4 Wheel & Off Road – October 2019

4WHEELOFFROAD.COM

NUTS & BOLTS

tion boxes, such as the popular MSD 6AL,

but these ignition systems are a worthy

upgrade in their own right. Once installed,

you simply mount a small rheostat to the

dash and you can dial in timing on your

classic 4x4 right from the driver seat.

POWER WAGON LOCKERS

Q

I own a 2018 Dodge Power Wagon

and am not happy with the factory

lockers. They are slow to engage (once

you’re stuck , it’s too late to engage them)

and sometimes they don’t want to disen-

gage when trying to unlock them. I’m con-

sidering adding Air Lockers, but I noticed

there are several wires entering the differ-

ential s. What are they for, and if they are

disconnected will there be any electrical

or ECM issues?

NAME WITHHELD

Via [email protected]

A

The lockers in your Power Wagon are

controlled by electromagnets in the

differentials. When given 12 volts, the

electromagnet engages a set of pins to

lock the differential. There is some motion

required for the pins to engage their

respective holes, so it can take a few sec-

onds for ever y thing to line up properly and

engage. In most cases these lockers work

pretty well, so we’re wondering if perhaps

the issues you are experiencing are due to

how and when you’re engaging the lock-

ers. It’s best to be stopped or moving ver y

slowly at idle while the lockers are engag-

ing. Don’t wait until you’re stuck and have

given the truck some throttle in attempts

to get unstuck to engage the lockers. Once

you see that the terrain is getting rough,

engage one or both before you think you’re

going to need them. This will give the lock-

ers an opportunity to do their thing before

they’re really needed for the extra traction.

For unlocking, we too have noticed that

both Power Wagons and Rubicons can stick

in the locked position. Much as with the

automatic hubs on older 4x4s, sometimes

reversing a few feet can get them to unlock,

and other times getting the vehicle rolling

a few miles an hour and then popping the

transmission into neutral and making a few

gentle turns back and forth can get them

to unlock. If all of this describes exactly

what you do and you’re still having issues, it

might be time for a trip to the dealer.

As for the multiple wires to the differen-

tials, two of them are power and ground,

while the rest are part of the feedback

mechanism that tells the computer the

lockers are engaged and disengaged. We

couldn’t get a straight answer on whether or

not you’d get some dash lights if the wires

were disconnected. Some people said yes,

while others said no as long as you don’t

mess with the locker know on the dash. If we

were in your shoes, we’d just unplug the dif-

ferentials and see if you get any differential-

related trouble codes. Just make sure you’re

unplugging the differential connector and

not any wheel speed sensors.

DISCS WITH PARKING BRAKE

Q

Thanks for your recent article on

swapping disc brakes onto a GM

14-bolt [“Dol-Drums,” Sept. 2018; bit.

ly/2KsmBnC]. I have contemplated this

upgrade for my restored 1977 Chevy K20,

but my only hesitation is that I will lose

my emergency brake. Any ideas on how to

retain an E-brake with discs?

LARRY A.

Shelbyville, KY

A

A 14-bolt disc brake conversion is a

popular and fairly simple upgrade for

any full-floating 14-bolt. Not only do disc

brakes improve stopping power, but ditching

the drum sheds about 50 pounds per side,

too. Retaining an emergency brake with a

TERRAIN

SERIES

1620

BOMBER

SERIES

1630

ULTIMATE COMFORT FOR YOUR

OFF-ROAD ADVENTURES

XTREME

SERIES

1700

1400 KINGSDALE AVE. REDONDO BEACH, CA 90278 /// P (310) 370.5501 /// F (310) 214-2285 /// WWW.PROCARBYSCAT.COM

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HD 9 ” • DANA 44

DANA 6 0 • GM 12 -BOLT

Bolt-in housings and

complete assemblies,

lockers and gear sets.