just installed aussie locker.....how do i test disingagement?

hey my dad and i just got done installing an aussie locker in my front dana 30....im waiting overnight for the rtv to dry and wondering if there is a way to test to make sure it is disingaging without driving it. the install article we used said you should be able to jack up the front, have someone hold one tire, and with some force be able to spin the other? is that right? to me it doesnt seem like you should be able to do that at all, but im not positive...

honestly, my dad and i did not understand what actually mechanically makes the locker disingage around corners in the first place....anybody care to explain a little bit. im real familiar with all the pieces now but just dont really understand how it could disingage...

You should be able to jack up one tire and spin it (while the other still has weight on it on the ground.)

ya i tried that and you could not spin the tire off the ground....that bad?

might be bad, but maybe you didn't use enough force? Hack up the entire front and have your dad hold one wheel. Try rolling the other one backwards 1/4 turn and then move forward with a little bit of speed. The lockers are designed with a certian amount of breakaway force (too tired to remember the proper name...torque bias?), before the side coupler disengages and is allowed to freewheel. Assuming you put all the springs in correctly, don't be afraid to twirl it hard with your hands. Your body can't exert enough pressure to bust anything inside.

With both wheels off the ground, trans in gear or park, and t-case in a part time 4 mode: Have one person turn either tire forward against the driveline till it stops, then while holding that, turn the other tire the same direction, it should remain locked. While still holding the first side, turn the other side the opposite direction, it should unlock and rotate freely and you will probably here the locker ratchet. Basically you want to perform that same scenario on both sides in both directions.

ok i just did that....jacked up one side with the weight of the vehicle on the other tire, turned it backwards a little bit, and with some forced jerked it forward and now it spins (in clicks, like ratchiting) really easy.....

one thing though, is that ok to do with no gear oil in there? is it ok on the teeth? also, one thing i dont understand is if you can spin it with such little pressure what keeps it locked up wheeling if say a wheel is off the ground and the other one has all the weight on it, similar to it disingaging now. i pretty sure its by torque but i dont understand what activates it differently then our scenerio parked?

thanks for your help guys i really appreciate it.

once power put to the axle it will angage again and lock .once you are in 2 wheel drive there won't be power to it and it can again unlock and ratchet around corners

sorry to bring this up again guys but i called aussie today just out of curiousity and asked them about it.....the guy said, "the locker should probably not disingage with just you trying to turn it by hand"

well after posting last night i tried again with one tire touching the ground and one off and mine does turn, actually pretty easily...

so im just trying to find out if all of your lunchbox lockers do the same thing, and if they are supposed to?

1993xjwheeler said:

sorry to bring this up again guys but i called aussie today just out of curiousity and asked them about it.....the guy said, "the locker should probably not disingage with just you trying to turn it by hand"

well after posting last night i tried again with one tire touching the ground and one off and mine does turn, actually pretty easily...

so im just trying to find out if all of your lunchbox lockers do the same thing, and if they are supposed to?

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It sounds like it is working correctly. Put some oil in it, and go for a drive. You'll know either way pretty quickly.

"turning by hand" and spinning the wheel with a little bit of force are different things. Assuming you used a little grease when installing it, spining it by hand won't hurt anything. Take the cover off and have someone else twirl the wheel. It will catch at first, then when enough force is applied at the wheel you should see the coupler on that side disengage from the locker and begin bouncing side to side as the teeth move across the main body. It will help you understand how the unit works.

Any of the auto lockers are essentially over running clutch sets. When torque is applied in one direction, a wheel can spin faster in the same direction torque is being applied, but not slower. Test it like I explained, with both wheels off the ground and one person on each tire. Trying to verify proper operation with one wheel on the ground is questionable. In order to do it that way, you would still have to have someone holding the driveshaft to preload the locker, before you could determine proper operation. If you don't do it that way, sometimes it will spin freely, and sometimes it will lock, because the driveshaft is not held firmly. Sometimes it may spin freely, and then all of a sudden lock, when the driveshaft turns enough to preload the locker. When you turn one wheel against the locked driveline, all you are doing is applying torque as the driveshaft would. Turning the opposite tire in the same direction is like trying to stop the tire when its being driven by the engine. Turning that tire the other way is like tryin to spin it faster than what it would be driven by the engine, in which case it would freewheel, or overrun.

I'm not sure how the Aussie manual explains testing, but that is the method that Lockright are tested, and they all function the same.
Does that help?