my g80 locker ... not locking .. HELP!!

[Braeden17]

i just bought a 1993 chevy s-blazer and i was messin around in the snow and i noticed my g80 isnt locking .. what could be the problem? clutch packs wore out?

[bespurcell]

The G80 doesn't have clutch packs.

[Hammer Head]

They also don't 'lock' after 20mph, or so.

[bespurcell]

Can you give us any more details?

[bespurcell]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbMZ9vcYVSg&feature=related This is how it works.

[Mikz86TA]

Does a 93 have a Gov-Loc?? I thought 1st gens had a Auburn-style Limited Slip.

[T Man]

Yup, gov lock wasnt an option till later. Prob. an open diff. A lot of those 1st gen 4x4's had open diffs

[Braeden17]

mines got the g80 i even called my local gm dealer and had them check the vin so i guess atleast the 93s did.. anyways .. from what i understand the g80 is suppose to lock the axle solid if one tire spins 100 rpm fast then the other. in my case i was trying out my truck in some deep snow and i got hung up. but when i slowly give it gas i notices the tire with the least weight on it was the only one spinning and it didnt lock the axle... maybe im miss understanding the g80

[T Man]

as far as I know the G80 isnt determined by the VIN. Check your RPO Codes in the glovebox. You might be suprised

[Braeden17]

i checked there .... i have the GU6 3.42 gears and i have the G80 diff..

[Braeden17]

and it can be checked by vin .. or the gm guy wouldnt have known

[Mikz86TA]

Sounds like you have a limited slip. A G80 is a general RPO for a non-open differental. My TA couldve had a G80 code also in 1986. But the Gov-Loc wasnt even made back then. Instead they used a GM version of the Auburn-style Limited Slip. A limited slip sounds like what you havve. They lock until one wheel needs more traction due to a loss of traction. That free wheel speeds up. Not very off-road useful tho IMO. Thats the Gov-Loc advantage. As you can see tho, ther Gov-Locs arent really 'rebuildable'. Im sure they are, but not just anyone could accomplish it.
If youre still unsure, pop off the cover and see what it looks like. The Gov-Loc looks like nothing else. Most L-Slips have small springs (usually color coded) inside the unit sideways.

[Braeden17]

thanks that explains alot .. i just thought if it it said it then id have it .. but i guess its a open diff which bits ass..

[Mikz86TA]

If it says G80 on the RPO and has never been changed, maybe its a Limited Slip

[89BLAZE]

usually the g80 will not lock in in 2wd in 4wd trucks very well once they get some miles on them i have a 89 4x4 that in 2wd in hardly ever locks both tires but once in 4wd mine usualy kicked in and got both tires to lock together and get me freed up. the springs in the carrier may be weak from age and wear to which will keep it from working right.

[Braeden17]

mine doesnt work in 2wd or 4x4 got hung up a few days ago in 4x4 and its seems to be an open.. but i was fooling around the other day doing a brakie and it locked and it suprised me... i thought it was gonna blow up haha but now it wont

[j894]

Mine has 122,000 miles on it & still works well. Always lock when I need it.
It gets used A LOT in the snow.

[Braeden17]

thats good for you but im still **** outta luck haha... my trucks got 199600 km's on it

[j894]

Well, dont just talk about it on the internet. Do something about it, get a torsen unit, another gov-loc, or something

I was just going along with the conversation.

[ace2fine]

They also don't 'lock' after 20mph, or so.
when i looked into this i was under the impression that it only locks after 20 mph. otherwise both would spin up during a brake torque session. i get the one-wheel-squeel until i jerk the wheel to the left. then jim comes alive and lets hell brake loose! the cintrifical force of the rotation is what locks it in.

[ace2fine]

missed sompin! my bad! does not lockpast 20!

[89BLAZE]

sound like the ratchet part of the unit is bad or weak. in all accounts i would pull the unit down and have a look anyway its possible its been run with out a posi additive in the past and if it has then its probaly hurt. if it is go ahead and save the extra cash for a auburn unit they are pretty good units and are on the more aggressive side when it comes to keeping both tires locked.

