Disconnect vs. EZ Locker

I am going to install a locker or a LS in my XJ. I want to focus on the front 89 D30 disconnect axle because I plan to locate an 8.25 or D44 for the rear later.

I don't understand how the EZ Locker or Lock Right can work without causing the front prop shaft to turn all the time. With the open diff. and a disconnect, your R&P can remain stationary. Your driver's side will spin in one direction and the passenger side stub must then spin at the same speed in the opposite direction for the R&P and prop shaft to remain stationary. When you engage 4WD, your prop shaft starts spinning and so your axle shafts begin to spin in the same direction at the same speed, allowing that vacuum driven locking collar to lock your pass. side inner and outer axle shafts together.

If your axle shafts are normally locked with the EZ Locker, then somethings got to give, your R&P must then spin. Once you install the EZ Locker, your highway mileage must drop and you might as well do away with the axle disconnect because it won't work. Your drive shaft will spin all the time.

Am I missing something? Will the EZ Locker disengage when the drive shaft is not driven by the T-case. Does anybody run a lunchbox locker with their disconnect axle? Appreciate any help. I did a search but didn't see a specific answer to this question.

I have EZ-lockers front and rear and the front one gives me no noise or any problems. The differential gets locked by the locker but with the axle disconnect in the D30 it acts as the "differential" while in 2wd and there is no problems. In 4wd there is a reduction in turning radius like any locker but you can always install a cable operated axle disconnect to make it thru the sharp turns easier.

Yes, it will cause your front shaft to spin. If your front shaft is in fairly good balance then it might not be a problem.

The only lockers that don't cause your front shaft to spin are the selectable units like OX or ARB.

In 2wd there's no power going to the front, so the EZ Locker won't lockup. No locker engagement means that the as long as the pass shafts are disconnected the driveshaft won't spin.

A spool, lincoln locker, or engaged selectable are the only things that will cause the driveshaft to turn when in 2wd in a CAD frontend.

I'm not sure I agree with that.

The driver side tire will be supplying the power. The driverside shaft will power the driver side of the locker which will contact the centre pin. The centre pin will spin the carrier which will spin the driveshaft. The passenger side is just floating there going along for the ride.

With those ratcheting style lockers they are either spinning everything or ratcheting and I don't seem to recall front ratchet style lockers (EZ, lockright, Aussie) ratcheting while driving in a straight line with the axle disco'd.

Bender said:

I'm not sure I agree with that.

The driver side tire will be supplying the power. The driverside shaft will power the driver side of the locker which will contact the centre pin. The centre pin will spin the carrier which will spin the driveshaft. The passenger side is just floating there going along for the ride.

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I can agree with Bender as I am running this exact setup and yes my front driveshaft does spin when driveing normally in 2wd. It only turns because the right front axle shaft is connected to it directly thru the locker and it would also spin the left front axle shaft except for the axle disconnect.

I haven't noticed any problem with the drive shaft spinning and my cherokee has 197,000 miles.

Select-Trac or Command-Trac?

I've been reading this thread...and wondering if I have the vacuum thingie or not. I have an '89 Wagonneer Limited (XJ) with the 4x4 sysem that allows full time 4-wheel, part-time 4-wheel, and part-time low 4-wheel.

I haven't seen anything on the front axle that would indicate I have some sort of disconnect...am I bonkers?

I eventually want to do an ARB for the rear...and was thinking about a locker of some sort for the front. What's the best set-up for a rig that still has to serve as a daily driver?

Any input is appreciated!

Thanks,

Re: Select-Trac or Command-Trac?

Flyfisher said:

I've been reading this thread...and wondering if I have the vacuum thingie or not. I have an '89 Wagonneer Limited (XJ) with the 4x4 sysem that allows full time 4-wheel, part-time 4-wheel, and part-time low 4-wheel.
I haven't seen anything on the front axle that would indicate I have some sort of disconnect...am I bonkers?
I eventually want to do an ARB for the rear...and was thinking about a locker of some sort for the front. What's the best set-up for a rig that still has to serve as a daily driver?
Any input is appreciated!
Thanks,

Click to expand...

I believe that the disconnect D30 axle was standard on all XJ's up thru '90 or '91 but the easiest way to tell what you have is to look at your axle. If you have a vacuum hose connecting to a diafram on the left side of the axle (it has a small cover bolted onto it on the back side between the pumpkin and the left UCA mount.
Locker choice for a DD is all a personal prefrence. My cherokee is a DD and like I said earlier I dont even notice the locker in the front with the disconnect. I only drive 12 miles to work each day and we take our "family car" on long trips even though I have driven 500 miles for a trip before.
Hope it helps.

GroversXJ....thanks for the reply. I don't see the equipment you've described...therefore, I musn't have the disconnect I've read about. I'll keep thinking about the lockers...choices for front and rear!

