lock right good or bad

[nhfj40]

I have a 73 FJ40 with new tranny and tcase and a lockright locker in the rear. it works great and does the normal ratcheting around corners. but when i am going downhill off road with no thorotle I get a snapping noise from the reart end when the right rear tire articulates. is that normal for a lockright? I know its not the rest of the driver terrain cause it is new.

can the lockright just wear out from daily driving?

or are the just noisy period?

 

[woody]

drain fluid and pull the rear cover
buy one of those cheap plastic calipers for measuring tolerances ($10-15)
the gap between the two sides should be between .140 and .170...ideal is .152

If you are at the outer limit (.170) then call American Toyota, #8, and Dan can get you a pair of thick new side shims/washers so you can replace them and get back into spec. (the thickest ones installed in my front diff took me from .175 to .150...perfect)

Lunchboxes are notoriously "loose" feeling tho, and can create some odd handling characteristics...I know when I dropped on in PHAT MAX's rear axle he called me within 10 minutes to say the "lunchbox kick" I had warned him about had already struck once!

 

[nhfj40]

are you talking about the ring and pinion or the gap in the center of the lock right. becuase I had a new ring and pinion installed last summer and new springs and pins put in the lockright. I didn't know if the 2 halfs of the lockright that rachet could wear out.

Do think it would cause the noise I described above on dowhill only?

 

[woody]

center gap in the lockright...springs/pins have no issue, it's the side gear shims/washers....too much gap = nasty noises. These are the wear parts, and are commonly overlooked during installs, assuming the stockers are "good". IIRC, one lunchbox manufacturer provides the .152 spec, another provides a metal block that should fit tightly....I've used the .152 number on 4-5 installs (minitrucks and cruisers, ez-locks and lockrites) and it's worked every time.

For the price of some blue RTV and a couple quarts of 90wt, it's a cheap looksee...and the 2 washers/shims are in the $20 total range...

It's also possible you are just experiencing locker override since it occurs during a "coast" situation. The locker override, or "lunchbox kick" as I like to call it, occurs commonly with these units....I used to experience it at 60 down the freeway, and the truck would damn near jump a lane when it occurrec....backing in/out of the throttle caused it. It's the result of lots of things, partly the slop of the locker itself, partly due to changing tire rotation speeds during turning, and partly due to tire differences on that axle.

Make sure your tire pressures and tire wear on that axle are identical or close...differences cause them to rotate at slightly different speeds (even 1' per mile) and that can cause the locker to "give" and the bang to occur.

I'd still pull the cover tho....

 

[nhfj40]

ok thatnks for all the info I will take a look.

Heres a thought also do you suppose that when the rear end was rebuilt that the pinion nut didn't get tightened enough and worked its way loose? do you think that would cause that type of noise? I amalso going to check that I think. if it is loose do you normaly just tighten it tight and do you have to hit it with a chisel so that it doesn't come loose???

 

[woody]

pull the 4 bolts to remove the driveshaft and if the pinion wiggles up/down or in/out, then the nut is loose...and yes, it should be staked with a chisel.

I don't think that's your noise, but it's a "free" check and not a bad idea while yer down there gettin dirty...

another thing to check, spring slap...."possible" the pack is loose, and the springs shift when unloaded. Retorque u-bolts to 90 ftlbs...

 

[nhfj40]

ok I will try all of that thanks!!

 

[nhfj40]

THIS may be stupid but how do you stake the nut I have never had to do that?

 

[woody]

the pinion has a notch in it where the nut threads on....once tight (don't recall torque number), simply take your chisel and bend the nut into the notch...

or, if it's a castleated nut, you cotter pin it....like tie rods.