Differential clutch Pac replacement

[bwssr]

Anyone have a recommendation around Conroe, Huntsville, or BCS?
2008 F250
Thanks

[Fordnandez]

I wouldnt waste your time or money on it. Get a Detroit Trutrac or a full blown Detroit locker. You will have to be more cognizant when you are turning with the full blown locker because if you are giving it a good amount of throttle it will lock up and chirp the inside tire.

[bwssr]

I know all about the spools and lockers. Tell me about the "trutrack"

[Fordnandez]

Pretty good info in the link below. Pretty much a mechanical LSM instead of clutch packs. I have gotten quotes including install and tax for $1,050 and $1,200 for the Detroit locker. This is reusing the existing gears.

Some people say they have had luck with adding more friction modifier to the diff to try to squeeze a few more miles out of your stock LSD.

https://www.eaton.com/us/en-us/catalog/differentials/eaton-detroit-truetrac-differential.html

[Fordnandez]

I will be getting the full Detroit locker in my 08 soon.

[bwssr]

Thanks guys! I added the modifier last year..helped some. This is my weekend worker truck..so 10k miles a year would be way high for it

[Fordnandez]

Thanks guys! I added the modifier last year..helped some. This is my weekend worker truck..so 10k miles a year would be way high for it

I am in the same boat. I only drive mine one day a week and out to my lease. I have had one tire spinning since about 50k. I am tuned and deleted so I think the extra power just tore up those clutch packs pretty quick. Since I don't drive it in the city much anymore I am going with the Detroit since it is beefier and will give the most traction.

[mrc]

I know all about the spools and lockers. Tell me about the "trutrack"

I am running a trutrack in my blazer, 4.56 gears and 35" tires. Just driving normal it works like an open diff, but if you throttle it a little it will lock up the rear end . It doesn't act quite lock a full locker but if will put power to both tires. There is no way I would run a full locker on a daily driver, an elocker or air locker would be a good option also.

[bwssr]

Sloop many ideas...thanks!

[RifleBowPistol]

Really there is not anything wrong with the 9.75", 10.25" and 10.5" locking diffs. I worked on a lot of rear axles when I worked for Ford. I saw very few problems with those rear axles of any type. The most common problem with any of those rear axles, was axle seals that were used in the 10.25" rear axles. I never saw a 9.75", 10.25" or a 10.5" rear axle blown up, we did not have much problems with the traction lock units in any of them. The Dana 60 rear axles sometimes used in E250s and light duty E350s, commonly needed everything replaced. They would spin the left side carrier bearing in the housing and then wind up filling the whole rear axle with metallic paste. I saw many Dana 80s with gear whine, back around 99 through 00 Dana produced a lot of bad Dana 80 gear sets. I also saw multiple Dana 80s with shattered gears. Then I saw some Dana 135s in F550s with shattered gears. I really think Dana makes their gears too hard and brittle. I also saw multiple Dana 50 front axles with twisted off, pinion gears.
The Sterling axles, that Ford uses or used, were the 7.5, 8.8, 9.75, 10.25 and 10.5. Were all pretty good. The 9.75, 10.25 and 10.5 are all very similar rear axles, the 10.25 was the first of the three, then the 9.75, then the 10.5. They use a lot of the same parts between each axle. Those where the most durable axles I saw when I worked in the dealer. The single rear wheel F250 and F250 Super Duties, had the Sterling 10.5. The dual wheel F350 and the F450 had the Dana 80. Then the F550 has the Dana 135.
The Dana 80s were the ones we had the problems with the diffs also, with all of the chattering. They finally went back to the old stinky friction modifier, that did the most for fixing the chattering. That newer friction modifier that does not have much of a smell, does not work anywhere near as good as the old stuff, which I have told was whale sperm, not sure if that was true or not, just know it stunk horribly bad.

The true track diffs, if they are what I think they are, they have multiple worm gears, no clutches. They are intended for road racing, some companies have tried pushing them for drag racing, not sure if they are a good idea for a drag car. I will stick with spools for drag cars. In road race cars, they are the way to go. In a 4X4 truck they should work ok, not really sure how well they would work. I am pretty sure Eaton was making a torsion style diff, I think that is what they call them. The last time I saw a price on a torsion style diff for a 8.8, which they are typically about the cheapest axles to buy parts for, the torsion stuff was three or four times the cost of a common locker.


If you are looking for a company to do axle work in the Houston area, Pyle Brothers has been the axle specialist for a long time.

[bwssr]

Thanks!

[berettadave]

Call Pyle Brothers performance differentials in Baytown.

Dave

[175gr7.62]

For the cost I would just order a clutch pack and, buy some RTV, friction modifier, gear oil and some beer. It's not a difficult job at all. A Saturday in the driveway and you are done.