Currie Rock Jock 60 leaves a bitter taste.

I recently bought a 2013 JKUR and eagerly started the build. I have always been a fan of Currie and so when it came to making the decision as to what diffs to install I thought it was a no brainer, Rock Jock 60's front and rear. I spent a colossal amount of money on the rest of the Jeep and never thought that it would be the diffs that would end up being an issue. Since the build has been completed I have only done one or two outings, the Rubicon being one of them. Family matters have prevented me from going out more infrequently. I have also religiously kept up with my oil maintenance. Just recently on an outing I was told that it doesn't look like the rear locker was working, so when I got home i jacked it up and true enough it wasn't. Its been a couple of weeks since then and and now when I engage the locker the compressor cycles every 5 seconds (give or take a few) I'm not new to the game and thought it might be an O-ring in the ARB. I Called up Currie to find out if this would be covered under any kind of warrentee being as its considerably less than a year old and has relatively low hours only to be told that I would have to remove the carrier and ship it to them at which point they would make a determination weather to cover it or not. I explained that I am in Canada and that the Jeep was my daily driver and that I couldn't afford the down time, I also told them I was going take it into a local shop (Differential solutions) and that they could determine who or what was at fault but Currie wouldn't hear of it. I still don't regret my decision to put Currie Diffs under my Jeep but do think that there warentee policies are lacking. One would think that after spending $1200.00 + that they would be a little more accommodating. Why Currie can not trust a drive line shop to inspect the diff and send them a report is beyond me, but I suppose they already have my money.....

In the end I will take it to the local shop and pay them to fix what should have been done correctly in the first place.

Just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

I would determine where the air is coming from. if it is escaping out of the breather tube the leak is internal to the differential and they should cover it. if you snagged the air line on a branch and it's leaking at the fitting, maybe just tighten it up. Sometimes they leak from the solonoid, compressor, bulkhead fittings.
if you know where it's leaking from you'll have a better argument with them I think.
.

Elusive said:

I would determine where the air is coming from. if it is escaping out of the breather tube the leak is internal to the differential and they should cover it. if you snagged the air line on a branch and it's leaking at the fitting, maybe just tighten it up. Sometimes they leak from the solonoid, compressor, bulkhead fittings.
if you know where it's leaking from you'll have a better argument with them I think.
.

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The air is coming out of the breather and the locker will not engage. the solenoid works well and has been tested. so it can either be an O- ring or the copper supply line where the fitting goes through the pumpkin Unfortunately I have just (Thursday) had surgery on my left hand and cant blow my nose let alone work on my diff.

It will get sorted out one way on another.

$1200 or $12,000? Seems like $1200 wouldn't cover much.

Subscribing to see how this turns out. Sorry for the PIA you're going through.

Take the carrier and everything else out (Shafts & driveshaft) send carrier into currie, in the mean time just run your jeep on the unit bearing's??? I drove this way for several weeks without a problem.or you could always putthe stub shafts back in and run it.

xflstl said:

Take the carrier and everything else out (Shafts & driveshaft) send carrier into currie, in the mean time just run your jeep on the unit bearing's??? I drove this way for several weeks without a problem.or you could always putthe stub shafts back in and run it.

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I certainly don't know since you did it, but I thought unit bearings would fail if you drive on them without an axle in place?

JKbrick said:

I certainly don't know since you did it, but I thought unit bearings would fail if you drive on them without an axle in place?

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On tjs yes jks no.

Sent from my SCH-I605

xflstl said:

On tjs yes jks no.

Sent from my SCH-I605

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Interesting, what is the difference?

JKbrick said:

Interesting, what is the difference?

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The construction of the unit bearing is different the JK unit bearing is not rebuildable while the TJ unit bearing is and somebody that knows better and me can explain why that makes one fall apart and not the other.

Sent from my SCH-I605

optimus prime said:

The air is coming out of the breather and the locker will not engage. the solenoid works well and has been tested. so it can either be an O- ring or the copper supply line where the fitting goes through the pumpkin Unfortunately I have just (Thursday) had surgery on my left hand and cant blow my nose let alone work on my diff.

It will get sorted out one way on another.

