I had an ARB front locker put in about 200 miles ago, and since new I have had very bad torque steer. Though, through the miles it has progressively gotten better. While the locker is disengaged, a punch of the gas from a standstill sends the steering wheel and truck to the left. On the freeway is where this phenomena becomes most aggravating. As I give the truck gas it pulls to the left, and when I let off, it pushes to the right. With the locker engaged the truck pulls even harder to the left. Locked or unlocked, the steering wheel is only torque for a short moment, then the truck begins to straiten it self out. I have subsequently jacked the truck up to make sure the front diff and locker are functioning correctly. Everything moves as I would expect. It feels like the left front tire is receiving most of the power. Has anyone experienced or heard of anything like this? I contacted ARB and they told me to check my alignment…Thanks ARB.
Does ARB front locker = torque steer? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Nospell
- Start date
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Nospell said:
Why are you driving on the "freeway" with the lockers engaged?! I would say, having never done this, if you are locking any of your lockers on solid surfaces you get all sorts of erratic driveline behavior (lurching, shredding of tires, etc.)...
My ARB front locker works perfectly on-trail...sure it has a slightly heavier feel at the steering wheel...go check it out on dirt/gravel.
He says its disengaged when this is happening.
When the locker is disengaged it should act just like an open differential and you should not notice any difference from before you had it installed. Could there be another source to the problem? What other work did you have done at the same time you had the ARB installed? Suspension work? Different tires?
- Thread starter
- #5
All I had done was the front diff. Maybe my unit is defective? And thanks for the clarification; I would never engage it on the freeway. This is starting to aggravate me, I feel like I have to wrestle my truck down the road.
topend yobbo said:
Sorry about that...I should have read it correctly! Something is definitely wrong with your front diff/locker assembly...have whomever installed it check it out.
sleeoffroad
Supporting Vendor
Are you sure it is disengaging. If you installe the solenoid the wrong way it can be locked up and not release. Jack both front wheels in the air and see if the spin the same direction when engaged, and not when open. Something else is wrong.l
It is not the ARB's fault. What does the shop say that did the work?
It is not the ARB's fault. What does the shop say that did the work?
- Thread starter
- #8
I got in touch with the guys at ARB, they have a team trying to formulate ideas to fix my situation, but they don’t think the pull is casued by the locker. They asked the same question Slee did about the possibility of the air supply being reversed, but when engaged one undeniably knows the locker is engaged. While engaged the truck will almost not turn on hard pavment. My locker engages and disengages as expected. In addition, they don’t think that an improper installation could cause this problem. Any incorrect installation usually results in a miss alignment and a subsequent vibration ensues. For the sake of ARB’s reputation I am not trying to pin this problem on them, my vehicle has nearly 140k miles on it, thus this could be caused by a host of other faults of the vehicle. But in the defense of my own thought, on Wednesday of last week when I dropped my truck off at the mechanics it pulled perfectly strait. Upon picking my truck back up, at which time the only change it underwent was the replacement of a perfectly functioning two pinion diff with an ARB locker, the left torqueing was ever present. What else could this be caused by?
How about tire sizes and pressures? Damaged ABS sensor, brake problem after install?
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sleeoffroad
Supporting Vendor
It should not do it and I can not see how it could. What does the shop say that did the install? When installing the ARB a ton of stuff has to be taken apart and re-installed. The problem can be in a number of other places. I would look there first. If the ARB locks and unlocks properly, then it should not do this. Did you do the test to jack it up and spin the wheels. The added advantage of this is that if something is binding, dragging etc it might also become aparent.
Forum diagnosing does not replace real world diagnosing. If you had a shop that knew how to install an ARB' they should be able to fingure this out. Worse case is they have to pull the ARB out again, and if found faulty, they have to talk to ARB about the labor they lost.
Do you know if they are an ARB Direct dealer?
Forum diagnosing does not replace real world diagnosing. If you had a shop that knew how to install an ARB' they should be able to fingure this out. Worse case is they have to pull the ARB out again, and if found faulty, they have to talk to ARB about the labor they lost.
Do you know if they are an ARB Direct dealer?
