I just picked up a Dana 44 high pinion front axle that was rebuilt with a lock-right. The seller said it's from a 73 f150. I opened up the cover again when I got it home and looked at everything a little closer to find that there is about an 1/8"+- of play between the center pin and the hole in the lock-right for the pin to go through when I turn the pinion back and forth. It's definitely not the backlash of the gears. I can actually see the play. I've never delt with this type of locker before and I'm curious if this is normal or if it was assembled incorrectly. I've already contacted richmond gear and I'm still waiting on a reply. just wondering if anyone else has run into this. thanks for any help

ok hopefully this video works

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c350/supernova70/th_MOV00001.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c350/supernova70/?action=view&current=MOV00001.flv)

I can't view the video from where I am at, but there is not a tight fit between the center pin and the two sides of the Lock-right. When you apply power through the Lock-right the center pin actually ramps against the two side gears and wedges them out so they engage the outer gears.

Again, can't see the video but from the sounds of it there is nothing wrong.

alright then... good to know. thanks for the help:)

Pull the PIn out of the carrier and spin the lockright to view the hole were the carrier pin goes through. if the hole is wallerd out (worn to f@ck and sloppy) oval shaped etc... Your lockright is F'd.

Ive seen that happen to carriers that have min spools or even open but it is usually the carrier that takes the shit and wears out not the side gears or locker.

That looks excessive to me. Had lockrights in a d44 and 12 bolt for a few years and didnt see that much play. Not to say that yours may not be right tho...Mine were much tighter. Just my .02 tho....

well I took an even closer look at it last night. it looks like there's just a bunch of slack in the whole assembly making it look like the hole in the lock-right is ovaled. It's a new locker. the differential was rebuilt hub to hub and never installed. I even gave it a test by locking one axle in place and rotating the other to check for proper ratcheting operation. It worked fine but it seemed like it didn't take very much pressure to make it start ratcheting. The sidegear shims have been installed so I'm thinking maybe it has weak springs. I'll have to rip it apart and hope that I don't find anything I guess. Think it would hurt to add another shim to each side?

It shouldn't take very much pressure to make it ratchet by spinning a tire by hand, as you describe. In this situation (no power coming through the pinion) the default is to have the springs spread the locking gears apart (the spring are there to let it UNlock). You are basically duplicating the truck coasting. On mine you don't even need to hold one side tire stationary...just raise both tires off the ground, wiggle one side forward and back slightly to let it unlock, and then it spin away and listen to it "click-click-click".

Again, there is nowhere close to a tight fit with the center pin. The two gears on either side have to be able to slide in and out at least the depth of the dog gear teeth (locking teeth) to let it unlock, plus the holes/grooves in the Lock-right gears do are already ovaled out looking like this
(O)
...otherwise the thing wouldn't work.

haha I actually just looked at a pic of a lock-right in pieces and what do ya know, 6.2blazer here is right. the hole for the pin is supposed to be ovaled. kind of a funky/sloppy design for a device like this to have so much play. I guess the tightness of the fit depends on the carrier since no one carrier is exactly the same.

He is correct but there is a certain spec measurment between the 2 halves that need to be met. You adjust this by addin/subtractin shim between the side gears and carrier case.

Isn't it supposed to come with it's own little gauge. I read on richmond gear that the small end of the gauge is supposed fit but the big end doesn't. Anyone by chance know the spec on the little gauge? or have one that they can send to me? for some reason I can't get a hold of richmond gear on the phone and they don't seem to like responding to emails.

Yes, definitely minimum and maximum tolerances on play...too much one way or the other and it either wouldn't lock or unlock. I've seen people forget to reinstall the original thrust washers and they wouldn't lock.

I just printed out the manual so I'll check it tonight. thanks for the help guys. I'll post what I find

The Lock-Right doesn't have a gauge for it.. The Limited slip does. Just put one in a Jeep XJ the other day and that looks normal. About the same amount of play. I've read that if you don't get the center pin from them too it voids the warranty on the locker so I don't know if they are bigger then stock pins or not.

The Lock Right I put in my SF 14 bolt required a measurement. I think it was not more that .008 or.0012. If it is more than that the drivers and couplers are too lose and will not work properly. I'll have to look at my booklet to see where the measurement is taken though. You can get replacement pins and springs from Summit, but I don't think you need them.

well I took some measurements last night. The specs called for .145 - .170". The measurements that I took from my lock-right were barely at .14", and that was pretty tight. There is no problem with the center pin or carrier at all. I took another close look at it while rocking the ring and pinion and it looks like there isn't really that much play from the locker to the center pin other than the factory ovaled hole in the locker. I think it just looks like it has loads of play when you combine the ovaled hole with the play between the inner and outter locking teeth on both halfs. So... I'm gonna have to agree with 6.2Blazer and say that there is nothing wrong with it since it's well within spec and it functions perfectly according to the manual. Out of curiosity though, how tight are the pins and springs supposed to be between the 2 halves? Mine have a small amount of play which makes sense since a perfect fit might cause some binding.

In the default, or static mode, you are seeing there is no pressure on the pins and springs. Only when you apply power to the diff then the center pin ramping the locker teeth together overcomes the springs and compresses them.

gotcha... that makes sense. thanks for the clarification