rear locker not working question

[Chunky White]

When i try to activate the locker all if get is the blinking locker light now. I have been offroad twice now and the first trip it eventually locked but not right off. The last trip it blinked for about ten minutes and I just cancelled it at that point. I am planning on changing the differential oil soon and wondered if that will help or am I at the point already where I will need a sensor, the Z locker oem wiring or a repair? The Gladiator is a 2020 and I have no idea its service history and have yet to look at differential fluids to see what kind of shape the fluids are in.

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[Rusty PW]

When you do your lube change. Remove the locker sensor and see if it's 2 toned in color. If it looks like it has fluid in it. It's shot.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

You’ll also want to pull the Torx screw holding the sensor over the magnet and pull the sensor off, then clean the magnet off. The magnetic debris coating the magnet will cause the locker to not engage. If oil has breached the sensor, that’s also enough to short it out and cause the locker to not engage.

 

[Rusty PW]

When you remove the sensor. If you see this being 2 toned. Then lube has gotten into it.

Kevin, thank you for the picture.

 

[Chunky White]

Thanks for the replies! Hopefully I will get the chance to look inspect it this weekend and change the oil

 

[Volt0]

Sorry for asking a basic question here, are you trying to engage the front locker or rear locker, and in 4hi or 4low? Maybe I missed that part; just trying to confirm that you’re aware of the extra steps when in 4hi.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Before I deep dived into my diffs, my lockers would take forever to engage. At times the engagement would just quit and I’d have to try again.

I did the full meal deal on my sensors and “potted” them. (Drilled into the sensors, filling them with special electronics epoxy) so I’d never have to worry about oil intrusion and shorting them out. It takes a full 24 hours for the job and cure time, mostly cure time. Several of us members here have done this.

Anyway, after all said and done, lockers engage and disengage on the 3rd blink of the light.

 

[Chunky White]

Sorry for asking a basic question here, are you trying to engage the front locker or rear locker, and in 4hi or 4low? Maybe I missed that part; just trying to confirm that you’re aware of the extra steps when in 4hi.

I am trying to engage the rear locker in 4lo. All I get is the blinking locker light. I wish it would lock in 4hi but its not a real concern. I have owned a few F150's that would engage the rear E-locker in 2wd just by pulling the 4wd knob and do not see why the locker on the Jeep should be any different

 

[Jay Gatsby]

Also…
Activate lockers while in 4L at 10mph or less. Lockers disengage automatically at speeds greater than 30mph.

 

[jeepers29]

Before I deep dived into my diffs, my lockers would take forever to engage. At times the engagement would just quit and I’d have to try again.

I did the full meal deal on my sensors and “potted” them. (Drilled into the sensors, filling them with special electronics epoxy) so I’d never have to worry about oil intrusion and shorting them out. It takes a full 24 hours for the job and cure time, mostly cure time. Several of us members here have done this.

Anyway, after all said and done, lockers engage and disengage on the 3rd blink of the light.

Any write up on this?

 

[Outback_Joe]

Following...... Very interested in this and a good fix.

Wondering if a good magnetic drain plug would help if the factory didn't install one.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Any write up on this?

Here’s a quick low down on “potting” sensors and why.

https://etcorp.ca/what-is-potting-and-why-is-it-used/

Those of us with lockers have experienced our lockers not working well or not at all have then taken off our diff covers and pulled out the locker sensor (just one Torx bit screw) we have seen that the sensor has diff oil in it. Easily seen when holding the sensor. The microscopic metal filings in the diff oil is what shorts out the circuit board in the sensor, then your locker won’t work and it’s either a warranty fix or, if not, the sensor is now a part that can be ordered. Before, back in 2020 and I think even 2021, you could buy the sensor ($500 cad) and the warranty fix was to replace the entire axel.

However, we all don’t have leaky sensors filled with oil. All of us WILL have the magnet the sensor fits over coated in metal fillings and it doesn’t take much coating for lockers to not work. If you have a magnetic drain plug and have done a diff fluid change yourself after 30+k kms or miles and seen a mound of filings on it, you’ll have the same amount on the sensor magnet too.

Before I found this information out, my lockers would take awhile to engage or disengage and now that I cleaned the magnet and “potted” my sensors, the lockers engage and disengage on the 3rd blink of the dash light.

(It takes some drilling of tiny holes in the sensor housing to fill it with the potting material and if the bit goes any further than the plastic housing, you’ll hit the circuit board and will be buying a new sensor. Just controlled care of the drill bit is all that’s needed to get the job done.)

There’s tons of photos and explanation of this process on the JL site. I’ll look up the one that peeked my interest and inspired me to do this and will post the link.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Here’s the write up on how to pot your locker sensor on the JL site.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/locker-position-sensor-potting-dana-44.59581/

When removing the sensor, there only one Torx screw holding it in place over the magnet. There is no need to be taking bolts out to remove the sensor. I have the 21 JTR.

 

[AmosMoses]

Anyone know if the sensors are widely available now and how much they cost?

 

[Rusty PW]

Anyone know if the sensors are widely available now and how much they cost?

Last time I checked. The sensors were just over $300. That was a year ago.

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