I have a 08 JK Rubicon with 5:38 gears it has been working fine for the last couple of years and now the front locker will not disengage any one have any ideas as to why and how to fix it. Thanks

 

Check all your wires, switches, fuses, anything else it could be?

Does it make any noises while trying to actuate or nothing?

 

when I engaged the locker it was normal and ran normal but it will not disengage the indicator locks went out but the front diff did not unlock. I checked the fuse and external wiring all looked fine

 

I remember reading on this a few years back use the search. Mine was stuck on at one point and we had to open it up.

 

Try pulling the plug off the locker. See if you can get it to disengage when there's nothing plugged in. At least you can rule out electrical issues. If it's mechanical, you may need to pull the locker. Get the front off the ground and on jack stands.

 

Remove the fill plug and try to slide the plate to the right with a screwdriver. You might need to raise the wheels off the ground and spin them some too.

 

Do not attempt to slide that piece over without the vehicle being secured over top of your head. The e-brake is not enough.

 

You are all assuming with 5:38's he has a stock locker, does he ? Is he the original owner ?

 

The only other locker that could be in there is an OX locker. To my knowledge, there are no other companies making lockers for the rubicon diff. That being said, there's probably a good chance it's a stock locker. Not many people change out a locker for another locker. The Rubicon locker, like most electric lockers, are pretty simple. In the pic from an earlier post you can see, on the driver side is the electro magnet. Once power is fed to the magnet it pushes the plate right next to it towards the passenger side which internally will push another plate that locks the gears(internally). I know it's not the best explanation but all you really need to know is that mechanically theres not much that can go wrong.
In my opinion, the first thing you should do is raise the front of your Jeep and confirm that it is actually locked. Just because your dash light is telling you it's locked doesn't mean that it is. There are two plugs going into the diff. There is the one towards the top of the diff housing that is the actual power source for the locker, and then there is another plug closer to the center, driver side of the center housing that is the sensor. It's just a plunger that sits on the opposite side of the actuator plate internally. When the locker is actuated it pulls the plunger out and turns your dash light on. So, it could be a faulty sensor.
If your front axle is actually locked, then you need to pull the cover. Sometimes, when the carrier is removed and then reinstalled, if your not carful you can set it into the housing with the plunger on the wrong side of the plate. It will push on the plate and cause the locker to "half ass" lock. I'm my mind the only other way it's locked is because of some catastrophic failure that is preventing the spider gears from rotating. Keep us updated on what you find...

 

This is exactly what I had to do.