Ected or Elocker

Hi I am going to be regearing my rear d44 I got a 5 speed and DD. So I was eather going to go with the aburn ected or the eaton elocker. I heard when the ected has first came out they had a few bugs I searched a lot but mostly found older posts. Latley I heard both got good reviews. I found a ected shipped for 589. and 4wheelparts is having a sale that ends today for the elocker ends up being around 745. Is the elocker better and worth the extra 200 bucks?

Between the two, the E-Locker is the only real locker, but I've talked with the Eaton guys at a car show about them and they told me that they weren't designed to run 35" or larger tires, I was looking at them until I heard that. They told me the best lockers out there are Detroit, and ARB. I'm running a Detroit in the front now and an ARB in the 8.25 is coming up before too long.

I'm a big fan of the Ected. Auburn's support has been really good, people who have had problems have been taken care of. I've got a few friends running ecteds, and as long as you use the proper additives they seem to work really well, even with big tires on big rocks.

hot_rod_hooligans said:

Between the two, the E-Locker is the only real locker, but I've talked with the Eaton guys at a car show about them and they told me that they weren't designed to run 35" or larger tires, I was looking at them until I heard that. They told me the best lockers out there are Detroit, and ARB. I'm running a Detroit in the front now and an ARB in the 8.25 is coming up before too long.

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it's refreshing to hear a vendor say another vendor's products are better than theirs. they did of course say that the detroit was the best, I am sure....

I have an ECTED in the rear for a few months. Have not done any hard wheeling since I have it. I know it have a very aggressive LSD that is simetimes evident on tight turns. It is not a 'Locker' by any means. It is an adjustable LSD which is tight and tighter. For the 30 tires I have now ant 31's I may go to later It is perfect for me. I will go to the Eaton E-Locker for the D30 when I regear for a true ??? locker in the front.

techno1154 said:

It is not a 'Locker' by any means. It is an adjustable LSD which is tight and tighter.

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Could you explain this a bit more??

So the sale ends today, anyone have anything to say about the elocker? Any reviews on it latley that you have heard? I am going to be running 33 12.5 15 mud tires.

ected worked on my 37's with D30 and 8.8 just fine. It is a art though to get the right about of additive in the fluid and Not use sythetic. I would Not go e-locker over ected. I would though go ARB over ected. I only heard/felt my ected "release" once. I was in heavy rock 4lo and climbing out of a trapped tire scenario.

twodollarbill said:

Could you explain this a bit more??

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I think he means when not turned on it is a tight limited slip, when turned on it is a tighter limited slip.
Could be a good thing I guess if it does have a lil slip it could help keep things from breaking. But with a dana 44 and 33s I dont think it is too big of an issue.

i thought when turned on it was a full locker?

I don't run an ECTED, but I do a lot of trail guiding and spotting and such, and I have seen how they perform in rocks or hard obstacles. I have not been impressed so far. If I am going to engage something to lock my axle, I want it to be locked. It is definitely NOT a locker. I even saw one where the pass. side tire was spinning and not the drivers side tire (with the LSD "on"), it loaded up and tried to spin the drivers side tire, and promptly broke the drivers side u-joint. Had this been a true locker, the drivers side tire would have grabbed and pulled the Jeep right over the obstacle. This was on an XJ HP D30 with 31" tires and 4.56 gears...

If you plan on running hard trails, go for a true locker.

Andy in Pa. said:

I don't run an ECTED, but I do a lot of trail guiding and spotting and such, and I have seen how they perform in rocks or hard obstacles. I have not been impressed so far. If I am going to engage something to lock my axle, I want it to be locked. It is definitely NOT a locker. I even saw one where the pass. side tire was spinning and not the drivers side tire (with the LSD "on"), it loaded up and tried to spin the drivers side tire, and promptly broke the drivers side u-joint. Had this been a true locker, the drivers side tire would have grabbed and pulled the Jeep right over the obstacle. This was on an XJ HP D30 with 31" tires and 4.56 gears...

If you plan on running hard trails, go for a true locker.

