Aussie Locker Install

]First, I apologize to Bill for not inviting you over to help/watch, this was a spur of the moment install because I had some spare time after wrapping up another project early.
This install is going into a '02 Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ, with the 4.7L V8, and a Dana 44A rear axle. This is actually a great axle, and in many ways is stronger than the standard 44. It's weakness is the center section being aluminum and therefore has a tendency to twist or flex the axle tubes, which will destroy bearings. Also, it is obviously more susceptible to damage from rocks. Lastly, to the best of my knowledge, the only traction devices for it is the factory limited slip system, or the Aussie Locker. So some may say that this is not a great choice for an off-road axle, but all of these downsides can be addressed, which I plan to do, and turn it into an excellent choice for my rig.
Regarding the aluminum housing, Valhalla Engineering builds a truss & skid, that I have ordered & am anxiously awaiting it's arrival.
Regarding the locker choices, I've read a lot of good things about the Aussie, and the fact that I can install it myself, with very limited experience in this area is a definite plus. So here I go. There are plenty of youtube videos regarding the Aussie going into numerous other applications, so scan those to get an idea of some of the steps that I left out because they just aren't practical to photograph. The beauty of the Aussie in the WJ D44A with any of the factory gear choices is that it has a thin ring gear. What this means is that you can install the locker without removing the carrier, so you don't have to worry about setting up your gears again!
Here are the parts:
aussielocker-parts.jpg
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Tools and consumables:
jack, stands & wheel chalks
basic metric sockets & wrenches
E8 size, star shaped socket
slide hammer or some way to pry
fluid transfer pump
2qts gear oil (I used Redline Synthetic 75W90)
Gasket or gasket maker (I used black RTV silicone)
brake cleaner
gasket scraper
Medium strength threadlock
heavy duty grease
Oil drain catch pan
First, with the vehicle securely on stands & wheels removed, drain the old fluid by removing the bolts on the diff cover, but leave one bolt halfway installed in the top. Disconnecting the rear sway bar from the attachment points on the axle & strapping out of the way with a bungee makes the whole process easier. Using a gasket scraper, or very carefully with a chisel (remember the housing is aluminum), separate the cover and allow to drain into the catch pan. When most of it is drained, remove the last bolt and scrape away all of the old gasket, then spray brake cleaner to get rid of any metal shavings & contaminants in both the housing and the cover.
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Then, remove the nuts that hold the rear hubs to the axle tubes.
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Using your E8 star socket, remove the retaining bolt for the pinion shaft, then reach behind the carrier and push out the pinion shaft.
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(If installing on a ZJ, or D35, etc you will need to remove the C-Clips, but not on a WJ D44A!) Now you will either need to use a slide hammer or find a way to pry the two axle shafts away from each other. My bearing seals held my shafts in place pretty tight & I didn't have a slide hammer to attach to the wheel lugs, so I used the round box end of a 15mm wrench up against one of the ends of the axle shafts and a pry bar against the other to push the shafts apart. Don't worry about applying pressure on the spider gears, you will be discarding these anyway. Once you have one of the shafts pressed out a little bit, all four spider gears can all come out.
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I made sure to keep the thrust washers in place. I don't know if it matters which side they are installed on, so I played it safe. Then you can install the left & right axle gears on the ends of the exposed shafts.
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Next is the part that I really couldn't photograph because I had to play with the spacers & cam gears to get them in place. But before you install the cam gears, temporarily install the spacers and the pinion shaft and measure the clearance with a feeler gauge per the manufacturer's instructions. Then if within tolerance, remove the pinion shaft. Yes, applying grease to all mating surfaces will help to hold everything in place. I installed the spacers inside the cam gears & set the left side up on top, and the right side from below and got them into position.
Then I pushed the axle shaft back into place, reinstalled the nuts on the hubs and reinstalled the wheels. This will give you the leverage you will need to rotate the shafts to line up the pinion shaft with the hole in the carrier. Add a drop of medium strength threadlok and reinstall the E8 star head retaining pin.
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Next you will insert a pin into the hole in the cam gear, with the nipple facing out. Then you will insert a spring over top of the nipple and use a flat head screw driver or other small implement to push the other end of the spring into place until it snaps into position.
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Once you are done with that, carefully turn one of the wheels (so that all of the pieces stay in place) to expose the next pin location and repeat. and repeat. and repeat.
Now all that is left to do is measure the gap between the two installed cam gears and make sure they are within the manufacturer's tolerances. mine was 0.177' which is near the larger end of the tolerances.
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Next, put a bead of silicone along the mating surface on the diff cover & let it rest for about 5-10 min, then loosely place it on the housing and install each bolt about half-way. Wait an hour, then torque all of the bolts down, 30lb/ft if I remember correctly. then wait about another hour, and pump 2 qts of your preferred fluid in, reinstall the fill plug & that's it!
First impression on the test drive: tight turns, it's definitely noticeable. Substantial wheel noise & binding on a full-lock U-turn. Completely tolerable, but I hope it loosens up a little bit for street use. I'll update once I've driven it for a little while.