JK dana 30 Aussie Locker Install

1. There are two 21mm bolts holding the Brake calipers on. Remove both these bolts taking care to not let the caliper drop. Set the calipers on your Lower Control Arms and secure in place with some Zip ties. Along your brake line you will see the ABS wiring running down to the brakes. They have a rubber sleeve that is wedged into a bracket in two places. Remove the wiring from the bracket. They will remain attached into the brakes, just remove them from the bracket.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. On the back side of each Spindle there are three 12 point 13mm bolts. It may be a good idea to soak these before you begin as they can be a PITA. Remove all three of these on each side.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Once you have removed all three bolts, pull your axel out about 6 inches, basically just far enough to get the axel out of the differential and let them hang. Make sure though that you do not over extend the ABS wiring.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Using a 5/8 socket, remove the two bolts holding each of the two bearing caps on. Before you remove the caps, be sure to mark them so they get reinstalled on the same sides and in the same orientation. Set them aside someplace they will stay clean.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Next, you will need to remove the carrier from the differential housing. In the past, I have been able to just pull this out by hand. This time, it took using a crowbar wedged between the housing and the back of the carrier and pounding with a 2.5lb hammer to get it free. Just take your time and be conscious with each swing where the crowbar is. Try to place it between the housing and the carrier in a way that it will force it out rather then up and be sure not to damage any of the gears or bearings. Once it gets close to coming out, make sure it does not drop to the floor.
   
   (forgot to get a pic of this. Just put the crowbar between the bottom of the diff housing and the bottom of the carrier being careful not to hit any gears or bearings)
   
   
   
   
   
6. Now that you have the carrier out, clean off all the gear oil with some brake cleaner and look over all the gears for any unusual wear. Set carrier on a clean bench. Set the spacers and bearing races aside someplace clean making a note of which one goes on which side.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Use a gasket scraper to remove all the RTV from the diff housing. USe some brake cleaner to clean out the inside of the housing. Check for any burs or dents from the crowbar. If there are any burs remove with metal file but take car to not damage the matting surface.
   
   
   
   
8. Back to the carrier. Mark the Ring gear and the housing so it will be install in the same location. Place the carrier into a bench vice. Remove all the bolts that hold the ring gear to the carrier using a 11/16 socket. This is why it was important to have a good bench vise! (we didn't and it was a PITA until we got something figured out). Once all bolts are removed, tap the ring gear loose and set aside.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. On the top of the carrier, near one of the bolts you just removed, there is a small hole. Use the 3/16 "long" punch to drive the pin out that secures the pinion shaft in place. Now, remove the pinion shaft. Set both aside to be used again.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Now you can remove the spider gears. The two that had the pinion shaft going through them will come out as you rotate the other two gears. YOu can set all four gears aside as they will not be used again but the Thrust washers will be getting reused. Be sure to make a note of which side they came from and their orientation. Once again, clean up the carrier with some brake cleaner.
    

1. Take a look at this picture from Aussie's website for a moment to see how the locker will be assembled. The spacers look a little different then the picture. The spacers supplied have a lip. The flat side will go towards the inside against the pinion shaft.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Grease up the matting surfaces of the Aussie locker to assist in assembly.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Place the Thrust washers you set aside on axel gears in the proper orientation. Insert the left and right axel gears into the carrier. Place the Right and left spacers onto the axel gears. Spread the gab between the two spacers with a pry bar and Slide the Pinion shaft into the hole it came out of. You need to check the tolerance between the spacers and the pinion shaft using the feeler gauge. At first it may seem to tight. It is important to spread them all the way as the thrust washers have some spring to them (at first we did not realize this and thought we would need some thinner Thrust washers). The tolerance on each side of the shaft should be between .006 and .020. Make a note of your results as Aussie requires this information for warranty issues. You can now remove the pinion shaft and Spacers but leave the Axel gears and Thrust washers in place.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Place the spacers into the cam gears and insert both into the carrier.
   
