I guess i should have clarafied. I blew out the spider gears on my stock diff on my 2001 wrangler. I had the dealer install the powertrax "Lock right" unit. The powertrax clicking was rediculously loud and embarrasing when turning. Multiple people told me i might wanna have my jeep repaired (they knew nothing about lockers).
The clicking noise kept getting louder and louder, then eventually locked up.
I then installed a stock diff and sold it.
I built a 2010 4 door wrangler, and installed detroit lockers (not true-trac).
Detroits never made any clicking noises when turning. The powertrax is a cheap, affordable unit...but you get what you pay for.
Gotcha....but like I said, I've been running lockright & spartan lockers (same as powertrax) for over 20 yrs, with bigger tires and about 2x as much horsepower as they recommend in one of the trucks....never had any issues.
Not saying you did, but the only time I've ever seen one fail were:
1) it was not installed correctly...as in the clearances were not set right between the lock plates and the center pin, the guy just put the parts in based on the pics without checking....over time it got really loud, then wouldn't lock, then locked up hard
2) the center pin wasn't hardened, and it wore to the point the clearances got too large
Mine sometimes makes a loud clicking noise, but I am used to it, and I have had people ask me what's wrong with it, and I tell them what it is an why it does it, and have even been known to show them how it works.....they usually then want one.
The only reason detroits don't click as loud, is they have an extra layer of metal around the lock plates to dampen the noise....but they do click.....if they didn't, you wouldn't be able to turn. With a detroit, the clearances between the locking plates and the center pin don't have to be set, they are done at the factory....but you do have to set up gears...which I would prefer not to do.
Some of the detroit thing, is also cuz people think they are better cuz they have been around so long, they just put them in an miraculously can't hear the clicking, so they like them more.
I've seen just as many detroits fail, if not more, since they have been around longer. Bad thing is, when they fail , they usually take other $$$ stuff with it, like gears, carriers, axles, etc.
I've never had a detroit, but a good wheeling buddy of mine did, and when his went, it took out both rear axle shafts, the gears, the pass front axle u-joint, and jacked up his t-case. Granted, he was bound up pretty good with all the trucks weight on the rear axles, but still, he had to come down off the mountain on the hook, and when he got it all back together, no more detroit....he went full traction via about 5 lbs of welding rod in the spider gears.
Either way, good luck, both type lockers work pretty well, both can fail, but 1 is more $$ and requires much more expertise in setting, and you know which one that is.
I'm not even sure how much it would take to put either one in these trucks, as some require parts from previous years just to work, especially if you are working the front axle, which has the ring gear welded on.
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