Diff locker
 

Powertrax No-Slip Buick Olds Pontiac 8.2 10 Bolt
Was thinking about getting one of these as I only have the standard 10 bolt open diff.
Can anybody give me some feedback on them, good or bad.
I know a factory posi would be the way to go, but over here finding one is like finding hens teeth.

I have one for my 8.2 and I like it. Install is quick and simple and they can handle more power than your 8.2 will. I think I will probably use one in a Ford 9 when I get one. I can hear a little click click when slow around corners but that just means it's letting your outside tire go faster.

I have one in my 68 stick shift Camaro. It's one of the early versions, circa 1990s, some noise going straight, jerking and loud clunks in parking lots. I don't care much since I paid next to nothing for the complete rear. I'm guessing the newer versions are quieter. Frank.

I have a Powertrax Lock Right in my 67 LeMans with 4 speed manual trans. I like what you get for the money but mine doesn't differentiate so well when I move from a stop while turning. Tire is chirping. Gets some looks from the neighbors. Also, sometimes when decelerating, shifting, and accelerating, it feels like the rear moves to the side. Seemed odd at first but I got used to it.

I had 'lock-right' no-slip lockers in both front and rear Dana 44's of a jeep I used to have. I can't recall if mine were made by powertrax or some other brand, but I think we are talking about the same product more or less. The locker installs in place of the spider gears of your old open differential. You still use the same carrier, but the locker is inside. Was great in the old jeep, easy to install, nearly unstoppable on the trails off road, but you just have to be willing to put up with how a locker acts on the street.
When you go around a corner, your axle is either audibly clicking, as the teeth in the locker pass over each other to allow the outside wheel to turn faster than the inside... or if you're on the gas, both axles are locked and you're chirping the inside tire.
The 'feels like the rear moves to the side' statement made by 77vettejeff above is from the locker engaging or disengaging one side or the other. As the locker locks or unlocks, the torque is applied or removed from one side of the rearend, so it can feel like the axle shifts to one side or the other. This is normal, but kind of odd, if you are used to driving a limited slip rear or an open diff.
I like lockers because they are tough and probably won't break. I twisted up an axle shaft in the rear of the jeep, but the locker was just fine. I had some moser forged shafts custom made, and after that it was bomb-proof.
Keep in mind your locker is either engaged or not engaged, there is no middle ground like on a limited slip... when it is engaged, it acts like a spool, there is no differential action, both shafts are locked together... so you need to be careful to slow down or let off the accelerator when taking corners, especially in the rain, the rear end likes to break loose if you are on the gas.
I would use one on the street, but only in a more drag oriented street/strip car where I was focused more on reliable straight line traction and didn't care about doing road-race type cornering.

you're describing exactly what I'm experiencing with mine. Got used to it as well.

x 3

kookykrispy said it. I've been running one in a Toyota 4x4 for about 14 years without issue. It did cause me to wreck the truck during a rainstorm going around a corner as it engaged and disengaged on de-cel. It was a bad wreck, and would not have happened with the old, open rear end. The secret with a locker is to push in the clutch and coast around corners. I know that now. It is a bulletproof unit that works great for traction. On the street, it snaps, crackles and pops, and sometimes pitches the vehcile sideways. In the rain, it's deadly. People comment that my truck is breaking down or has a serious mechanical problem. I've gotten use to it. Would I run one on a street-only vehicle? Never. I know better, now.

have you changed over yet darrin?
i know of a 9" to suit GTO for sale

Craig

Hey Craig, how much?? I'll be Brissy for a week from the 14th.

The Powertrax and Lock Right are two different units, both made by Richmond. The Lock Right is a unit for offroad type use that is more positive in its engagement/disengagement than the Powertrax, which is designed for street use. Its more like the softlocker version of a Detroit Locker.....there are some extra springs and different ramp angles etc on the dog clutch teeth that make the Powertrax a bit more suitable for the street.

I put one in my 71 project....its at the paintshop at the moment, so I can't give you a good write up on how it feels.

I ran one for quite a while in my Lemans. Install was quick and easy. Had all the same behaviors others have listed above. A little annoying at times, but something I could live with. Only reason I'm not still running it is that I swapped in another complete rear to run a different gear ratio.

Reading this it has me curious, many years ago I had a guy redo my posi and noticed after it was redone that when it got really hot after running down the highway I could hear a clicking or popping noise as I went around a corner. Wonder if now this is why and there's a powertrax installed in mine. Is this what happens on these as well?

As lockers get a little more sloppy with age/use, they can release and lock pretty violently. Sometimes it feels like someone ran into you! The old-school term is 'locker-burp', little trivia.

Lockers are for drag cars or off road vehicles that see limited street use. Note, LIMITED. They can be dangerous, especially for someone who isn't used to or prepared for a 'burp'. On the street, they will eat tires, u-joints, axles bearings, pinion & carrier bearings, axle splines, etc. Spools actually are easier on parts, more predictable, and easier to get used to driving on the street with.

Funny how many talk about getting a good deal on a 'used' one. Why do you think that is?

Not many options for a 8.2, but be patient, and get what you really want or need, otherwise you will be listing in the classified section, and completing with X number of other sellers. Almost better off swapping to an 8.5, and shopping for one.

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I just ordered a Powertrax 92-0782-2801 locker, can anyone tell me if it comes with a new diff seal, or will I need to get one as well?

I would buy a new Eaton clutch type posi for BOP, more money but is an excellent unit.