OK....not trying to spin this. I know he didn't have the problem BEFORE the ARB install though please note my comments:
In three of the five Full-Time 4WD vehicles I've owned...2 Mazda MPV and the 100-series, I've had this happen 24/7:
From a dead stop...hit the gas...the steering wheel spins to the left some as well as the truck, then after a second it centers itself and straight it tracks.
When cruising you don't feel it if you floor the gas, however....if you remove your hands from the wheel and hit the gas, then the wheel does quickly spin a tad to the left and re-center.
Nobody could ever explain why the Mazda's or the 100 did it. I can tell you that in the Mazdas, if I switched it to rear-wheel drive ONLY the "steering issue" went away. It was only when I was in FT4WD.
Thoughts about this pertaining to Nospell's issue?
In three of the five Full-Time 4WD vehicles I've owned...2 Mazda MPV and the 100-series, I've had this happen 24/7:
From a dead stop...hit the gas...the steering wheel spins to the left some as well as the truck, then after a second it centers itself and straight it tracks.
When cruising you don't feel it if you floor the gas, however....if you remove your hands from the wheel and hit the gas, then the wheel does quickly spin a tad to the left and re-center.
Nobody could ever explain why the Mazda's or the 100 did it. I can tell you that in the Mazdas, if I switched it to rear-wheel drive ONLY the "steering issue" went away. It was only when I was in FT4WD.
Thoughts about this pertaining to Nospell's issue?
Does the ABS light ever go on? When I re-geared my thirds, of course I had to pull my axles and in the process of re-assembly must have dinged something on one of the ABS sensors. Every once in a while, under braking, the sensor would send faulty info to the ECU and one brake would start pulsing. Of course, this caused pulling issues to one side and a very scary driving experience.
Obviously, you're getting this on forward acceleration, not braking, but it's an example of one of the myriad of things that Christo mentions that can go wrong on re-assembly.
Obviously, you're getting this on forward acceleration, not braking, but it's an example of one of the myriad of things that Christo mentions that can go wrong on re-assembly.
BTW, the "torque steer" sympton only happens on front-wheel drive or front-wheel biased vehicles. Is it possible (somehow) that there is no power going to the front axle?
dclee said:
You meant to write..."...no power going to the rear axle" correct?
spressomon said:
Hehe, yes, thanks for the catch! Actually, I think I meant (which is the same thing): "only power going to the front axle."
- Thread starter
- #17
Problem Solved
Thanks again for all the help. After about a weeks worth of driving I took her back to the mechanic where they looked it over for a few hours and found nothing wrong. During their diagnosis the truck was lifted off all four wheels and run to see if the power was being delivered uniformly. I know this does not adequately reproduce real world operation, but it was as close as we could get, and everything moved as expected. Interestingly, after the truck was set back down, I left the shop and the torque steer was gone. It seems like something in the drive train was bound up, thus lift the truck and running it allowed the system to equalize. However, now that my torque steer problem has vanished in a manner as odd as its arrival, the air compressor tank that actuates the locker leaks air through the intake valve, thus the compressor almost runs continuously.
Thanks again for all the help. After about a weeks worth of driving I took her back to the mechanic where they looked it over for a few hours and found nothing wrong. During their diagnosis the truck was lifted off all four wheels and run to see if the power was being delivered uniformly. I know this does not adequately reproduce real world operation, but it was as close as we could get, and everything moved as expected. Interestingly, after the truck was set back down, I left the shop and the torque steer was gone. It seems like something in the drive train was bound up, thus lift the truck and running it allowed the system to equalize. However, now that my torque steer problem has vanished in a manner as odd as its arrival, the air compressor tank that actuates the locker leaks air through the intake valve, thus the compressor almost runs continuously.
Might wanna pull the fuse on that puppy. I'd hate to burn that compressor up. Glad she's driving straight!
sleeoffroad
Supporting Vendor
Does it run all the time with the locker engaged or disengaged? If disengaged, check the 12mm bolt that holds the tank (piece with the solenoids on it) on the compressor. It can become loose and it leaks at the O-ring.
If it leaks with the locker engaged, you have a problem with the locker. Lifting it and lowering it should not do anything to the drivetrain. Something is wrong and I would not stop until I know what is going on.
If it leaks with the locker engaged, you have a problem with the locker. Lifting it and lowering it should not do anything to the drivetrain. Something is wrong and I would not stop until I know what is going on.
