trac-loc

[terry mason]

only chatters when turning.

[redmt]

Originally Posted by terry mason

only chatters when turning.

Pull it apart before something breaks. That chatter is the clutches grabbing and releasing under load. Not a good thing. Think about what it is supposed to do. When you spin one tire under hard acceleration, the clutches are supposed to grab the off side and lock it up. If they were to grab and release under heavy load then something is going to break.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by terry mason

only chatters when turning.

I would be willing to bet it's set-up too tight then.....people make this mistake often,thinking it'll make it work better when the exact opposite is what really happens....that and the synthetic oil,IMHO anyway....

I think the reason mine chatters when cold/turning is becasue my car will "sit" sometimes for a month or more without moving and the clutch pac will "try out" causing the clutches to not dis-engage right off....once driven a few miles and warmed up, it works correctly with no chattering...
This may not be accurate,and if it's not,someone please correct me, but years and years ago,an old Ford mechanic told me the Ford factory trac loc rear was designed with the clutch pac to have some "slip" in it, and when one wheel spins 1.5 rotations, the clutch pac should engage and apply power to both wheels......

A lot of drag racers would rebuild their clutch pac and stretch the springs or add shims to tighten it up to act as a locker for drag racing. this may be o-k for a dedicated drag racer, but that's all it's good for, not good for street driving...
Setting up a unit too tight will only make the clutches wear out faster than normal.......

Mine as 115,000 miles all total on the original unit with only oil changes every 10 years or so. I took the 3rd member out of my daddy's F-150 when it had 85,000 miles on it and only changed the ring/pinion gear and put it in my car and it's still works perfectly to this day...
David

[redmt]

Originally Posted by DAVID GAGNARD

I would be willing to bet it's set-up too tight then.....people make this mistake often,thinking it'll make it work better when the exact opposite is what really happens....that and the synthetic oil,IMHO anyway....

I think the reason mine chatters when cold/turning is becasue my car will "sit" sometimes for a month or more without moving and the clutch pac will "try out" causing the clutches to not dis-engage right off....once driven a few miles and warmed up, it works correctly with no chattering...
This may not be accurate,and if it's not,someone please correct me, but years and years ago,an old Ford mechanic told me the Ford factory trac loc rear was designed with the clutch pac to have some "slip" in it, and when one wheel spins 1.5 rotations, the clutch pac should engage and apply power to both wheels......

A lot of drag racers would rebuild their clutch pac and stretch the springs or add shims to tighten it up to act as a locker for drag racing. this may be o-k for a dedicated drag racer, but that's all it's good for, not good for street driving...
Setting up a unit too tight will only make the clutches wear out faster than normal.......

Mine as 115,000 miles all total on the original unit with only oil changes every 10 years or so. I took the 3rd member out of my daddy's F-150 when it had 85,000 miles on it and only changed the ring/pinion gear and put it in my car and it's still works perfectly to this day...
David

I was Ford H.D. mechanic in the 70's. We used to always set them up a bit loose so that they didn't grab in corners. When the spiders "see" torque differential they lock the off side through the clutch pack. The worst problem I ever saw with a worn out trac-loc is that they would waddle when backing up. It made it interesting sometimes backing a trailer.

It certainly sounds too tight for a light car. I kind of doubt that burning or wearing it in will work but it's worth a shot. I still recommend pulling it down and maybe put the old steels back in. It could be built right for specs but not for application.