Traction Loc Rebuild

[90blue5.0]

I took my rear end in to a shop to have some gears installed and asked the tech to look at my traction loc due to one wheel peel. I know that there is a cheap and easy to install rebuild kit and would possibly motion to have that installed.

He called me today and is charging an extra $100 to “shim up” the traction loc. He did not install the rebuild kit but just tightened it up so he said. If this is a logical thing to do when the clutches are not too worn I will be alright with it but if this sounds way out to lunch please give me some ammo for when I go down to pick it up.

 

[ram360]

if your car had one wheel peel your trac loc was done and needs to be rebuilt with new clutches and steels. Parts are like $45. Maybe the shim up he means is setting the backlash etc...with the new gears

 

[Roland69]

sometimes you can get away with that but $100 sound a bit high if he was going in the rearend anyway. when you go get the car try a little burnout and see if both tires spun the same and if they do than I wouldn't worry about it for a while.

 

[Roland69]

if your car had one wheel peel your trac loc was done and needs to be rebuilt with new clutches and steels. Parts are like $45. Maybe the shim up he means is setting the backlash etc...with the new gears

That's probly what he ment I never thought about that.

 

[thexrcist68]

but if thats what he meant then it should've been included with the gear install, not charging extra for it

 

[Bad92GT]

what hes doing is changing out a few shims in the trak lok.. sometimes the shims are just wore down to where its slack.. not necessarily gone.. i added a extra clutch pack on the left side.. works like a charm and locks harder

 

[red94five.o]

5.0 resto sells a whole trackloc re build kit that coms with the new shims and friction modifier i just bought it myself it cost i think 45$ and it was all frpp products
good deal!


good luck with that

 

[ram360]

what hes doing is changing out a few shims in the trak lok.. sometimes the shims are just wore down to where its slack.. not necessarily gone.. i added a extra clutch pack on the left side.. works like a charm and locks harder

stupid idea of you ask me, if you already have it apart do it the right way and replace all the clutches and steels.

 

[fidstang]

Usually when a shop talks about shimming up a differential, they are talking about the backlash or teeth meshing profile. I would ask him what was actually done to the diff. Then go from there.

 

[Bad92GT]

stupid idea of you ask me, if you already have it apart do it the right way and replace all the clutches and steels.

well i didnt ask and you can't argue with a idea that works

 

[ram360]

well i didnt ask and you can't argue with a idea that works

But I can argue with a car that does a one wheel peel because the trac loc was half assed....Do it right the first time. Not my car so I really don't care either way.

 

[RYC CUKR]

If ya are gonna pull the diff out to add shims to it to make the traction lock work then you might as well rebuild it for the extra 45 bux. Of course that is just MHO

 

[90blue5.0]

I would have to agree. it doesn't get much easier to change the clutch packs when the diff is already taken apart.

I am going down to pick it up tomorrow, will have to discus it with him them.

 

[rd]

Yep, there's at least two different shimming operations in the rear, 3 actually. One for the pinion gear, one for the ring gear, and one for the traction lock.

The traction lock has shims at each side, between the side gear and the case, (I think, it may be between the clutch pack and side gear) to adjust the clearance between the clutches and steels. If the clutches and steels are intact, just worn, increasing the shim thickness will restore function, by reducing the clearance between them.

I used a Ford FRPP rebuild kit that came with shims, and I had to change to the thinner ones, because of the thicker new clutches. If you have too many clutches or too thick a shim set, you wont be able to get the spider gears back in.

Since you have to take all the clutches out, as well as the spring, to change the shims. It's just as easy to change them all. However, if you have the applicable shims, it would work nearly as well. The labor price sounds about right for the effort of going in there.

 

[90blue5.0]

Just picked it up, T-Loc is vey tight. Have to put it back in the car yet so won't know how well it works until then.