wheel is turning faster than the other, this allows the gears to slip (clicking sound) and be "unlocked". When torque is applied to the locker in a greater amount than idle the pin will "shift" in the oval forcing the two plates apart. This forces the gears to stay meshed and in turn forces the tires to spin at the same time. The reason why you don't get as much "bangs" in an automatic is because it constantly applies torque, where as a manual, when the clutch is depressed it removes all torque from the axle.

As far as if this is a stronger setup. It is a good setup for 33" tires. If your running 35" tires it is going to be pushing the limits of it, but it should work fine. Anything above a 35" is a bad idea. These lockers will not hold up to that kinda stress. That is in a way why they got a bad rep and started being called "pop-rights", because guys started running them in trucks with 37"+ tires and it it will fail with that much rotational force.

 

[Scotty_h]

Excellent witeup. Inspiring. Definately the next mod. I see that you CL-Smooothed your way on through that job. Niiiiice

 

[smkd13]

Excellent witeup. Inspiring. Definately the next mod. I see that you CL-Smooothed your way on through that job. Niiiiice

Ha ha finally someone noticed lol and thanks bud glad it helped out

 

[fish0281]

[MENTION=87942]Scotty_h[/MENTION] What you call CL-Smooothed I call C- ("C" minus)... best bargain in a can regardless!
[MENTION=88576]smkd13[/MENTION] Sorry if this is obvious and I've missed it, but what is actuating the locker? Did you have a locker to start out with and this is just a stronger setup?

 

[smkd13]

Sorry if this is obvious and I've missed it, but what is actuating the locker? Did you have a locker to start out with and this is just a stronger setup?

I did not have a locker before in this rig. It was an Open diff. This is a full time locker but will unlock when going around corners. The actuation of the locker is achieved when the driveline applies torque to the ring gear. The ring gear turns the carrier which in turn turns the "center pin". The slots that the center pin sits in are slightly oval. When at rest or with a small load on it the center pin is resting in the middle. This allows the gear plates to be "free floating" relatively. So when one wheel is turning faster than the other, this allows the gears to slip (clicking sound) and be "unlocked". When torque is applied to the locker in a greater amount than idle the pin will "shift" in the oval forcing the two plates apart. This forces the gears to stay meshed and in turn forces the tires to spin at the same time. The reason why you don't get as much "bangs" in an automatic is because it constantly applies torque, where as a manual, when the clutch is depressed it removes all torque from the axle.

Hope that made sense. As far as if this is a stronger setup. It is a good setup for 33" tires. If your running 35" tires it is going to be pushing the limits of it but it should work fine. Anything above a 37" is a bad idea. These lockers will not hold up to that kinda stress. That is in a way why they got a bad rep and started being called "pop-rights".

 

[fish0281]

Ahhh, cool, I have never heard of this type of setup before... interesting concept! Thanks for the info!

 

[Bryan1]

Very helpful write-up, between this one and gannonrt's the disassembly and assembly make perfect sense, however I think i'm going to go with an Aussie.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Nice write-up. Thanks for posting.

 

[Mr. B]

excellent writeup! from the pics down to torque specs, well executed :thumb3:

 

[white_n_slow]

Nice writeup! I've installed a couple lunchbox lockers. For anyone on the fence, it is the best bang-per-buck mod you can do for any offroad vehicle. The installation is not that hard either. I know I was intimidated the first time, but with a writeup and the directions that came with your locker, anybody with 3/4 of a brain should be able to manage.

My $.02

 

[smkd13]

Nice writeup! I've installed a couple lunchbox lockers. For anyone on the fence, it is the best bang-per-buck mod you can do for any offroad vehicle. The installation is not that hard either. I know I was intimidated the first time, but with a writeup and the directions that came with your locker, anybody with 3/4 of a brain should be able to manage.

My $.02

The installation book helped a lot but all torque spec where found in the FSM and the pictures that came with the Lockright Manuel where completely useless. Definitely agree they are the best bang for the buck.

 

[smkd13]

Updated with some tips that should help as well as some differences that the Spartan Locker has