Dana 30 Lokka Unlocking Trouble

[abebehrmann]

Everything was working well with the Lokka for the first few days after the install. Friday on my way back from work, I made the tight left turn onto my street and instead of hearing the very light ratcheting noise I heard a ratcheting noise that was a bit louder and I could feel. After getting home and walking the dogs, I was still a bit concerned so I took it for a test drive around my neighborhood and everything was back to acting like normal, so I chalked it up to just a weird turn while still breaking in the locker.

Again two days later, same circumstances it did it again. So I pulled it into the garage, jack up the front end and spin the wheels in 2wd. Everything seemed normal so I switched into 4wd and did the unlock test as shown in the instructions and the drivers side when spun both front and back didn't want to unlock.
So I pulled the cover and carrier and double checked all clearances once again. 0.011LH and 0.013RH spacer to cross shaft and 0.159 inter-cam clearance. All within spec but I'm not sure if that .002 difference would do anything. There is also very slight wear on the cross-shaft, not enough that I could measure with any of my tools but enough for me to feel as I run my finger across it. I did not notice this when I installed it but I could have missed it.
What do you guys think? Right now, I'm definitely going to get a new hardened cross shaft and am debating on whether I should get new thrust washers. Is that too much variation between the two sides?
Any recommendations or advice from someone more knowledgeable than I? 7067

[4.3LXJ]

I think the cross shaft should do it. Were you on the brakes when you went into that hard left?

[abebehrmann]

Yeah, I was on the brakes when I made the hard left turn. My thought when it first happened was that it was binding up because of the momentum of the driveshaft spinning combined with the braking and the tight turn. But after it happened again and then failed the spin test I figured something must be up in the diff.

Two more questions:
When measuring the clearance between the two cam gears, in all the videos and write-ups I've seen people using a screw driver to press the two halves apart to hold everything tightly together. When this is done though, it also makes the space on the other side smaller. Is this the correct way to measure or should I be wedging on both sides?

Would this Yukon 4340 Cross pin be a good choice or should I purchase the Zytanium one from LockRight? The LockRight one is the only one I can find that specifically states that it is hardened.
Amazon.com: Yukon (YSPXP-011) Replacement Standard Open Cross Pin Shaft for Dana 30 Differential: Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31M1c39vOjL.@@AMEPARAM@@31M1c39vOjL

[4.3LXJ]

You want one that has the whole shaft cylindrical instead of the notches. Actually I just used the standard Dana cross shaft with no problem. The Dana shaft I believe is hardened also, although I never took a file to it to check. You might want to rethink the braking thing. I have never tried braking at full lock, but that could set up conditions to make the locker want to engage with a little resistance on the driveshaft

[abebehrmann]

Interesting. The one that came with mine definitely has the notches and I do not think is hardened (I drew a file across the end and it definitely made a mark). I will call up a few 4x4 shops around here and see if they have anything to help me out. Looks like the thrust washers are pretty cheap too so I'll probably pick up a set of those as well if they have them in stock. Thanks for your help Steve.

Did you understand the measuring inter-cam clearance question? Oftentimes the thoughts I have in my head don't really translate too well... :out:

[4.3LXJ]

Yeah, I understood. The way these simple lockers are made, as long as the inner halves can clear enough to skip a tooth, then it should be fine. But they have to clear the spider gear shaft too. An issue could also be if there is too much clearance, then the pin could be pushing too hard on the inner halves I suppose. But try the shaft and see where it gets you. I think most of this is the braking issue with the wheel turned close to lock.

[abebehrmann]

So just got off the phone with 4 wheel parts. Guy said that this lockright zytanium one wouldn't work with my Lokka??? That's BS right? I mean, they both fit into the same carrier... Same size holes...

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Drivetrain-Differentials/Dana-30-Lock-Right-Performance-Cross-Shaft.aspx?t_c=12&t_s=237&t_pt=101190&t_pn=PTXSD2210

[4.3LXJ]

I cannot answer from specific knowledge, but the long shaft should work. There are two short shafts included which you cannot use. You have to remember these guys have to be conservative in what they say

[abebehrmann]

Answer from Lokka in case anyone searches later.

[4.3LXJ]

I thought so. :D