Hello All.
It's been quite a while since I posted, had a bad accident and was without my truck for three months. Well I'm back and have a question, exactly what is involved in installing a auburn locking diff? Is this the same thing as a limmited slip diff. I am tired of one whell burnouts and traction issues in general. What I need to know is that is this a good job for a backyard weekend job or should this be left to a seasoned professional. I will have the help of a mechanic if I do this but I dont want to get in over my head. Most of my experiences have been with super simple bolt ons. A how-to would be helpfull. Thanks guys.

Jim "Clarkbar" Clark

------------------
Jim Clark
1998 F150 STX
4.6L Reg Cab
Short Bed
Mods coming soon

 

Glad you (and your truck) have made a recovery & can join us again!

The Auburn unit is a bolt-in replacement of the OEM diff.

Auburn only has a couple of kinds of diffs- a spool & two different "limited" slips. To my knowledge, they sell neither a "no-slip" nor a "locking" differential.

 

Thanks, this is where I found the locking diff. What is the difference between locking/ls ect? thanks again.

On another note I will post before and after pics of my truck. A good bodyshop can do wonders. I am incredibly picky and I am completely satisfied.

locking diff
www.steeda.com/store/-trcatalog/auburn.htm

cut and paste this in browser let me know what you think

Thanks
Jim

------------------
Jim Clark
1998 F150 STX
4.6L Reg Cab
Short Bed
Mods coming soon

 

My professional opinion would reccomend, if you have never set up a differential; pay a professional to do the carrier change. I have seen many horror's (whining diff's, that were not adjusted properly when changed from one carrier to another type of carrier). I have been doing gear work since 1979. Many "do it yourselfer's" think, "no big deal" just pop this carrier out & throw the new one in". How wrong that assumption is! Careful attention needs to be given to backlash (distance between ring gear & pinion) & diff. bearing preload when changing or disturbing any differential bearing. If you set the diff. side brg. preload too loose; your diff. may thump when you take off or shift gears & probably will fail soon. If you set the diff. side preload to tight; diff. side brg's. will probably make noise almost immediately, over heat, fail & then you have a trashed rear diff. assembly.
Differentials & transmission are two of the most overused, abused & undermaintained components on vehicles. For example: I have seen many truckers with 750,000 to over 1 million miles on a class 8 truck diff. or transmission. Trucker sometimes cannot understand why the unit failed?? However, he generally hauls 80,000 lbs. when driving this vehicle & usually never changes lube in trans. or diff. Point of story, mechanical components do wear out. Preventative maintenance & user respect will make these components last much longer & you the owner will vastly benefit.
Thanks again Steve, for giving us the opportunity to help fellow members & friends!

------------------
1999 Teal Blue F-150 S/C
4.6L, XLT, 3.55 L/S 4x2
Tow pkg., Rhino liner, Engine block heater & Swiss hard toneau cover. Premium sound
255/75 R16 Generals-owl
This" is Mama's pride"

 

Gearmanx17 is giving great advice. I just installed an Auburn pro at a Mustang Speed Shop where they install about 5 Auburns/month. I took detail photo's of the install which I will post soon. My gears are quiet and were done very professionally.If you are considering a lower gear change, you should do it at the same time as the Auburn. Be prepared for increased wheel hop and axle wrap though! With 3:55 gears I had no problem but with the 4:10's and the Auburn it really jumps. Good Luck!

------------------
"The Beast" 98 White 4.6 Triton STX (It's not an STX anymore) Flairside,Class III hitch, Blue Cobra Stripes, Euro Lid by Astro, Bed Rug, Fiero Wing, Air Dam,Ground Force 2-4 Drop,Custom MB Phantom Wheels,clear corner lenses,monster battery terminals,MTX Sub Box with 2 10 inch Polk Subs, 4 Polk Speakers, MTX 102 Amp with Pioneer FH-P4400 CD Cassette Head Unit,Custom Programmed Super Chip,BBK 75mm TB, Pro M 80mm MAF,Pillar Pod w/ boost and trans temp,Jacobs DIS Ignition,Art Carr 2000-2400 stall transmission,4:10 gears with Auburn Pro Limited Slip,custom rear end housing, custom intake tube, Jet coated JBA stainless headers, custom Y pipe after the Cats, Magna Flow Muffler with Stainless Duals and of course fully Blown by Magnacharger!

http://www.zing.com/album/?id=4293450711

[This message has been edited by Flats Man (edited 03-14-2001).]

 

Clarkbar- It required a few specialized tools and experience to accomplish professionally. It requires a substantial tear down. The Auburn unit uses a different design from the OEM unit; cone clutch instead of plates www.auburngear.com/aftermarket/products/differentials/ If you do a browser search there are tons of websites that show Mustang 8.8" installs: setup, bearing separation/pressing, R&P shimming, etc.

------------------
2000 F-150 XL, RC, LB, 5.4L, 4R70W, 3.55LS,
Class III tow, Payload #3, & Convenience pkgs.,
4-wheel disc/ABS, Chestnut/Parchment 40/60,
Ford bedliner w/Paintsaver & gas/wheel/spare locks,
K&N F.I.P.K. w/Outwears pre-filter, Superchip,
Dynomax ultra-flow welded 3" cat-back w/ 3" Y-pipe,
Hellwig front & rear anti-sway bars, Rancho RS 9000s,
Mobil 1, K&N oil filter.

 

Hope I didn't cause too much confusion with my "bolt-in" statement. All I meant was that no special gears or housing was necessary.

It does take substantial knowledge & practice to do this stuff RIGHT! I had a 4WD shop do mine... very quiet and minimal "chatter" when turning.

Steeda has mis-labeled their Auburns as "locking" diffs- they are not.

 

Thanks for all the info. If I was to do this I would want to do it the right way. I dont have much experience with stuff like this so if I decide to get a LS Diff, I will have it professionally installed. Thanks guys.

Jim