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And I'd bet the cost of an Ected the wrong lube/additive was used. If you don't follow the instructions, they don't work so well.

cal said:

And I'd bet the cost of an Ected the wrong lube/additive was used. If you don't follow the instructions, they don't work so well.

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That would be a down side right there, I like being able to put whatever I want in my diffs and have em work.

WaXJ_Skier said:

That would be a down side right there, I like being able to put whatever I want in my diffs and have em work.

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Then do not run a limited slip. The perk of an ected is its a limited slip when unlocked, and locked when locked (or rather, the tension on the clutches is turned WAY up, and if setup properly, will not release). That, and its electric - no air lines or compressor to deal with.

Let me be clear, I run ARB's front and rear on my rig, although I did have an ected in the past. If there was a 30 spline dana 30 ected or a 35 spline dana 44 ected, they would be in my rig.

cal said:

And I'd bet the cost of an Ected the wrong lube/additive was used. If you don't follow the instructions, they don't work so well.

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.... and I'd use that money to buy a locker, not an LSD. :doh:

Maybe, but when I turn on my OBA and turn on the switch for my ARB, it LOCKS!!!!

Nuff said.....

one of the guys in our local club has ECTED and he broke one of them climbing over a stump

twodollarbill said:

Could you explain this a bit more??

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It has got clutches that provide the friction to enable both wheels to receive power at the same time. In its non energenized state, it is nothing more that an agessive LSD similar to the OEM unit that come standard in the D35 and D44 axles.

With the flick of a switch, the magnetic solonoid through its design characteristics exerts more pressure on the clutches effectively tightning them evermore thus allowing less slip of the clutches.

I had the unfortunately incident of backing the pumpkin of muy D44 onto a rock one day leaving one wheel about 4" off the ground with the left wheel spinning like a bicycle wheel when the bike is turned upside down. Since I do not have a front shaft to the D30 (gears are 3.55 front and 4.10 rear) My first instinct was to panic.:doh: "Hey, wait a minute you idiot" I said to myself "You have a locking diff, use it". I flipped the switch and wallah home I go.

Yea the ECTED have clutches therefore it is not a true locker (in my mind). The electroc-magnetic solonoid simply tightens the clutches even more enabling it to mimic a full locker with 'mimic' being the discriptive verb.

I love mine and happy with my choice. I will do it again for the rear. For the front, nothing but a full locker will do. The Eaton E-Locker will fill that void right now.

Andy in Pa. said:

I don't run an ECTED, but I do a lot of trail guiding and spotting and such, and I have seen how they perform in rocks or hard obstacles. I have not been impressed so far. If I am going to engage something to lock my axle, I want it to be locked. It is definitely NOT a locker. I even saw one where the pass. side tire was spinning and not the drivers side tire (with the LSD "on"), it loaded up and tried to spin the drivers side tire, and promptly broke the drivers side u-joint. Had this been a true locker, the drivers side tire would have grabbed and pulled the Jeep right over the obstacle. This was on an XJ HP D30 with 31" tires and 4.56 gears...

If you plan on running hard trails, go for a true locker.

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hes even had that ected replaced and it still dont work right, i know another member who has had his ected rebiult, it still didnt work right, and then had it replaced and it didnt work right, im my opinion there JUNK you couldnt pay me to run one

So thus far we have some for and some against the Ected. My shop guy considers the Ected difficult to set up.

I dont fully understand everything about these, in terms of durability/strength, so I am watching this thread.

seems to me there are two areas of concern;
1. method of locking (air, electric solonoid, mechanical)
2. quality of operation either locked or unlocked (noise, vibration, % lock, strength)

In consideration 1, it would appear that electric is the quickest/easiest install, and simplest operation (from a systems standpoint), while mechanical would be the most reliable, and air being the worst of all methods. There must be something in 2 that makes air the most common method?

Any comments on E locker?

Shogun said:

Any comments on E locker?

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hot_rod_hooligans said:

I've talked with the Eaton guys at a car show about them and they told me that they weren't designed to run 35" or larger tires

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Thats it's flaw right there, if it breaks down with a large tire, it'll break down sooner or later with enough abuse. From every thing I've read for an auto-locker you can't get any better than a Detroit, and can't get a better selectable locker than an ARB.