   
   
   
5. Now is time to install the pins and springs. Each Cam gear has four holes in the face of it. Two open holes and two partially open holes. Slide a pin into each of the partially open holes. It is important to insert them with the "stepped" side of the pin facing toward the outside of the locker.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Now rotate the Cam gears until the pin lines up with one of the closed holes on the other side. Slide the pin down into the hole. Now you need to use a small screwdriver to install the springs. The spring should go into the partially open side (where the pin was) and seat properly on the "stepped" end of the pin. Repeat this for all four pins.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Once all four pins are in, rotate the locker so the pinion shaft recesses align with the pinion shaft hole in the carrier. Insert the pinion shaft. Drive the pin back into the carrier that holds the pinion shaft in place.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Now you need to check the center gap. The gap between the two Cam gears should be between .145 and .170.
   

1. If that all looks as it should, place the carrier back into the vice to reinstall the ring gear. Tighten the bolts (in a star pattern) and then torque down to 80 ft. lbs.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Before installing the carrier back into the diff housing, clean up the carrier, bearings, housing and anything else to be sure no debris will be left once installed. Place the bearing race and spacers on the proper sides and insert the carrier back into the differential housing. The carrier most likely will not slide all the way back in. Place the bearing caps on in the proper orientation. As you tighten these down it will pull the carrier back in. Torque the Bearing caps to 45 ft. lbs.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Rotate the axles so that you can slide them back into place. Torque the Spindle bolts down to 75 ft. lbs.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. If you are also using a Lube Locker gasket, then you can now put it into place and install your diff cover by torquing the bolts to 35 ft. lbs. Otherwise follow the proper procedure for using RTV. Be careful as it is easy to over torque and break a bolt! (hence the single stock bolt in the cover, lol)
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Cut the Zip ties that where holding your Brake calipers and reinstall them to 110 ft.lbs.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Re mount your tires and tighten the lug nuts. You can now check your locker by following this procedure:
   

   Aussie Locker said:

   1. Put the transmission in gear and the transfer case in 4WD to lock the drive shaft. Tires must be installed to complete this test.
   2. Rotate one of the tires until it stops against the locked drive shaft. Hold it in position and maintain moderate pressure.
   3. Rotate the other tire in the opposite direction. It should unlock and spin, with the locker clicking as thetire rotates. Note that this sound will be less with the cover on and gear oil inside.
   4. Rotate the first tire in the opposite direction until it stops, and again maintain pressure.
   5. Rotate the second tire in the opposite direction from the first time. It should switch directions. Both tires should rotate in both directions and the locker should click as they are doing so.
   7. If your installation passes this “spin” test, you are ready to finish up.

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7. If everything looks good, jack the axel up, remove jack stands, lower vehicle and torque the lugnuts down to 95 ft. lbs.
   
   
   
8. Reinstall drain plug and fill differential with gear oil. If you are using the stock cover, fill to the bottom of the fill hole. If you are using a larger diff cover like the riddler, people have reported oil blowing out the breather hose if they will it all the way up. I filled it to about 3/4 of an inch below the fill hole and have not had oil blow out yet but I suppose we will see on the next warm day. I will report back if this was too much. Install fill plug.

Aussie tech said:

What are the clearances of the locker at rest and pressed apart? I recently did a test in stall in a jk carrier and found the same results, with tj washers the clearances were on the loose side at .180 width with the jk washers and pressed apart I was at .135. As far as how your locker is operating you should be ok. Some louder popping etc is normal at first during the break init should get quieter down the road. I also believe the more miles that are put on the unit the more the thrust washer spring back will relax putting the gaps within specified tolerances. Since we do not currently have too many JK installs if you could keep me updated on how the locker is performing would be appreciated. We are also researching the possibility of a different thrust washer to use that is close to the same thickness as the JK without the springback. Go ahead and run the locker as is and let me know if anything changes.

Tim
Aussie Locker Technical Consultant
719-287-7703

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