Moochie

Today I took my JK (2008 Rubicon) to the dealership because the rear diff was not unlocking. The light on the dash was flashing and it definitely was still locked. I have ARB diff covers front and rear. They were installed about two months ago. This was the second time that I used the lockers since the diff covers were put on. When they opened up the rear diff they discovered that the dipstick was stuck in the solenoid and that was why it wasn't unlocking.
It could be a simple fix or it might be more complicated if the solenoid was damaged by the ARB dipstick. Has this problem ever happen to anyone else?
I know there are some old threads about ARB covers interfering with the lockers but they at least 2 years old. Have they changed the design of the covers since then? If they did maybe somehow I had a older one installed by mistake.
Thanks for any input you might have. I think I'm going to just cut the dipstick off the fill plug so I can still use the plug.

maddygirl

Sounds odd but I would probably cut the dipstick off as well. It isn't really one of those parts that you need either. Hopefully the dealership doesn't rape you over the cost to repair the locker. I doubt they'll cover it since the cover was found to be the cause of your issues but you never know. On my old 94 Jeep which had 6" and 36's under it I use to snap the driveshaft u joints and crack up the spider gears in the rear alot. The service mananger there would warranty all of it because he loved the jeep. Buying it there didn't hurt either. But to clarify, when I bought it there BRAND NEW, none of those mods were on it either.

Piginajeep

i wouldnt really believe the dealer either, theres tons of people running the ARB diff cover. I think it would have been posted before if there was an issue with running that cover.

wayoflife

what the hell, are you kiddin me? did the dealership show this to you?? trust me, there is NOTHING the dip stick can get "stuck in" to prevent the proper operation of the locker and your dealership is full of crap. i would challenge them to demonstrate their findings and PROVE that is in fact the problem. trust me, they won't be able to.

regarding your problem, i can't remember or not but, did you regear? if so, did you make sure to do a diff service at about 500 miles after the new gears were installed? if not, how many miles do you have on your jeep and when was the last time you did a diff service after installing your new covers? sometimes the dog clutch can get sticky from the shavings left behind from normal wear. so you know, you can practically pull the fill plug on your ARB cover and disengage your dog clutch using a small screw driver. it takes some effort but i have done it before.

maddygirl

Good advice but couldn't the dipstick becoming bent interfere like they claim? I too would challenge the dealership to show their finding which they should have no problem walking you into their shop to display.

wayoflife

it would have to be severly bent and in just such a way to get in the way of the dog clutch (not solinoid). this is the large ring with teeth that moves in and out to engage and disengage the locker.

wayoflife

BTW - sticky factory lockers is a very common problem regardless of what diff cover you are running.

Moochie

I just picked up my jeep from the dealership, so far it seems to be back to normal but I haven' t tried out the locker yet. It wasn't the solenoid that was contacting the dipstick like the service advisor said. The problem was that the dipstick was holding clutch dogs engaged.