Ten years ago, selectable locking differentials were about as rare as a brain in a celebutant's head. Today, selectable lockers are more common than child-star substance abuse. These lockers can be locked and unlocked using everything from air pressure to cables, and in this case, 12-volt electricity. The Auburn ECTED is actually a limited slip and a true locking differential all wrapped into one. The limited slip mechanism of the ECTED is a clutch plate-style limited slip. The locking mechanism is engaged by an electromagnet via a 12-volt switch. It's a fairly simple install if you have a few key tools and some axle experience available to you.
Prep the axle for differential...
Prep the axle for differential removal by pulling the differential cover, draining the oil and removing the axleshafts. Using a dial indicator check the backlash of the ring and pinion before removing the carrier. The Dana 44 backlash should be between .005 and .010 of an inch. When you put the new carrier in, you want to match this setting as closely as possible to maintain proper gear tooth contact.
After removing the stock carrier...
After removing the stock carrier from the housing, you can unbolt the ring gear. You'll need to use the proper puller on the carrier bearings to get to the factory shim packs underneath. Use these shims as a starting point for the installation of the ECTED carrier.
We used a work light to heat...
We used a work light to heat the ring gear so it would expand slightly and more easily slip onto the ECTED carrier before it's bolted into place. The Dana 44 ring gear bolts should be torqued to 55 lb-ft.
With the old shims in place...
With the old shims in place on the new differential, we pushed on some slip-fit setup bearings and installed the ECTED into the Jeep's axlehousing.
The carrier caps are torqued...
The carrier caps are torqued to 60-lbft to once again check the backlash and match it up with our original numbers. We didn't need to but your axle may require some adjusting of the shim packs to get proper ring and pinion backlash and/or carrier bearing preload.
Once we had the correct shims...
Once we had the correct shims in place, we removed the ECTED from the housing, slipped off the setup bearings, and pounded the new carrier bearings home.
The ECTED comes with a bulkhead...
The ECTED comes with a bulkhead fitting for the wires which can be run through the cast housing of the axle. But we think future disassembly will be much easier our way. We used a die grinder to cut a notch in the diff cover mounting surface for the ECTED wires to run through. A little silicone seals the cover and the wire notch. Be sure to run the wires up and out of harm's way to a switch in the dashboard and a fused 12-volt source.
Since the ECTED is a clutch-type...
Since the ECTED is a clutch-type limited slip, it requires a friction modifier additive in the gear oil. Auburn supplies the additive with the ECTED, but don't forget to include the additive during future diff oil changes.
How's It Work?
On our first test drive it felt like the limited slip of the ECTED would not slip to allow differentiation between the two rear wheels when cornering. And when it did allow some slip, it would chatter loudly. So we called Auburn and asked one of the engineers about our problem. He said a short break-in period may be needed for the limited slip. He recommended doing some figure-eights at a medium speed in a parking lot to get the limited slip clutches to seat. After the reassurance that our ECTED was working properly, we simply we put about 200 miles and an off-road trip on our ECTED, forgoing the parking lot break-in procedure. After that the limited slip function worked perfectly. In fact, it's likely the best-performing limited slip we've ever used. It's barely noticeable on the street; however, you'll get some tire chirp on tight corners when on the throttle. On most trails we rarely need to flip the switch and lock the locker; the ECTED's limited slip gets us through all but the worst situations. But when we do need to lock it, the action is quiet and instant. There is virtually no lag time between flipping the switch and locking or unlocking the unit. Since the ECTED utilizes friction materials, it can wear out over time. And that's really our only complaint. If or when the clutches do wear out, the unit has to be sent back to Auburn to be rebuilt. However, it is covered under the company's Differential Replacement Exchange program (D-REX). So far we've had the ECTED installed for nearly a year in the rear Dana 44 of our fullsize Jeep pickup and it has been problem-free even with 37-inch tires, a V-8, and a manual transmission with a granny-low First gear.