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Powertrax locks up on-road

Mighty.Mighty_XJ

Mighty.Mighty_XJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
VA ... in the dark
Well, my Powertrax No-Slip has been in the XJ for a few months and I barely noticed it back there until the last day or so. It has got real loud, feels like it's locking up on-road, especially after moving from a full stop ... in a straight line. I mean it pops and snaps so loud it's embarassing. I thought they were supposed to be quiet!? More importantly, it's locking up solid on the road, affecting handling. It never did that before. The only recent work done on the rear axle is the installation of shackle relocation brackets, allowing about an inch more lift (give or take).
Has anyone had this happen? Could the change in angle of the rear suspension have anything to do with this behavior of the locker? Any ideas what to do? I gotta drive this thing 3.5 hours on Saturday .... and repeat on the way home.
 
Try checking the air pressure in the tires,too.

Wayne
 
x2 check the tire pressure. Pop the cover off and follow instructions and use the little block to check the spacing. Make sure all the springs are in the correct locations and are not bent or broken.
 
my auto locker works similar, i mean its locked up when im on the gas and is coasting when im off of it. It definately pops every now and then, it is what it is. If it isnt ratcheting then you have a problem.
 
I have the no slip, do check your air pressure, if that doesn't work get back into the diff and recheck it. I know I drove with 10psi in my tires on the road and I was all over the place, I could see a serious problem with a pressure differential of 10psi between the tires.
 
Before installing the Detroit No Spin I ran a PowerTrax No Slip for about 2 years and installed several in friends vehicles....
The most common thing that goes wrong is that one of the springs fall out and the end results are what you are experiencing.
Would suggest you pull the differential cover very soon and as others have suggested... look for the spring(s) or pieces in the bottom of the housing...
Dont wait too long or you will cause damage to the cogged locking halves....
You can order replacement parts from Richmond Gear.
http://www.richmondgear.com/powertrax/noslip.html


explosion.jpg
 
Wayne Sihler said:
Try checking the air pressure in the tires,too.

Wayne
Click to expand...
What am I looking for? Too low? Too high? Uneven tire pressure from tires on the same end? FWIW, I had a Road Force balancing only yesterday & they took care of all that. Increased the pressure to 33. Earlier this evening I reduced pressure to just under 30. And they're all the same.

Charles & Tim, thanks for that bit about springs & stuff, although I don't know what "the little block" is. I can certainly open the diff up, but I wouldn't know the first thing about what to do except change the fluid. Guess it's back to the shop.
 
Probably what you will find is the "active slotted spacer" the little ear is busted.

if you look st the pic above where the line from precision synchronization or state of the are engineering, those are the active spacers... if the ear is broken you get weird lock-ups and sometime it doesn't want to lock.

Now, they use the slotted one for both sides...
 
lilredxj99 said:
Probably what you will find is the "active slotted spacer" the little ear is busted.

if you look st the pic above where the line from precision synchronization or state of the are engineering, those are the active spacers... if the ear is broken you get weird lock-ups and sometime it doesn't want to lock.

Now, they use the slotted one for both sides...
Click to expand...

As I said on Jeep Forums, this happened to mine also. The ear broke off and the locker stopped locking. Made it super hard to drive in the rain because one tire would just spin.
 
lilredxj99 said:
Probably what you will find is the "active slotted spacer" the little ear is busted.

if you look st the pic above where the line from precision synchronization or state of the are engineering, those are the active spacers... if the ear is broken you get weird lock-ups and sometime it doesn't want to lock.

Now, they use the slotted one for both sides...
Click to expand...
UPDATE - Finally!

Absolutely right ... I think.
It took a while to finally get the XJ back into the shop, but here's what we found out: there was nothing visually wrong with the locker when he opened the diff, it all looked okay, but it wouldn't stay locked. You turn 1 wheel and it turned alone. After calling Richmond Gear, tech support concluded that when the guys took the pin out to examine the gears, it wasn't re-inserted correctly. Apparently you can't see that from the "front" of the diff ... the mess up was in the back somewhere. Now I can't give you all the tecnical details because I don't know what I'm talking about, but those of you familiar with the mechanics of a Powertrax will understand. I wish I could explain it better. When the tech actually removed the carrier, he confirmed the problem. And I think something was said about a little "ear" being broken.
Parts are being ordered, and I should be on my way very soon. Problem solved.

Thanks to everyone who pitched in with thoughts & theories. I took pics initially, but I wasn't present when the carrier was removed, so I have no relevant pics.
 
You might want to consider another shop as that is definately an install error!
 
RCP Phx said:
You might want to consider another shop as that is definately an install error!
Click to expand...
I agree to a point. They didn't install my locker, they simply checked the diff/gears at my request following my "recent" re-gearing. They removed a pin for some reason, but according to Richmond, you really can't see to ensure the proper replacement of that pin. Seems to me they should have removed the entire carrier in the first place.

The good thing is that they will cover the cost of overnighting the part in & the subsequent labor for the fix. As well they should. But there is no one around here that knows about the type of modifications we do to our Jeeps. South Jersey is a wasteland when it comes to 4x4 shops. When Troy (Jersey Jeep n Customs) went out of business that was it. Now these guys that checked the diff have a rep for having built a lot of huge trucks, mud boggers, installing engines, axle swaps & that type of stuff. From what I have seen their experience with Jeeps is little or nil. And they told me they are not familiar with the Powertrax, although that argument is lame from where I'm standing. I'm still looking for a place ...
 
Okay, got info about the part:
Richmond gear part number: (PWT) 624014SEH2
Part name: Active Spacer Replacement for No-Slip
Description: These Powertrax replacement active spacers allow the synchro ring to rotate.
There's more to the description, but that's the gist of it. After talking to my mechanic I wanted to see it for myself, especally since he told me that he spent over 2 hours seaching for someone that has it & could ship overnight for Saturday delivery. He was unsuccessful, can't get it until Monday. It took me literally 5 minutes after he gave me the part#. I found it by searching for the part number on (of all places!) eBay. LINK to description & picture.
I'm sure it can be found elsewhere, but this is the first place I looked.

Here's hoping that this will have some technical value for the next person that experiences this problem with their Powertrax.
 
I broke the active spacer in the No-slip in my D60. Did the same thing as described, locked up funny and then eventually 3 wheel only. Richmond tech told me it is usually caused by using a hammer to tap in the center pin and the active spacer slips out and rotates slightly and gets broke when the pin pushes it back in.

Lesson learned, if the pin doesn't go in by hand pull the locker back out and figure out why. I used bearing grease on the active spacer the next time to hold it in place. Worked like a charm.

Oh I got my replacements from Summit Racing. They have them but there is no description of the part. I think the Richmond tech gave me the Summit part number.
 
That's where we ordered it from. I simply called up Summit & everything went smooth. Canceled his order that wouldn't get to us soon enough for my liking. I don't understand ... my tech says he called them & they told him they didn't have the part. Whatever. Let's just hope it gets here on time. I got the Crawl for the Cure next weekend. Need my Jeep!
 
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