Dear All,
2 months ago I bought a 2 door type 96 Blazer, and unfortunately I found that my vehicle has no rear diff lock. As I am living in Ankara - Turkey, it is not aso easy for me to find required parts of my vehicle very easily and also I must state that I don't have enough experience on that vehicle.
My question is, I will use my vehicle for off road action but, this will never be very hard. This means that most probably, I will drive on some snow, mud or dry pavement.
In such a case, could you please advice me a brand name of a diff lock that I could easily buy via internet including the part number please and also, if possible including the installation manuel.
Your response on this topic, will be more then appreciated.
Kind regards,

Burak

 

Burak,

Merhaba, and welcome to the forum! Glad to see Turkish Blazers still popping up (these bad boys get around!) On to the problem:

I understand you want a slightly more capable rear end and are not looking to dump big money on a selectable locker like a hotrod of trail rig would run. Your best best for a locking rear diff would be to find a similar blazer with the "G80" rpo code denoting the factory installed locking rear diff. Sadly i doubt there are many on the shelf in Turkey...

So for internet options I give you these:
PowerTrax Lock-Right Locker
and the
PowerTrax No-Slip Locker

The Lock RIght sperates when turning giving you an "open-diff feel" as opposed to the "locker feel" you get when both wheels have power and you are trying to turn.
The No-Slip will handle any and all off road conditions better, but isn't as on road friendly.
Both are squirrelly on wet pavement, but you will be able to get a feel for it and adjust accordingly.

You will need to know your diff carrier size when ordering you locker. I believe 2 gens are 7.5" or 7.625" carriers. Also you will need to know you gearing spline count (teeth on the ring gear) which should be 28. Once you have both of those numbers, order up what you like. It's a drop-in install meaning you pluck your current set up and drop that in to become you'r axle's new heart.

 

Curtis,
Thank you very much for your prompt response.
In order to be sure that I understood you well, let me try to list the to do list one by one.
ITEM #1; Ensure the diff carrier size. 7.5" or 7.625" ?
ITEM #2; Check the gearing spline count. As per your experience it should be 28!!!
ITEM #3 Try to find a G80 coded rear diff lock in order to eliminate this problem.

QUESTION #1, I read a lot about EATON diff locks and would like to ask your experiences on that, if you have any. As far as I know G80 is a type of EATON diff lock, but there are several types on their web also. Your response will be appreciated.
regards,
Burak

 

Burak-
In responce to your reply:
#1 yes. you need this because some lockers are specific (i.e. 7.5" only) and others are flexible (i.e. works in 7.5 or 7.625)
#2 this is important because, while unlikely, i dont not know the history of your vehicle and thing MAY have been changed, but the '96 should be a 28 spline set up.
#3: Here's where this becomes your choice. If it was me, I would hop on craigslist and get a whole rear diff off of a 96 bravada for $100. Unfortunately it's not that simple for you

I was suggesting getting a G80 rear so you can AVOID bying a locker. The G80 is a locking rear dif meaning it functions as an open diff until it detects unbalanced wheel spin (1 spinning faster than the other) in which case it locks up (like a posi) and splits power to bother wheels. This is ideal what what you said your needs would be (mostly on road with light offroad conditions).

A locker with either 'fuse' parts of your rear axle for equal power all the time (no slip) or 'couple' both for equal power all the time, except when turning, where it will seperate (lock right).

All of my Blazer experience is with a G80 and I am pleased with it. It held up to any and all punishment I have dealt it (plus the 160,000 miles of torture the previous owners had given it) I did not understand why my truck would *jerk* a bit when i got squirrelly in sand, and looked into the G80 more after decoding my RPO codes on the sticker in my glove box. Where I live I get out on dirt/gravel roads from time to time, and have dealt with snow/ice/rain in various degrees of severity. It is no locker, but that is why it's good. It is only there when it's needed. You will not feel it on the road. You will not feel it turning (unless you punch it while taking a tight turn with momentum already built up) or when the road is wet. You will notice it in light mud/dirt work. Gravel is another one where it can come into play, but it takes a bit to force it...

Anyway, the above links I supplied were for a "locker". If you want to spend less (who doesn't?) you can look at the links supplied yesterday in the thread about "Going Gov Lock" as they are to an online auction selling G80 guts (use your axle as is, with the current ring and pinion gear, and swap out the center). If you go this route, the g80 is not gear specific so you can run in in what ever you have (3.08, 3.43, 3.73 etc) since the other guess work is gone as it is made for your vehicle.
THAT route would be my suggestion to you. Unless some one else chimes in as to why I am dead wrong, i would by a set of G80 guts, swap them into my current axle, and give them a whirl.
Hope that helps some.
-Curtis