2020 Rubicon Rear Locker Noise

[ElDirector]

Was hoping this was another sign of the common "locker sensor" issue, but no dice. Installed the Z Automotive "fix" and the issue persists.

Vehicle:
2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
56K miles
Light offroader. Lockers haven't really been used much.
Bone stock drivetrain
35" mud terrains on stock rims under stock suspension

Symptoms:

• When rear locker engaged and driving straight on loose terrain (dirt, sand, gravel) no issues.
• When rear locker engaged and turning (forcing the rear tires to scrub) the rear axle/differential makes an EXTREMELY loud banging sound at some interval less than a full rotation of the tire, and not at a set spacing.
• The "bang" can also be felt by the driver and passengers.
• Reminds me of an old-school Detroit locker in some ways, but much worse.
• When reversing the noise is does NOT happen. Tires scrub as expected.

I changed diff oil a few thousand miles ago. No chunks and what I would call a normal amount of metallic "sheen". I suppose I need to pull the rear cover and inspect more closely, or suck it up and visit the dealership.

I suspect this might be related to a faulty sensor or locking ring. Might be engaging only a bit and then allowing the splines to slip when under load? Only hope damage is minimal at this point.

Thoughts from the group? Any similar experiences? Pointers on how to diagnose?

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[KrashEd]

Thoughts from the group? Any similar experiences? Pointers on how to diagnose?

I've had the locker/diff completely disassembled, there isn't much to it. once you pull the carrier bearings, the magnetic locking mechanism and the ring, diff half retaining screws and a roll pin - it comes apart and it's down to spiders, pins, thrust washers, a wave spring, and locking collars. The teeth that lock the diff do remind me of a Detroit, it might be that there is some debris or chunks in there keeping things from fully seating on the collar and that's the bang you get when they do seat. Other than that, it might be spider damage that you can't see. Editing to add a suggestion. The locking ring the magnetic actuator pushes into the housing to lock the diff - see if you can get that uniformly pushed into diff (may need to rotate tires). If it's not going in/fully seating, then it's kind of pointing to internal locker issues. You can see that ring in the pics below, it is sandwiched between the locker/diff housing and the magnetic actuator.

Best thing to do is pull the cover and look, like you said. Maybe jack the rear tires up, spin the wheels and see what is going on if you can and go from there. If it's under warranty, then it's time to take it to the dealer but guessing not unless you have an extended warranty.

On another note - I was rebuilding my rear diff earlier this year and had an issue with the collar that holds the locking assembly in place mounted on the right carrier bearing holder. The pin on the locking assembly was wearing into the collar. You could hear it when rotating the wheels forward, not backwards, but was not a 'bang'. A quick bead with the welder and a touch with a die grinder and the issue was solved and no issues/sounds since.

Good luck!

 

[ElDirector]

Thanks for the pointers. We have a trip coming up in 2 weeks, so hoping I can slip into the dealer and at least get it diagnosed. If they can't take a look that quickly I'll open it up myself. If no metal chunks and nothing obvious for a quick repair it may have to live another 2k miles until it can be torn down. Hasn't given me a single issue in 2wd, so fingers crossed.

At least you got a nice pattern on those gears! Hope that didn't take too many tries.

 

[ElDirector]

UPDATE:

Covered under warranty! Now have a complete new rear axle installed. As suspected, the rear locker was not fully engaging or even disengaging. Diff oil showed signs of severe overheating and notable metal in suspension.

Took much longer than I hoped. Several weeks for the parts to arrive, only to discover two short-side shafts were sent. Another 2 weeks to get the correct long-side shaft. Actual work took a day and a half.

My concern is that the new axle will ultimately have the same issue. Hope more frequent fluid changes might help. Preparing myself for a future aftermarket e-locker install, or convince my wife a set of aftermarket Dana 60s are in order.....

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