auto locker question

With your hubs locked (whether in or out of 4wd) both axles are still locked together, hence when turning a corner both wheels will want to turn at the same speed. Unlock hubs and axles will now not be turned by the wheels and thus wheels will not be "locked" together and steering should feel "normal"

yep all good. Makes sense.

Cheers,

front end is all good. Going straight isn't the problem, it's when I turn. Not sure why I thought the steering would return to 'normal' once I disengaged 4wd. Having them locked still but just not sending drive makes complete sense once it's highlighted to me :)

Cheers,

now I'm confused because what you experience is different to what the others are saying. Yours auto lokka or air compressor style?

I would expect an air compressor to turn back to normal because it would spring apart with the air turned off.

Gossy

If its a detroit locker they are locked all the time ,they unlock when the truck turns

All this talk about locking in hubs raises a question with me. I've never owned or driven a vehicle that required locking in the front hubs. My question is what happens if you inadvertantly only lock one huib in and forget the other side?

I also have Lokka type diff locks fitted front & back, on mine it is very difficult to tell when the front hubs are locked in but the transfer case isn't. In fact my Brother-in-law drove it 120 Kms and didn't realise the hubs were in. I too would recommend that someone has a look at your front end/axle/diff set up.
Regards,
Lloyd M

Gossy

I agree with Craig. I have had a lokka in the front of my IFS Lux for over five years and have never experienced any steering problems with the hubs locked and the transfer case in 2wd on sealed roads. I lock the hubs every month or so just to keep the diff moving. The last time was last Sunday morning and they are still locked. I drove in and out of two shopping centre car parks today and noticed the usual clicking sound and thought I must unlock those hubs when I get home but still haven't done it.

You can't drive around cities with a diff solidly locked and no manufacturer would sell a auto locker that did not unlock in those situations. Auto lockers drive with engine applied torque and unlock with road applied torque. Road torque comes from one wheel turning faster than the other because it has a longer distance to travel. That is just about all the time no matter where you are going. Even in a straight line on a freeway is no different. As sure as can be your wheels will be different in diameter even if it is only by one millimetre. This might cause one wheel to make one more turn than the other over about say about ten ks in a straight line. The diff will unlock and allow for that extra turn.

The unlocking process causes a clicking sound as the teeth disengage and slide over each other. It is easy to hear on tight turns because there is a large difference in wheel speed and the teeth are sliding over each other quickly. It is difficult or even impossible to hear on gradual curves because of minimal wheel speed difference and slow movement of the teeth but it is still happening.

On bush tracks, the engine applied torque will always be driving at least one axle. It is impossible to not drive any. The other wheel will be rolling along up over rocks, down through holes or around the outside of corners. The diff will be unlocked just about all the time which is why you can drive around the bush all day without having to fight the steering as you would if the diff was manually locked. The instant the driven wheel looses traction, the diff will lock and drive both. This will continue until one or both wheels regain traction. The unlocking process will immediately start again.

The first thing I would do with your car is take it out and try a full lock turn. If you can not hear any clicking then the diff is not unlocking and that would be why you are having steering problems. If the locker has just been installed then it may not have been set up with sufficient clearance between the gears to allow it to unlock. If it has been there for a while then it most likely has a mechanical problem like a broken spring. That is not a common problem but I have heard of it happening before.

You can try a simple test in your driveway if things don't appear to be normal. With 4wd engaged and the hubs locked, jack up one wheel and turn it backwards by hand. It should move a fraction of an inch then lock. What you have done is taken up any slack in the drive train and left the locker cam gear back on the diff centre cross shaft. In other words the axle is now being driven and the other wheel should be free to turn ahead of it. The next step is to see if it will so hold the wheel in that backwards position either by chocking it or letting the jack down then jack up the other one. You should be able to turn it forward. You will feel a slight resistance and hear a horrible noise each time the teeth slide over each other but that is normal. If you can't turn it then there is something wrong inside the locker.

Repeat the test forward and backwards on both wheels. The reason for this is these lockers work in both directions on the road. Under engine braking down hill, the wheel with the longest distance will be held back while the one travelling the shorter distance will turn slower and ratchet its teeth back over each other.

G'day I have a gu patrol with an auto locker. Yes it feels like it is all over the place with the hubs locked and not in 4x4 as explained above. It takes a bit of time to get used to driving it like that, as it will try to drive in a straight line all the time until the wheels generate enough grip to unlock or tyre slip as you turn. You can do the checks above to make sure ok then put it to some use and enjoy it!