Thread: Oil for a Detroit locker?

80/90 Gear Oil I use Penrite, I also just use Gasket goo for gasket !!, Modern goo is awesome stuff !!, If you want a gasket you can get them from any rove parts supplier !

Cheers

I'm using an oil for LSD's will check the brand later on

Locked drive systems in Sydney specifically told me not to use LSD oil in any Detroits even when we put them in the rear of a Landcruiser (normally LSD) From Memory I also checked this with Harrops in Melbourne an got the same answer ?!?!? I stand to be corrected if I'm wrong, As originally I was under the same impression and thought it would be best to use LSD oil !

Cheers

Originally Posted by Outlaw

I'm using an oil for LSD's will check the brand later on

Hmmm using the Nulon SAE90 LSD oil at present but will wait to see what others say and recommend

this is from the Eaton website

What kind of oil should I use? Can I use synthetic? Do I need friction additive/modifier?
A quality petroleum/mineral based oil works best in the Detroit Locker units. We do not recommend synthetic oil. Friction additive/modifier is not required.
FAQ for Differentials

Oil type shouldn't matter a zot with a No-Spin, LSD or non-LSD IMO, it's a speed sensitive mechanism and doesn't rely on friction modifiers to moderate clutch chatter as it doesn't use clutches, it relies on differential wheel speed to lock and unlock.

In straight ahead driving a No-spin/Detroit is fully locked.

Corner on a hard surface and the outside wheel wants to turn at faster revs/greater speed than the inside wheel as it's travelling on a greater arc, so the centre cams out against the locking springs and allows the outside wheel to coast.
When you are travelling straight again wheel speeds synchronise and the springs force the locking dogs in the centre back together.

It really should be called a Detoit Un-Locker

Having said that, an LSD oil may alter the torque biasing of a Detroit Tru-Trac as it relies on friction of the worms against the case to bias.




Eaton, for whatever reasons in the past have a standard disclaimer that only mineral based oils be used in all their diffs, but what does that mean ?

Most all oils these days are so mixed up in their base oil constituents who knows what's in any particular blend, and what type of synthetic are they precluding anyway and why ?
A Group III based oil has all the solvency and lubricity characteristics of any mineral oil, with the oxidation stability and almost the pour point of a PAO and while it's considered a 'synthetic' these days, it is derived from oil out of the ground.
PAO's, Esters and PAG's are totally different animals from each other too, with PAO's and esters often blended with Group III, II and even I mineral oils to get pour point and oxidation benefits, then all the extreme pressure, anti-wear, anti-oxidant and a whole heap of other additives are added to give whatever characteristics the blender is after.

It's a BS clause as far as i'm concerned.
Use a good, fully formulated GL-5 80W-90 at a minimum in Rover diff and don't sweat it.
IMO use a XW-110 or xW-140 in a Sals, particularly with a Detroit.

Here's a reply I received from the supplier in America:

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No special lube required.. 90WT works fine. Rover doesn't use a gasket after the series trucks so a good globbing of gasket maker like "right stuff" or a Silicon gasket maker works fine.

Well, the Detroit NoSpin is in and I'm a happy chappy.
In the end I went to Repco, got them to look up what their manual recommended for a 1995 Disco rear diff, and bought 4 litres of 90w gear oil. The diff takes 1.7 litres so we also did the front diff.
I also bought a tube of black gasket silicone recommended for diffs and other uses. And 5 lires of Penrite diesel 15W-50 semi-synthetic engine oil.
So I hooked up the Aussieswag camper, for which I already had two sets of replacement wheel bearings, and headed off to the brother in laws (a mechanic) at Lismore for a day of getting the Disco ready for Cape York next month.
If it helps, I might add a couple of comments here about our experiences in putting the locker in. He had never actually done a locker before, so it was a learning experience.
The original diff came out easily, but we made the mistake of not marking where certain threads were tightened to, so that caused a bit of experimenting when putting the locker in.
Next question was how much torque to put on the bolts when installing the locker. I got on the internet, including AULRO, and couldn't actually find what was recommended by LR, but I eventually found a site for KAM lockers which had some numbers. Kam lockers seem similar and it was the diff torque anyway not the locker so we figured it was probably the same, so we used that - 45 lb ft, and it seemed fine.
Incidentally, we forgot to ensure all the old oil was out of the diff housing so, after smearing the gasket silicone on, when we lifted the housing back horizontal to refit it some oil ran out, which interefered with a bit of the silicone, so we had to dry it and add more silicone. All ok.
So we got it back in and bolted together and, with the Disco still up on stands, then rotated both back wheels forwards, backwards, forwards, separately and together, to make sure the locker was actually unlocking, which it was, as we could hear it clicking and feel the wheels spin separately when unlocked. We did the test before we put the oil in, so we figured the oil could only help.
Went for a drive up to 110km/h and around some sharp bends and all seemed well. No whining or sounds of tyres scrubbing because of not unlocking. Interesting, although we could hear the locker make a click when unlocking when we tested it, it was so quiet we couldn't actually hear that when driving, because of other noises, so this stuff about the lockers being noisy seems a furphy.
Did various other stuff to the Disco, and discovered I will need two new tyres, not just one, because one has a chunk out on the inside. Also will need new rear brake pads, but the fronts are OK.
Found a wire off the alternator, don't know what it did, but we replaced the clip with solder so whatever it was now has power.
Inspected the radiator and decided its on the way out and, although working well normally, may not cope with a heavy load and I don't want it failing on the Cape, so a new radiator core has been added to the shopping list.
New engine oil took my 5 litres plus 0.8 litres plus the new oil filter needed 0.85 litres so it now has 5 litres of 15W-50 semi-synthetic Penrite plus 1.65 litres of Penrite 20W-60 as thats all the BIL had in his shed, so hope that mixture is OK. Both are recommended for the Disco I believe.
No problems with the new bearings for the camper. Appears the old ones had never been serviced as the grease was a bit thin and there was a bit of burn on one of the old bearings, but its all good now. Also adjusted the trailer brakes.
Drove back to Brisbane from Lismore and all is good.
So now I just need to spend about $500 on tyres plus a wheel alignment, $300 plus on a radiator core and maybe $60 on the brakes, plus labour.
But it will be worth it.
The BIL saved me heaps of money and its impossible to thank him properly as he has everything he wants so I just gave him a box of chocolates and a big thanks, figuring it was the thought that counted.
So, I'm now locked!