I know Im not supposed to do this (at least in most other forums) but Im going on an outing and need to know weather or not my truck has a locking differential. I posted this exact post in the Ram first gen section of the forums but that dosent seem to get much traffic. Sorry for the inconvenience.

"I just bought a 97 Ram 1500 and was wondering if they could be equipped stock with locking front and rear differentials, not just lsd's. I blocked the tires, relesed the parking break, jacked up the drivers side rear wheel and proceeded to try and turn it with my hand and nothing happened, it didnt move but I want to be sure. Any information or help is appreciated."

One thing I forgot to post was that when I took my truck on the beach and tried to do a brodie it was very difficult. the truck kept wanting to go forward. Man I hope I got locking diffs. Another question if anyone knows the answer, Do the differentials lock when you engage 4wd or are they constantly locked. I read about detroit lockers and how they were the thing to buy if your an avid four wheeler but they arent so great on the road. Does that mean that the diffs are constantly locked? If so that I might have a lsd since my truck behaves great on the road.

 

I'd suggest PM'ing steve00ram360 as he is quite possibly the most knowledgeable guy on this forum for the 2nd Gen Ram's.....I'd also let you know that since it is the holiday, most people probably arent paying much attention to the forum right now.

 

Meh you'd be suprised, I got bored out of my mind and came here. But yeah, ask steve00ram360, he's the dodge guru.

 

Cool thanks.

 

Locking differentials weren't available from the factory. Limited slip was the only option, and it was only available for the rear differential. When you jacked up the rear tire...and released the parking brake...you did put it in neutral...right? You didn't mention that step, and it's a very important one But just because it didn't rotate doesn't mean it's a locker. It could just be a limited slip. If you are not the original owner, then there is no way to know for sure what's in there without removing the cover. To find out if it was originally equipped with an LSD from the factory, all you need to do is look at the metal tag that should be attached to the differential cover or the equipment sticker on the underside of the hood (or in the glovebox)..wherever yours may be. You can also get a build sheet directly from Chrysler.

As far as the differentials locking when you engage the 4wd system, they DO NOT. When you put it in 4wd, the only thing that's locked together are the drive shafts. The front drive shaft and the rear drive shaft spin together. That's why it chatters so bad on dry pavement. Because there is no slippage. Personally, I don't like this system and prefer the older full-time setups with differentiated transfer cases. The only thing that will lock the differential up is a locking or limited slip differential.

Oh, and you didn't get a response in the 1st gen section because you were posting in the wrong section. 1st gen ended in 93 and is quite a bit different from a 2nd gen truck

 

So basically all I have to do to find out if I have locking differentials is block the wheels, take off the parking break, put it in neutral, jack up one front tire and try to spin it? or should I jack them both up? Ill try both thanks for the replys.

 

i'd go to the stealership and get a build sheet. then you know just exactly what you had from the factory. don't forget to write down the VIN so you know what to tell them. i don't believe that any 2nd gen ram came with a locker from the factory... but yet the mazda mpv 4x4's in 96 do... go figure...

 

Jacking it up like that won't really tell you much. With LSD when jacked up both wheels are suppose to spin the same direction. However mine spin opposite. When in sand, snow or anything slippery both my rear tires spin though. I think my clutches in the diff are on the outs. But back to the subject...

Take the cover off of the diff, you can get 80/90 gear oil and some RTV for probably under $15. On the inside of the gears, if you see 4 little gears (spider gears) its not a locker. I highly doubt you have a locker though. If there aren't those 4 gears and it likes a big peice of metal in there, then its a locker. nIts really hard to explain w/out pics though.



http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential10.htm

Read up on this

BTW, if you had a fulltime locker, the rear end would "chatter" or click when going around a corner. This is because the inside wheel is spinning slower then the outside wheel and the locking diff wants both wheels to be spinning together. They did compensate for this in the design, and thats why it will click when on dry pavement going around a corner.

As for the front end, you have an open diff 99% chance. I'm pretty sure thats all you can get from the factory, but maybe you could get front LSD as well.

You can't have a full time locker in the front, otherwise you wouldn't be able to steer pretty much at all because the front wheels turn at diffrent speeds while cornering. This is much like the back, but theres something diffrent about the back, and with a full time front locker it would be almost imposible to take a corner. However you can get an ARB Air Locker, or Detriot ElecTrac Locker, which is an open diff until you activate the locker by a switch in the cab. Both of these are crazy expensive, like $600+.

So if your gonna be doing some crazy mud bogging or freaky rock crawling you could get a full time locker in the rear (Detriot Locker is a good one) and a part time (ARB Air, Detriot ElecTrac) locker in the front.

But if you just doing some screwing around in the woods with buddies the LSD in the rear and open in the front should be ok.

That probably all sounds really confusing lol

 

My 2001 chatters & clanks when I turn. And as far as I know it's just the factory limited slip. It acts the same as my 74 Charger SE that had the "Sure Grip". Both wheels turn the same direction, but when they unlock it sounds like a ratchet.

And that is what the Sure Grip was, a ratcheting differential.

 

theres no way there could be lockers from the factory. there could be aftemarkets in there like detroits. ( you should hope they are.) does it make a clicking sound when you try to turn really sharp and i dont think theres one in the front unless its a electic and then there should be a switch somewhere. if there was one in the front it would be hard as hell to turn and you would be going though tires like gas! if you really cant tell. just take off the diff cover and see. you might as well see whats in there and if everythings working right and give it some new oil.