they ran into some issues with the 8.8 elocker, but not randomly locking. I'd assume it got a signal somehow telling it to lock.

reality is only way to find out is drive it and see what happens. If it happens again i'd be on the phone asking for a replacement unit because this one is defective.

 

Knowing how the e locker works I would say it's impossible for it to lock up on its own. It's got to be getting a signal. If it starts again, disconnect it at the diff electrical plug. Drive it for awhile and if it stops you are getting stray voltage from somewhere.

 

I agree.

Wiring, relay, or button should all be considered potential causes of the problem.

If the locker were unlocking when it was locked, then I would suspect a problem with the locker.

My Eaton ELocker had problems, but mine was the troublesome 8.8 model.

 

Ya that's what I ment when I said everything checked out on my end. That was the first thing I did was disconnect it electricity at the diff. There was no differance. Only drove it a few hundred feet and that was it for me. I was either gonna cause damage to the locker and/or I was gonna get myself into an accident if I kept driving it.

So i towed it to the garage popped the cover off and pulled the shafts and visually everything was how it should with no damage done.(I actually took it apart twice to show my buddy what it was doing and I was getting ready to ship the locker back to eaton when they told me to try running thinner diff oil first.(luckily I didn't pull the locker)

Its been a month so far with only changing to thinner diff oil with no issues so far. My jeeps not my dd but I did drive it a handful of times since and put about 300 miles on it.

 

Ya that's what I ment when I said everything checked out on my end. That was the first thing I did was disconnect it electricity at the diff. There was no differance. Only drove it a few hundred feet and that was it for me. I was either gonna cause damage to the locker and/or I was gonna get myself into an accident if I kept driving it.

So i towed it to the garage popped the cover off and pulled the shafts and visually everything was how it should with no damage done.(I actually took it apart twice to show my buddy what it was doing and I was getting ready to ship the locker back to eaton when they told me to try running thinner diff oil first.(luckily I didn't pull the locker)

Its been a month so far with only changing to thinner diff oil with no issues so far. My jeeps not my dd but I did drive it a handful of times since and put about 300 miles on it.

hand full for 300? haha you don't even want to know my daily commute.

run it see what happens, you can test the wire for a draw and when the jeeps on, test all the components and see where that leads you. Best case it doesn't give you any more hassle

 

I recently had the same issue with an Elocker in the Front Dana 30. I talked to Eaton and they passed on the same info...run lighter oil. I switched to full synthetic 75W90 and it made a small difference only. The elocker displayed "phantom" locking at about 2 Deg Centigrade colder than originally. The installation shop looked at it and made a modification (not sure if it was sanctioned by Eaton or not) but that attempt made no difference either. I considered other options (stick on heater, different blends of lubricant, heat lamp) but finally decided it was too big a safety risk and removed the elocker. I will probably sell it next spring to someone building a trail only rig. For Edmonton, Alberta, Canada weather, this elocker is too scary for a daily driver. I can imagine my wife would be beside herself if the steering tightened up in the middle of a corner and wanted to take the Jeep up onto a traffic island out of the blue.
I hope this helps if others start to see similar issues with an Eaton Elocker install or better yet..before they lay out the cash for one!
Take care.

Gord K

 

Eaton has a disclaimer in the Owners Manual .pdf regarding lubrication...
Lubrication Specifications (continued)
Eaton ELocker
A quality gear lube, per the axle manufacturer's
recommendation should be used. However, full
synthetic gear lubes can enhance the ELocker
performance in extreme cold conditions due to their
improved cold temperature flow characteristics.
Excessively thick axle lube can create function
problems with the ramp-plate style ELockers.
So, this to me means, the locker may not engage when desired OR may engage when NOT desired. That I believe is what Slick101 is experiencing just I was with my Dana 30 Front Elocker. No other issues with the locker, just heavy oil causing drag between the rotating elements of the locker which can engage the locker until the oil warms up a bit. If I was the only driver of the truck, I could have come up with a work around but that was not the case so I opted to remove the differential for safety reasons.
Take care.

JKGK

 

I recently had the same problem but with a front Dana 30 Elocker. I had the diff serviced and modified by the install shop and switched to a lighter oil (75W140 to 75W90) to correct the issue of "phantom" engagement but was unsuccessful. It was too risky in the front diff so I made the decision to pull the locker and go back to the stock carrier. I may go with a TrueTrac next spring but not sure yet. I will probably sell this unit to someone building a trail only rig. I am concerned for its use in a daily driver in this area Edmonton, Alberta Canada.
FYI...I was experiencing the problem at about 0 to +2 Deg Celcius (32-35 Deg F).
I hope this helps Slick101 for your issues and more importantly, maybe someone who has not laid out the cash for one of these yet.
Take care.

JKGK

 

I don't think cold weather is the cause of problems. I run dual e-lockers, 80w90 oil and never had a single problem with them, even in temperatures below -30C.

 

cold weather and elocker



I eliminated all the other possibilities (wiring, pinched wires etc) and was left with only cold oil being a possibility. Even spoke to a Tech at Eaton and he confirmed the conditions I was experiencing "can be" caused by too heavy a lube. The 75W90 improved things briefly but was not going to do it for the rest of winter.
To further compound the issue, my experience with the "phantom" engagement was always in the first mile or so of driving. It seems the oil would warm up adequately by that point and it would not repeat until the oil was cold again (overnight or at end of work day). So I agree that I would likely not have seen any problems at -30 either "once the diff was warmed up enough to allow the oil to flow" correctly as per Eaton's note in the owners manual.
It is too bad overall 'cuz I liked the performance difference the elocker gave me when it was working as expected.
The guys at the installation shop here advised they know of two other Eaton Elocker installs doing the same thing so I am pretty sure I am not losing my mind.
Which version of locker are you running? Mine was the latest 4 pinion ramp plate style.
Thanks for the info. I hope you continue to have good performance from your lockers, They are a darn fine addition excepting this frustrating issue a few of us are seeing.
Take care.

JKGK