Removing Lock Right Locker Cherokee

[aero]

I purchased a 98 Cherokee with the D30 with 4.88 gears and a Lock Right locker.

After taking it offroad, I am not much of a fan of the locker. Its great until you need to turn, and then it just pushes and fights the power steering pump. I used 4wd as little as possible because of it and had to stop mid turn and put it back in 2wd more than once just to make the corner. So, I want it out!

Is it something that is going to be an easy job? Will I need any parts to finish it and will I have to shim or have the front diff adjusted? I have plenty of mechanical knowledge just havent ever changed out the internals of a diff before.

 

[Stumpalump]

You need the spiders. Post on a local forum and see if somebody that wants it will swap their parts for yours. Get them to do the work and pay for the gear lube and you will have a win win. In the mean time learn to feather the gas to get it to unlock in turns. Under pressure they stay locked but once off the gas they ratchet. Thick Lucas oil stabilizer helps if you decide to keep it.

 

[aero]

Thanks, I found TONS of people who wanted to swap locally. I'll probably just grab the needed parts, swap it and sell it afterwards instead of trying to swap the parts with someone.

 

[codybutz]

Do you know if you have the HP dana 30 or the LP 30? You could probably just pick up a whole used dana hp 30 from a junk yard with the gear ratio you need and swap the whole axle. Then you could have the HP and sell the whole locked axle. If its a DD this would minimize the down time as well. Swapping the axle as a whole would probably take less time. just my .02

 

[DaveInDenver]

Please excuse my Jeep ignorance, but is the D30 the front axle? I'm no fan of auto lockers in front axles fer sure. Removing a Lock Right (I have an Aussie for reference) would require having the original spider gears so going backwards might be difficult to impossible. Like codybutz says, I would swap whole axle if I could.

 

[codybutz]

The dana 30 is the front axle. On the Cherokees it came in a HP/ high pinion and LP/ low pinion. I cant remember off hand what the exact years for which.

 

[01mainexj]

youll need the spider gears and the washers that go with them its a quick easy replacement ive got like two sets but youre half way across the country haha. you don't need any shimming because the lockright and spiders are inside the actual carrier and that is what gets shimmed when swapping gears or carriers and the high pinion dana 30 is 99 and earlier low pinion is 2000 and 2001

 

[aero]

I was able to locate the spiders/washers locally for pretty cheap and swapped them out today. It was not hard at all, just a little time consuming. Still havent driven it, but I'm sure I put it back correctly.