eaton e-locker

ive got an eaton e-locker in the rear of my 00 tj and it hasent been locking in and staying in so i pulled the diff cover off today and everything looks fine, no metal in the oil, nothing looks to be damaged, does anyone know anything about these lockers? not sure if it matters but the rear axle is a ford 8.8 out of a 96 explorer. im going to be regearing it with 4 88s in the next few weeks so removal to fix it wont be a problem  
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but getting parts for the e locker will be a problem.... ditch it.

tha acutator could have a problem or the clutches are worn, I just pulled one apart that has badly worn pinion shafts, parts are on backorder nation wide for an undetermined amount of time... some retailers no longer even sell em due to warranty issues/problems.  
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well crap! maybe i'll go with a detroit or a different selectable  
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any certian locker you reccomend?  
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The bummer is that every locker has some sort of drawback associated with it. The ARB is extremely strong but the air lines and seals can be problematic if not installed properly or the gear oil gets contaminated, and it's an expensive unit. I had one ARB whose seals lasted 10 min, and another that hasn't had a single issue in over 120,000 miles.

I'm a huge fan of the OX locker. It's is a good strong piece and a very good choice, but the thick cable can a pain to route in some cases. It does have other actuating options but I have not tried them.

I'm running an ECTED now but I'm not completely sold on it. It works fine and all right now and I have some miles on it. But it seems to me that once the limited slip clutches wear out the locker will no longer function and it will need to be sent in on the Auburn DREX program to be rebuilt. How long will it last? I donno. Maybe 100,000 miles? Maybe 10,000 or less if I drive in a circle or get stuck with the limited slip a lot and let the wheels spin.

I'm a big fan of the Detroit locker since there are no buttons, air pumps, cables, or electronics to fuss with or worry about. You put it in and forget about it. But it generally comes with some handling drawbacks, especially on short wheelbase Jeeps with soft suspension, like your Wrangler. The problem is accentuated even more when you add a manual transmission and a lot of horsepower like a V-8.

Ultimately, there isn't the perfect locker and it really depends on what you are willing to put up with. Ya might wanna pick up the latest issue of Jp. We tested pretty much all of the lockers and limited slips in the October '09 issue. Its on newsstands now.  

how good are aussie lockers  
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Aussies are not selectable. It's a spider gear replacement (lunch-box) locker. None of the lunch-box lockers are very strong by comparison to the ARB, E-Locker or OX. The lunch-box lockers all have goofy handling. Not awful, just goofy.

OX lockers are very, very strong. Truly their only glitch is the cable. But unlike the ARB or the E-Locker, you'll never have any internal issues with activation.

The cable issues can be thoughtfully minimized at install time. A direct rock or stump hit on the front axle, right where the cable exits the OX cover is probably the most common vulnerability. A little custom skid plate goes a long way at protecting this area. The rear also has the same exposure, but not as common of a problem (unless you're travel'n the wrong way - LOL).

I've had several ARBs in the past and I now have OXs front and rear. I do like them better than the ARBs even though I never had problems with the ARBs themselves. Just airline problems. Kind of like the OX cable. A more thoughtful installation cures many woes.  

i would like to have an ox but i cant afford one until i get outta college,im looking for something more affordable until then. i got lucky on my current 4.10 gears because a guy wants the fronts for his jeep and another guy wants the rear for his mustang wich helps off set the gear costs  
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the ected are an easy rebuild, I just had one apart to clean and inspect from a fragged pinion gear a few days ago, it's three years old and has slight wear on the clutches, the pinion cross pins have enough wear on em I wanted to replace em, getting the parts is a problem. I wouldn't bother with sending it anywhere to replace...

the arb's also now have upgraded o-rings and no longer use a ferrel that crimps the line and causes a leak. sweating in a new line isn't a problem either, it takes all of about 10 mins once the carrier is pulled.

I've rebuilt nearly every locker and lsd there is out there, the ox is one exception, never even installed one yet.  
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i e-mailed eaton to  see if they have a rebuild kit, just waiting ti hear back  
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good news for me, eaton called me back and they knew exactly what was wrong, gonna order the part tomorrow!  
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did you notice the wear marks on the left side axle only show a 1/2" of engagment on the splines.....  
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no i didnt, but the engagement pins were rounded, all 6 or 8 of them, i think it happened when i gave it to much hell in the mud after i got about 50 steps past stuck  
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