Hello guys. I have a question and I would like some of your opinions. I have a 2000 ORP without limited slip. I'm giong to get it put in, but I don't know which way to go. Ford wants about $1000 to put the factory unit in. I can buy the factory one from Randy's ring and pinon for $247 and have my friend's brother put it in for $200. Or 4 Wheel parts will sell me a Auburn Pro installed with tax and everything for $780. I have heard good and bad about both. I heard the Auburn is a superior unit but cannot be rebuilt, and uses non-synthetic lube only. I heard the Ford unit is decent and I can add clutch packs to make it tighter? How is this done? It can also be rebuilt. I would appreciate some feedback on this subject. I have to make up my mind before winter. Thank you and sorry this is so long.

Dan

 

Can't help you with your decision, but have one observation to make.

I don't know why LS isn't required when a person orders the ORP. Makes no sense, unless they're expecting most of the ORP owners would be installing lockers.

 

5.4TritonORP,

Looks like we have the same truck and same situation. I bought my 2000 F-150 XLT 4x4 in June of 2000 with the ORP, and an open diff. July 2001 I had the Ford limited slip installed (don't think it was $1,000 though, maybe $700-800). Before the install, I was seriously considering the Auburn, but now would not suggest the Auburn for the following reasons:

1) You'll have to get your axle lubricant changed out more often. Not that big of a deal, unless you take it to the dealership for service, then you have to deal with getting the dip****s there to put friction modifier in, even though their computer, your door jam code, and the diff cover says it's an open diff.

2) The Ford ls works fine. I don't really do any offroading like mudding or rock climbing, but I'm on the beach in wet and soft sand all the time putting in jet skis, cats, etc. and can definitely tell the difference with the ls, and makes all the difference in the world compared to an open diff (some more serious offroad users may have something negative to say about the Ford unit).

3) With the crappy stock tires you get, anything with a higher torque bias than the Ford ls (i.e. the Auburn Pro) and you'll be doing your best to keep for slip sliding all over the damn place in the rain. I can cut loose in a heartbeat just with the Ford ls.

4) And if you don't care about #3 because you are willing to drive slowly throughout turns on slick roads, you can cut through the bs and get a Powertrax No Slip Unit for the rear - complete locker, smooth as an Auburn or any other ls, cheaper than an Auburn or any other ls with installation, easy to install all by "youfelf"...

And I believe the way the Ford unit is modified for increased torque bias is arranging the steel plates and clutch plates in a different order. I believe they go S-C-S-C-S-C-S-C-S and you change them to something like S-C-C-S-C-C, etc...I'm really not sure..

 

I'm looking at the same thing, except a buddy of mine has a ford trac lock unit with new clutches for like $120 to me. I want to install it myself, and the only think that worries me is having to resetup the gears, which I've never done before. For this reason I've been considering the powertrax unit. I don't know if the powertrax unit will be too aggressive for my regular cab v6 2wd...

Mitch

 

I wanted to get a Powertrax No-Slip, but they don't make it for the 9.75 rear end. They have a part number for it, but powertrax it is still under developement. It was supposed to be out last summer. I don't know what the are waiting for.

 

5.4TritonORP

Okay, well then maybe you could get the Ford ls and then when the Powertrax unit comes out, you can install that yourself since the Powertrax is compatible with the Ford open and ls. It's not compatible with the Auburn.

Obviously, the cheapest thing is to wait for the Powertrax...but that could be a long wait. In car speak it seems like "Expected in Mid-Summer" means "Don't hold your breath"

 

well, u probably wont like the idea of this but as far as a cheap
locker goes its impossible to beat an ol "linchon" locker.
if u dont know thats just having the spider gears welded up,
probably cost about 25 bucks and is just as solid as any true locker i have ever seen. i would go L/S but if ure lookin for cheap traction u cant beat it and there wont be any clicking like with a lock rite or the like. but both tires WILL ALWAYS rotate the same rpm.

 

No thanks, it's my daily driver. Need the LS. Does anybody know how to modify the clutch plates in the Ford LS to make it tighter?

 

I asked a buddy who is a tech at Ford that same question today. He said the stock LS only has 20 ft/lb breaking force. He tried adding extra clutches to stuffen it up, but it just wore them out quicker.

 

http://www.mercurycapri.com/technica...ine/rytld.html

this may help you with how to do the clutch plates if thats what ya really want to do. i would personally just roll with the factory l/s, thats what im gonna do. how much crap u planning on getting into? u know if u do alot of snow/ice driving it would be wise to leave the rear open. if u go l/s and get in some snow or ice the rear is gonna come around on ya. i only recommend a l/s for sand and mud. now they r great for that but what i preach about the snow/ice is gospel. ull be lookin the other way before u know it. anyway, the above site is a rebuild of a 7.5 ford rear, same principle applies. good luck

 

Thank you for the site. I think a an going to use the Ford LS. I do drive in the ice and snow, but I'm getting tired of putting the truck in 4 wheel drive in the middle of July while making a turn while going up a hill in a rainstorm . This is stupid, anyways I like getting sideways in my truck

 

The Auburn works great when new, but wears out kinda fast. About 40k in the rear of my fathers '71 Bronco. The factory posi in my SCrew works well in many situations. I would'nt want to depend on it for real extreme, but for cruising with the family in 18" of snow or mild trails it works great. around town it also allows you the great fun of hanging the rear out on turns w/o the harshness of a real locker or a spool. Call Randys R&P and see what they recomend as far as a L/S. Going to the dealer to have the work done is just flushing the $$. Look in the phone book for a shop that does differential work. Or if you are mechanically inclined, setting the gears up is not that hard.

 

BroncoAz,

I believe the Ford ls is a standard Salisbury type. I would bet that 20ft/lb force is the preload spring, not the breaking force when the side gears are thrust out...Also known as power sensitive ls rather than passive ls. But I could be wrong. Ford's screwed me before when I assumed they would put top notch in there...But seriously, it's got to be power sensitive, 20 ft lbs is nothing, and I haven't seen a passive ls in God knows how long..

 

I've run my 2WD ls rear end for 2 winters now and have never felt like I was even close to gettin' the rear ahead of the front. As a matter of fact I've never been stuck on snow, slush, sand, pullign my trailer or not and never lost control. I personally would be without the ls, especially for the minimal cost in both $$$ and weight. Once in a blue moon, on slippery road I can feel it chatter once or twice going around a real slow corner.

 

Tiger

That probably just shows you're a careful driver. I've intentionally thrown out my rearend with my ls and also done it to someone else's rearend who had a locker..In those chirping situations you are describing going around a corner on a slippery road, keep it in first, go into the turn throttling, keep it in first, and hit the throttle and you'll spin so fast you won't know what hit you...There was a previous post I saw on here saying one of the good things about spinning out is you get to see the surprised look of the person who was behind you, when you are face to face when them after the slam on their brakes...

Anyway, if you drive like a normal person (not like a wanna-be gang member in a rice burner sitting way down low in your seat blasting your music so the entire interstate can hear it), you shouldn't have to worry about losing control.