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Sorry , typo, 12K

suicideking said:

$1200 or $12,000? Seems like $1200 wouldn't cover much.

Subscribing to see how this turns out. Sorry for the PIA you're going through.

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Its the rear diff.

xflstl said:

Take the carrier and everything else out (Shafts & driveshaft) send carrier into currie, in the mean time just run your jeep on the unit bearing's??? I drove this way for several weeks without a problem.or you could always putthe stub shafts back in and run it.

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:thinking: Since this is the rear axle this would not be possible unless he has a full float rear 60. The tires are connected to the shafts which ride on outer axle bearings and then the spline end rides inside the carrier which rides on the bearings. Unit bearings are on the front D30 and D44. The D60 uses tapered roller bearings.

rcdude3 said:

:thinking: Since this is the rear axle this would not be possible unless he has a full float rear 60. The tires are connected to the shafts which ride on outer axle bearings and then the spline end rides inside the carrier which rides on the bearings. Unit bearings are on the front D30 and D44. The D60 uses tapered roller bearings.

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My mistake somehow I thought we were talking about the front is this the rear unless its full flow as stated above I think you're screwed

Sent from my SCH-I605

well well.. I have a same problem with my rear diff also.
when ARB locker is inguaged, the air leaks constantly out of the breather tube and will not stop.
I too have not had any chance to take it apart with too much work going on these days..
hoping it's loose copper tubing on connector for quick fix..

hope you're problem gets resolved fast!

Is it an issue with the casing itself or the locker?

We Are Jeep..Resistance Is Futile..

That is why I run Detroit lockers. They never fail on the trail. My guess is that the copper lines has a leak on the flare or compression fittings. The ARB carrier is a great product. You local shop should be able fix it easily. Best of luck.

MC2003TJ said:

That is why I run Detroit lockers. They never fail on the trail.

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I think you just jinxed yourself there.

I had a full cage Detroit stop working... well it was no longer mine when it did. Was in a buddies truck when it stopped. Springs wore out on one side. Was not all that old and did not have high miles on it either.

Indefatigable said:

I think you just jinxed yourself there.

I had a full cage Detroit stop working... well it was no longer mine when it did. Was in a buddies truck when it stopped. Springs wore out on one side. Was not all that old and did not have high miles on it either.

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Well I hope I didn't Jinx myself!! I have been running full carrier Detroit lockers for over 20 years in four different jeeps and I have never had a single issue. The first Detroit was in a 1976 CJ5 with a model 20 rear end. I broke both rear axles at different points once we installed the 350 chevy motor and it didn't hurt the Detroit locker. I then had a Currie 9" hp installed in an 87' YJ with a tuned port 350 chevy and no issues. Then I had a 94' YJ with a Mustang ford 9" and now the 2003 TJ with all Currie 9" axles front and rear. No issues. I perform regular maintenance and use Royal Purple or Currie's 9+ gear oil.

I ran the Rubicon and the Dusy Ershim trails this summer solo with my two sons and we only got hung up one time.

I am a mechanic and a realist!! "If it is mechanical, it will wear out and break someday" Excellent maintenance is the key to prolonging the enevitable. Maticulous preperation prior to hitting the trail will catch 95% of issues and prevent catastrophic failure. Driving smart not hard on the trail is key also.

I think the ARB product is excellent. I just think that you have more things to fail on the trail. Air compressor, broken lines, leaking seals ect. And you have to remember to turn it on and off. At that point you may be stuck already!! when the ARB is locked it is like a spool and the jeep doesn't want to turn. The Detroit just does it's thing with locking and unlocking automatically.

We all have our preference!! Hope to see you on the trail someday.

I'm curious what you find. My first question, if you know, is the ARB the latest generation with the air collar on the ring gear side, or older with the air collar opposite ring gear? The reason I ask is because I've seen a number of currie 60s with not nearly enough preload on the carrier. If the collar is on the ring gear side, no issue. Well at least not for laker engagement. However if the collar is opposite the ring gear, the ring gear will get pushed away from the pinion and pull away from the air collar enough to make it leak. If this is the case, make sure the differential gets reinstalled with enough preload or it will eat the gears prematurely.