Ected "Lockers" Suck

[nswsparky]

Last year I installed an Ected in both ends of my XJ. One in the front of my Jeep in the Wagoneer Dana 44 and one in the back in my 8.8. I have had nothing but problems with them. First the one in the front totally quit working even as a limited slip, it had less than 100 miles on it. I just sent that one in and got an ARB for the front. This last week I had drove my XJ out to moab and was doing Moab Rim; got past all the hard parts and was climbing a ledge towards the top, and bang. The Ected stripped out the splines on my passenger side axle shaft. I have the super 88 kit with Chromoly shafts so it does not have stock shafts. Once I got the shafts out I noticed that the side gear only engages about 1/2 and inch of splines of the shaft. I have seen some forums that say it is 2 piece and it engages more of it when it is engaged but I don't see that as being the case there is only 1/2 an inch of splines machined in the side gear, and I had it engaged when I tried the ledge. Long story short I had to overnight a shaft, ended up costing me a little under $1000 to get it back moving, and I was afraid to run it on the trails anymore because I did not want to strip out another one. So if anyone is looking into a Ected DON'T GET IT. They are not a real locker just a limited slip and a tighter limited slip with them engaged. But I think it would work fine on a street mostly vehicle or a race track car but on a wheeler not so much. So if anyone wants to roll the dice I will be selling this thing for $150 less than 1000 miles on it still works like new.


Here is a picture of the shaft, only engages like half an inch of the splines the marks farther down the splines are from the stock limited slip diff I had a year prior that engages like and inch and a half of splines.

This pictures shows that the axle fully inserted it engages all the splines it can, the shaft is not too short. this is the locker disengaged but engaged does not change the spline engagement.

 

[DaveBen]

I had a CJ-2A and the axle splines would engage to the end of the side gear. I can't see yours.

Dave

 

[nswsparky]

it goes all the way to the bevel of the inner side of the gear. There is only a 1/2 inch worth of splines machined into the side gear of this "locker" the rest is smooth bored. It engaged all of the splines available in the side gear. It sounds like that is just the way it is engineered.

 

[DaveBen]

Not great engineering???

Dave

 

[nswsparky]

exactly I think they engineer it so you strip shafts before breaking the locker so they can have a warranty

 

[iracemine]

That is a great way out of any real warranty. Sucks for you tho

 

[jpringle83]

Yeah I'd heard this on several 4wd forums and having ARB USA right here in Washington makes it an easy choice for me. I recently installed a used ARB and compressor in an HP Dana44 for a friend and had bought a new bulkhead fitting for it but turns out ARB has a new style for the newer models. Talked to ARB and they sent me out a new old style fitting for absolutely nothing. Made the choice easy for me on my dana 60s can't beat their customer service.

 

[nswsparky]

I will more than likely go with an arb in the back now too. I put one in the front before the trip to replace that ected, preformed great, and they are serviceable unlike a lot of the other ones out there.

 

[Dogman]

That looks like the C clip unit. Have you talked to Auburn
about it?

 

[nswsparky]

yea its a c-clip unit the Ford 8.8 usually has C-clip axles in it but I run a Super 88 kit from Superior Axle which changes it to a semi-float and puts the retainer out at the axle end.