Locker switch weakness?

[wanderer]

Yeah, I was watching a video on trail recon about why Brad sold his 392
One of the things that he mentioned was that his locker switch went bad
I have heard that these things are plastic and do fail, but I don’t know the veracity of that statement my questions are simple. Is there an aftermarket fix that is more durable than the “plastic plug-in thing? do they fail with any regularity?
Is it better to just order a couple of switches or plug-in and carry them with you?

And on another note, how often do you guys change your differential oils? I have 18,000 miles online and I have not changed it yet. I’m thinking maybe I need to.
And I see a ton of recommendations for diff oil most of it 75 to 140 should I go full synthetic thanks everybody

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[ManOfSteel_Rust]

I've owned Rubicons since the package was created by Jeep and yet to have any switch fail. The first thought that comes to mind is spend $100 to replace if/when it fails or hundreds more to prevent it?

I've also wheeled with Brad many years ago; though a nice guy can be a big dramatic. One thing I always keep in mind with Influencers is that they get paid by advertisers and clicks/views. Personally I would never sell a Jeep just because of a small simple failure. Yes, there are several weak points from the factory but we all accept that when buying anything new, or have the means of building from scratch with all the best parts at our disposal.

Currie attempted to explain the failures in Eaton lockers a while back by stating the voltage from the factory wiring/switches was weak. This has since been proven flawed and that for a while during the pandemic, Eaton was having supplier issues causing high number of failures with the e-locker.

Diff oil replacement: depends on how you drive/wheel. I'm very OCD with my preventative maintenance and change all fluids very often. Even more when exposed to water or hard wheeling. You definitely want 85w-140 in the rear axle due to high heat and stress. I just burnt up one due to heat on the highway and stress of towing. Synthetic is great and lasts longer but it is an added cost. Lucas oil is great in terms of both budget and effectiveness. I do run Amsoil in everything now that I can afford it and want my parts to last the longest.

 

[gm920]

My 2019 JLUR has 15,000 miles and front/rear diff's have had the fluid changed 3 times, last time was at 12,000. No problems with locker switches so far. The fluid change is cheap and easy, probably do it again soon. Valvoline 75w140 full synthetic in both.

 

[NaughtyGeek]

When that switch failed on my '20 JTR, I had just over 9000 miles on the clock and the only solution at the time was replacing the entire rear end assembly. The first dealer I went to about it wouldn't do anything about it because of bent door pins. I got the rear end replaced at another dealership and traded it in with over 75000 miles on the clock and never had another issue with the rear locker.

 

[Kracka]

At 18k miles a diff fluid change isn't a bad idea to flush out the break-in debris. Might as well do the transfer case while you're under there. A gallon jug of GL-5 gear oil will be enough a little to spare, and you'll need 2 qts of ATF+4 (or Redline C+) for the transfer case.

Plenty of debate about gear oil on this forum, but I personally use Redline 75W-85 or Amsoil SG 75W-85 GL-5 gear oils in our Jeeps.

 

[ScottW511]

This is the "switch" being referred to for going bad and this thread has the relatively simple fix.

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

 

[Terrymo]

My 2019 JLUR has 15,000 miles and front/rear diff's have had the fluid changed 3 times, last time was at 12,000. No problems with locker switches so far. The fluid change is cheap and easy, probably do it again soon. Valvoline 75w140 full synthetic in both.

I changed my diff fluid every 3000 miles thinking I would somehow prevent the locker position sensors from having issues. Nope. My suggestion is to pot the sensors now.

 

[swampflyer]

This is the "switch" being referred to for going bad and this thread has the relatively simple fix.

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

It’s not a. Switch. It’s a selonoid

This is the "switch" being referred to for going bad and this thread has the relatively simple fix.

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

.

This is the "switch" being referred to for going bad and this thread has the relatively simple fix.

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

It’s a locker sensor not a switch.

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