[T Man]

auburns are terrible. Save for a zexel or a gov loc. This is a 4wd, not a street truck were talking about

[89BLAZE]

i run a auburn in my 4x4 and had better luck out of it than i do a gov lock. gov locks are bad about throwing pieces through the diff cover when put into a bind.

[T Man]

i run a auburn in my 4x4 and had better luck out of it than i do a gov lock. gov locks are bad about throwing pieces through the diff cover when put into a bind.
\

By bad do you mean your own experience, or have you seen many of them do it. Because to tell you the truth, between the s series, the fullsizes, and the canyon/colorado...ive never seen one "throw pieces through the diff cover" Hell Doj abused the hell out of one and it stayed in one piece. Auburn style limited slips are terrible off road, the old style zexels were just as bad, the revised ones are great.

[T Man]

Heres your limited slip v the govloc. Hope you enjoyed learning something. I know which one ill take on my 4x4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8PpZF77tgk&feature=related

[89BLAZE]

i have seen 4 trucks do it mine never did but it didnt lock that good either. 2 of the trucks ive seen do it were f/s 4x4s one was towing a trailer the other had one wheel peel going and when the when it tried to lock it gernaded parts through the cover one was in a trans am with slicks and the last on in a s-series that got bound up in a rut while spining and when it cought something hard it it did the same thing

[Mikz86TA]

Ive heard of the Gov-Loc horrors, but mine works flawlessly. Ive never had a bad experience 1st hand with either a G-Loc or my Auburn in the TA. I would definately say the L-Slip is for on-road use due to the nature of its actions. From a stop and going straingt, both the units I have will lay down 2 stripes...even if it gets a little sideways. Both work great on slow and hard cornering. Its down to off road useage and the articulating of the truck and a wheel coming off the ground.

[j894]

i have seen 4 trucks do it mine never did but it didnt lock that good either. 2 of the trucks ive seen do it were f/s 4x4s one was towing a trailer the other had one wheel peel going and when the when it tried to lock it gernaded parts through the cover one was in a trans am with slicks and the last on in a s-series that got bound up in a rut while spining and when it cought something hard it it did the same thing

Sounds like they were not being used how they were designed, if you really did see 4 blow.. People tend to overexadurate things over the internet, no offense.

A trans am with a goc-loc. uh, what the hell were they thinking... & who put the unit in there...

You are not supposed to just mash the gas when you start spinning one wheel, thats what breaks them. I live near the biggest u-pull-it yard in the world & have not once seen a blown unit in the years I've been going there. I am in there constantly. Haven't seen any at the drag strip either.

[j894]

It locking, with one wheel spinning hard while the other one has good traction on a good surface is what can break them.

[Donahue]

there is some mis information going on in this thread. first off, the gov lock does in fact use clutch packs. second, they have been around since the early 70's and are the only factory traction aid offered in any 4x4 truck gm makes other than a detroit locker and that includes the s series. now i dont know about the late model stuff (2000+) but anything earlier than that would always be a gov lock in the trucks and in one of several different axles.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i44/j894/misc/PICT2406Custom.jpg

[89BLAZE]

regardless of whoever is trying to prove whoever wrong here we still havent helped braeden with his problem seems like donahue is the only one that is actually trying to help so lets quit bashing each other because we havent had similar experiences and help a fellow member out.:)

[LowSDime97]

sound like the ratchet part of the unit is bad or weak. in all accounts i would pull the unit down and have a look anyway its possible its been run with out a posi additive in the past and if it has then its probaly hurt. if it is go ahead and save the extra cash for a auburn unit they are pretty good units and are on the more aggressive side when it comes to keeping both tires locked.
i just recently threw in a G80 in my truck and i heard it does what its suppose to by locking only at certain speed and then unlocks, plus i didnt think the G80 needed posi additive since it doesnt have clutches? i know the Auburns do and require additive

[Mikz86TA]

Does have clutches, but its different than a Limited Slip in the way it activates. Therefore it doesnt require additive.

[LowSDime97]

ahhhh i see i see thank u for clearing that up for me, the G80 isnt bad but damn after i been driving on it i really wish i had me a Zex, i may change it out to a Zex when it gets warmer but idk yet

[j894]

Hey, thats my picture.....LOL