I recently put a Lock-Right up front on my '94 D-30 non-disco. I put the front end up in the air on jackstands, and, in 2wd, I could spin each tire independently by hand. No racheting, no binding, no driveshaft spinning, each tire spun free and easy. But when I put it in 4wd, they locked together and I couldn't budge them by hand. That's why people say that a Lock-Right in a Dana 30, non-disco, is "invisable" in 2wd on the street, because it basically acts like an open diff.

Flyfisher said:

GroversXJ....thanks for the reply. I don't see the equipment you've described...therefore, I musn't have the disconnect I've read about. I'll keep thinking about the lockers...choices for front and rear!

Click to expand...

Chuck-
If you have full-time 4WD, you have the NP242 t-case and DON'T have a disconnect axle. The disco axles only came with the NP231 t-case.
HTH

Cujo said:

I recently put a Lock-Right up front on my '94 D-30 non-disco. I put the front end up in the air on jackstands, and, in 2wd, I could spin each tire independently by hand. No racheting, no binding, no driveshaft spinning, each tire spun free and easy. But when I put it in 4wd, they locked together and I couldn't budge them by hand. That's why people say that a Lock-Right in a Dana 30, non-disco, is "invisable" in 2wd on the street, because it basically acts like an open diff.

Click to expand...

That's interesting...
On my non-disco axle, my front shaft spins all the time. The t-case locks it into 4WD and applies power to the front through the driveshaft. Unless you have manual hubs, I'm curious as to why your front driveshaft wouldn't spin going down the road.

Bill (),
You're correct, I do have the NP242J Transfer Case. So, the question, will a locker up front affect DD drivability? Does it have to be a selectable locker (ARB, etc.), or will a "standard" locker do? I want to install a selectable locker in the rear, cuz I don't want the locker attributes for snow driving (it does snow from time to time here in Montana).

Your (expert) advise is appreciated.

Chuck

Lock-right Front

Thanks folks- I guess its one of those tradeoffs. If I get the locker in the front, the driveshaft is going to spin. It's prob. not a big deal as I would be like the newer non-disconnect axles in that respect, but I'm probably going to do a tru-trac for the rear LS diff and leave the front alone for now. This is my daily driver and I do take it long distances on family vacations. Just looking for a little more mild-offroading traction- Don't have a dedicated 100% trail rig yet.

is the EZ-Locker in anyway affected by input from the road? One user mentioned on jackstands he could freely turn the tires without turning the DS. Perhaps this is similar to the gear-style LSDs which require input friction to activate. Just a thought. I like not having to lock the hubs, but manually selectable hubs would allow you to run evena detroit seamlessly. I think I would prefer a selectable myslef...too bad they are unreasonably expensive.

PapaPump said:

is the EZ-Locker in anyway affected by input from the road? One user mentioned on jackstands he could freely turn the tires without turning the DS. Perhaps this is similar to the gear-style LSDs which require input friction to activate. Just a thought. I like not having to lock the hubs, but manually selectable hubs would allow you to run evena detroit seamlessly. I think I would prefer a selectable myslef...too bad they are unreasonably expensive.

Click to expand...

What do you mean by the locker being affected by input from the road? I was recently rotating my tires and because of the locker, when the front tires were up in the air I could loosen the lug nuts but I couldn't tighten them back up while the tire was in the air because the locker would rachet so I had to put it back on the ground but on the disconnect side it had to be on the ground to loosen and tighten the lugs. But no there is no racheting in either axle in 2WD while going in a straight line. :lecture:

what i meant was if there was a certain amount of feedback required for the locker to "sense" slippage and engage. your response, however answers the question. up in the air, if the locker still works than the answer is no.

where exactly is BFE, CA? I think I live there too...

uhhh, is it just me or is this thread like 2 years old?

and i agree with BillR member - my non-disco spins my fron DS all the time. Killed one with a bad pinion angle... $500 later... and now i got a new DS and RE upper adjustable control arms...

Yes, this thread is old, more than a year old...BUT, anytime someone asks a common question on here, some pompus ass wastes posting space saying "try using the SEARCH feature." its as if they don't want to answer the same question again, but don't mind wasting their time on a reply that doesn't help anyone. AND it is a very unoriginal response, no matter how they try and change it up. then some other ass gets on there and says "cool response dude," and I'm like "WTF, that wasn't cool, how many times do we need to be reminded that there is a search button?" So anyhow, I did a search, got some old posts and replied, is there something wrong with that. Just because a topic's been covered before doesn't mean there aren't more facts to be discovered. Enough ranting.

PapaPump said:

anytime someone asks a common question on here, some pompus ass wastes posting space saying "try using the SEARCH feature." its as if they don't want to answer the same question again

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I agree, I have tried resurecting old posts before to get more informationa and have had very little success getting anyone to reply to it so i often ask the new question again in a new post and get plenty of responses, so i have no problem replying to an old post renewed.

BFE California, for me anyways, is Ridgecrest, but at least it isn't Trona.