Differentials Overheating

My dad had something similar happen to him just using the power divider. He had to lock the PD to get traction in a muddy yard and let off the throttle to unlock when hitting dry ground and started on his way. He got down the road a ways and stopped to check the load and could smell that something was hot and after checking it was the rear diff. He found a repair shop and dropped the fluid which looked and smelled burnt(the truck doesn't have gauges for the diff temps).

The mechanic said that the power divider didn't unlock since the tires on the front and rear were different sizes(they weren't changed at the same time)and it caused too much binding.

 

Now has anyone every experienced this issue without using the locker? I have had on numerous occasions maxed out my temp gauge for the rear ends at 300 degrees with out every having the locker engaged. All of the times I had been running hard through the mountains out west with a full load.

 

Sounds just like lockers in an old Jeep I used to have. You'd disengage but still had to back up a few feet for it to actually disengage. Pretty sure my brothers K5 Blazer he had did the same thing. Not big trucks, of course, but same principle.

 

Wow. i have never experienced anything close to those temps in diffs in over 3 decades. Makes me question what lube you are using in them or if the proper level is in them. I realize that I don't run gross thru the mountains anymore, but I have done so considerably in the past and I have never experienced temps out of diffs like you mentioned.

 

Martin, you just need some 2.64 rears , then you'd understand.

 

As you back up and the piston is pushed back, you can actually hear a small amount of air being exhausted from the air switch.
You might also want to check for damage in your differential.

 

There goes another mouthful of coffee.....thanks mate

Martin

 

This JUST happened to me and I had no idea why my diffs were all the sudden running hot...it was starting to make me mad cuz it never does that and I sure didn't have time or the desire to stop at a shop for them to figure it out. Out of a hunch I Googled "semi truck differential guage overheating" which led me to this! Haha sooo thankful! My guage was getting close to 250 degrees. As I started reading it, I realized when the left the shipper a lil while ago I kicked the lockers on for a bit and then turned it off. I never knew you had to back up some to disengage it...I just took off. Well after reading that I pulled over, backed up some and then took off again. Within a couple minutes I noticed the temp start to fall and now I'm back down 140. YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

Something so simple just saved me from a huge potential headache. God bless you!

 

This is the 2nd time this has saved my bacon!!!!! Early last summer I was under my mechanical rgn and picked up a heavy vehicle, used my lockers to get under and flipped them back off once I got under the trailer. It must not have disengaged all the way. I dropped my trailer after reading this and re-engaged then dis engaged them and it worked.

Today under my hydraulic, I engaged it while loading I engaged it by mistake and then dis engaged.... got about 20 miles down the road and my red temp light was on..... it only dis engaged when I backed......

 

Well, Never had this happen to me with lokkers yet. I learned something today reading your posts that I'll never forget.
Sometimes, I can learn very quick. Makes sense what your saying though, can't beat experience.
Thanks Operators, Smart stuff.