Gsierra00

New to the forum (and jeep jk's in general) and could use some help:
I recently bought an 07 Unlimited Rubicon in great shape, with 130k but I've discovered one problem that I haven't been able to solve, please help... The front locker will not engage and here's the history of what I've discovered and done to fix.

Bought the jeep in March, 2020 and tried the lockers soon after. Rear locker seems to work fine engaging/dis-engaging but front locker doesn't want to lock and dash light just blinks even after some forward/reverse/turn right, turn left... yes, I do have it in 4 lo, still will not engage.
I pulled the pumpkin cover off and no question it needed a fluid change pretty bad so I replaced with new 80/90 as spec'ed, drove it for a couple hundred miles and replaced the fluid again to clean everything out in there good.
Although while inside the pumpkin between fluid changes I gave it a good "brake-clean" spray-down to get most of the old fluid out and did a dry run on the locker switch. The locker plate/magnet was transferring back and forth just fine so I figured I fixed the problem by eliminating the old fluid.
Now still after both fluid changes I still can only manage the blinking light. I do hear the clicking of the plate inside the pumpkin but no engagement signified by a solid light.
Is there any possibility that I'm in fact locked in and have a bad dash light (which I doubt is the case) or what could be the problem after the magnet/plate (which seems to be working) that would keep the thing from locking.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as this is driving me crazy!

Thanks
Mark

Sixty4x4

There was a method a poster provided a few weeks back about using a screw driver through the oil level check hole to move the plate over. The other method I would try is jack stand both wheels off the ground and engage 4WD Low key on. Then rotate front wheels with one person on each side different directions, then same but different speeds and when it locks the wheels will stop and lock with the stopped driveshaft. Do that a few times if it locks. Could even be a bad electrical plug connection, at the diff, that does not pass enough power to allow full magnetization of the plate to pull in the coupler inside. On the trails I am always locking and unlocking my diffs and one reason is the more they are cycled the better they work. With that mileage yours is most likely been a 2WD highway rig for most of its life.

Gsierra00

I actually pulled it straight out of New York City so I doubt they even knew it had lockers or what lockers even are so it wouldn't surprise me if they've never been used at all... anyway as I posted above the plate seems to be traveling right and left properly as the switch is thrown so electrical function is fine and the magnet is engaging/dis-engaging, I just don't know what the functionality is deeper that that plate and magnet to actually complete the full lock and I'm not finding much on youtube to explain it all.
Maybe I'll try jacking it up and try to engage by spinning the wheels by hand.
My thinking was also that it just needs to be cycled often once I get it to lock but getting an initial lock is the problem at this point.

resharp001

If the jeep has been regeared, it could be likely that they jacked up the indicator pin inside the diff when reinstalling the carrier. Turn the lockers on, jack it up and just turn one tire by hand. If they both rotate as you turn one, it's indeed locking and the signal just isn't making it back to the light. When you activate the locker, the magnet pulls the actuator ring over to engage the dog clutch. There is a little pin that gets extended in the process of the actuator ring moving over. It's common for that to get bent during a regear by some careless installers. If it's bent, it's not extending properly to give you the signal it's on. If that is the case, it's kind of a pain to fix cuz the carrier needs to be removed. I'd be more concerned if it is locking or not. If it is locking, just live with the blinking light.

Gsierra00

Thanks reshar, I've jack it up and check it out. I doubt it was re-geared, I pull this thing out of New York City where it was all it's life up to now and it was bone stock.
Hard top never off, doors never removed, etc. I'll bet they didn't even know what lockers are and maybe never even off road.

wickedartstudio

A re-gear isn't necessarily the only way the switch can/does get damaged. Could've been as simple as the previous owner having the inner seals replaced.

IBEWJK

This is where I'm at! Had inner seals replaced and now front locker is engaged. No indicator lights on dash. Not in 4hi or 4lo. 2wd and front axle is locked! Hell, i don't even have my front drive shaft in right now because boot on factory one was shredded!

resharp001

Did you change the seals yourself or have a shop do it? If a shop did it, return the jeep for them to fix. If you did it, time to pull the carrier again. My guess is the carrier was inserted and the pin caught it just right, pushing the actuator ring to the passenger side engaging the locker manually. Since the pin is not extended, there is no way for the jeep to know electronically that it is locked. Hopefully the pin is not damaged and the carrier can simply be pulled again and the situation remedied. Sometimes the pin is damaged enough it needs to be replaced. Sux to pull wheels, brakes, axle shafts, drain diff, remove cover, remove bearing caps and remove the carrier again just for a knucklehead oversight.

You can try to move the actuator ring to the driver's side manually with a screwdriver and see if you can get it unlocked.....but again, I think the ring is being forced to the passenger side so you might have some resistance. Have you tried locking the system while in 4Lo and then disengaging? I'm guessing you're not going to get lucky like that as the pin is likely jacked up.

IBEWJK

Short back story....2010 JKU Rubi 180k miles
A month ago i got my jeep back after rear axle rebuild. Everything internal except rear locker and shafts got replaced. Flawless, no issues.
1 week goes by i start hearing intermittent "clunking" (if you will), i inspect and notice cv boot on front DS has shit the bed. No big deal, pull it, replace within week or so.
☆ here is where my problem begins☆
while pulling front DS, I notice passenger inner axle seal failure and leaking. Call my buddies shop (same shop who just rebuilt rear axle), schedule drop off, but its a week out. I top off diff only for gear oil to get pushed out vent line the next day. WTF???? Call my buddy, explain situation and i learn apparently after market diff covers are slightly larger. Ok cool. Moving along.
jeep gets in shop, on the lift, cover pulled, everything looks good and moving as it should. I leave.
Next day i slide into shop... "new seals are in, but front diff is locked. We didnt engage it, it wont disengage, its broke. You need new locker"
( let those last 4 words sink in, real slow!)
we talk and look at options...about $2,000! Fuck that!
I couldn't make it make sense. Never had a locker issue.
I had them pull it back in, on the lift, open cover, just to humble me....BAM! Got lucky! Pin not in position and actuator ring not lined up. Sweet, fix it, ill be back tomorrow.
next day...axle still locked..... ***bangs head against wall****
why? It was perfectly fine 3-4 days ago....new locker has,3 weeks lead time on it....I NEED MY RIDE! I spend 2 days on research, find a few possibilities ... call the shop...
gunna be another couple days before they can get to it again. ARGH!!! So, yesterday ( friday ) i head up to shop, get front end on jack stands and get to work! As im pulling diff cover, i notice now the driver side inner axle seal is leaking. Great! Prolly knocked loose when shaft was pulled to correct pin and ring...
get cover off, everything looks right, but its still locked. Ok, here goes my first time pulling gears and lockers out!
4 hours later....gears and locker removed....i find an issue.
½ of a rubber spacer/gasket/ring was mashed behind gears near passenger side. After a little investigating, i find a whole one, located on my passenger axle shaft up against the plastic dust shield, but there's not one on driver shaft....
i holler at my buddy to check this out, he found the other half of " spacer/gasket/ring thing bound up inside my locker!

½ and whole rubber thing pictured below, i hope they load up. Where the hell did these come from and how did ½ of 1 end up in locker?


Outside diameter is slightly larger then inside diameter of axle shaft....

Sixty4x4

That is the axle guide ring for installing axle through the tube. Keeps the splines off the dirty rusty bottom of the tube. Guy who changed seals have found it as new seals come with seal, spacer and guides. That looks old. When I do this job I have a large panel washer ground to a half moon shape on a long threaded rod and scrape from the seal and bring all crap to the outside.