Paxford

I was looking in to regearing and contacted the dealer parts to see what was available. I would like to buy and have installation done through the dealer to maintain my warranty coverage. The parts rep. noted the usual stock 3.15 to 3.73 gears available, but what I am really after is a 4.10. He also found an electronic locking rear differential with 4.10 gears (elocker). Hmmm, he nor I had any idea what it was or if it would work on my truck.

Through research I learned all about the SVT Raptor elocker which will lock just the rear wheels in 2wd or 4wd, and the FX4 elocker that will lock just the rear wheels, but only in 4wd. These are likely the part that the guy found. The mechanism for locking the diff is the 4X4 button on the dash, you pull it outwards. Apparently the elocker for the 9.75 diff Ford uses is manufactured by GKN driveline. I have seen other posts on this elocker, but always 4wd specific . . .

So I have a 2wd XLT and want this on my truck, and warrantied. Whether its possible is another story. I don't have the 4WD button on my dash already, but behind the change holder that replaces this button on 2wd models is a wiring harness. 4wd left over? Not sure what it goes to or if it can be wired.

I am sure someone out there has gone down this path already, please share your trials and tribulations. Thanks.

ps. buying a raptor or fx4 is not the answer, its out of budget.

TXHornToad

I cannot answer all of your question but maybe this will help. Two weeks after I took delivery of my 2010 XLT Screw with 5.4L, max tow pkg. and 3.73 with "limited slip axle" I was hit on the passenger side by a pick-up with a heavy pipe front bumper. The impact was dead center of the right rear wheel and bent the axle housing. The body shop replaced the rear end with what they were told was the correct limited slip axle with 3.73 ratio. After getting stuck earlier in the week and only able to spin the right rear tire I called the body shop to tell them they installed the wrong rear end. After talking to the body shop we determined the the replacement axle was a "3E73-9.75" not a "3L73-9.75" as it should have been.

After seeing your post yesterday I jacked up the right rear wheel and verified that only that wheel would spin. I then took one of my deer feeder batteries and ran the wires to the electric connector on the top rear of the housing. I could hear a click every time I connected the battery. While connected to the battery the left rear wheel will pull the truck off the jack. So elocker works but no existing wires or switch to make it work.

Paxford

txhorntoad- I can't believe how on point your situation is to my inquiry. I am going to pose a few more questions here to see if someone has taken it a step further. By my reading you have a 2wd F150 XLT that had a rear 3.73 limited slip with no elocker, which was replaced by accident (pun intended) with the 4wd version of the 3.73 9.75 electronic locking rear end, and it works! Well sort of, I guess you can't drive around on jack stands, but there is hope. A few details for others checking in to this - the difference in the part numbers is the "L" limited vs. the "e" elocker. You can see that 3E73-9.75 is 3.73, so if your wondering what's in your truck, there should be a sticker on the axle or pumpkin with the numbers. The fact that you wired the connectors on the rear end to a battery and the elocker engaged suggests that it can be wired to your truck and engaged in cab. My next question is whether it can be connected cleanly to the remnant wiring harness behind the change holder in the dash (where does this lead to?, the computer? somewhere cable tied near the rear end I hope?). I'll bet one could do an aftermarket switch ran from the rear end to somewhere in the cab. This wouldn't look good though for warranty coverage I would think. Are you going to have the repair shop put the "L" back in, or are you going to run with a free elocker rear end and figure out how to get it wired? I am calling the dealer's shop foreman to see about the wiring, and whether there are any warranty issues with switching over to an elocker. If I get answers I'll post them. Thanks tx, its a real good start.

TXHornToad

Paxford - After some research this weekend I have determined that I have no existing wires behind the coin holder or at the rear axle. Also, it appears that the elocker must be connected to the computer. Here's what the manual says on page 276 "When the axle is unlocked it will function like a standard rear axle. When the axle is locked it will not allow the rear wheels to rotate at different speeds when turning. The ELD axle is not recommended for use on good traction surfaces such as dry pavement."
I have the body shop looking for the correct limited slip axle to replace the elocker as it appears that I could be facing more problems than I care to deal with trying to make this one work.

Mlkx4

Your nuts if you want to give that e-locker back. Just hook it up to a switch in the cab and if you ever need extra traction then hit the switch. If you dont have it locked in you have no worries on dry pavement. E locker is way better than ls rear end. you would effectively have an open or closed rear end and you get to choose.

Paxford

TX and MLKx4,

While I agree with MLK that having the elocker is awesome, I can see where TX is coming from. He just had his new truck hit, and the replacement rear end doesn't work. Wiring it to a switch in the cab would not be that difficult, but would TX end up with issues down the road if he takes it to the dealer for warranty work? I am pretty sure my dealer would turn me away/void my warranty if a non-dealer repair shop put in a rear end that Ford does not typically put in the 2wd F150.

I am trying to get the dealer to agree first that the rear end can go in the vehicle, so there won't be any issues with warranty coverage down the road.

TX, you mentioned no wiring harness behind the change holder. Just so we are on the same page, I came across the change holder/wiring harness I saw when I was trying to locate the wiring harness for the trailer brake controller. I removed the panel to the left side of the radio, popped out the upper left round change holder, and there was a wiring harness plugged in to the square plastic piece on the back of the change holder. The square plastic fitting served no purpose I could see other than a placeholder for the wiring harness. Is this what you saw on the back of the round change holder, but with no wiring harness attached? If so, it could have come loose and might be dangling back there?

TXHornToad

Paxford and Mlkx4 - I agree that the elocker would be the best choice but I have looked both under the dash and at the rear end and do not have the wiring. I do have the Heavy Tow Pkg. with Trailer Break Controller. Without having a wiring diagram I am not sure if the elocker requires 12 volts or some reduced voltage or if it is required that it be controlled through the computer. There is just not enough information available for the GKN elocker that Ford uses to make me feel good about just running a wire to the unit. Especially on a truck with 5,000 miles on it.
I might be forced to keep the elocker as it took over thirty days for the body shop to find and get this one. If that happens I will try to make it work.

VanoFord

Paxford - As far as getting the elocker to work, I am not sure. I however am a 2wd owner, 06 XLT to be exact. I changed out my carrier last year, went w/ an Auburn Auto Cross. This is like a locker, w/ respect that both tires spin all the time. The difference is that this locker is made for road racing, therefore the clutches are designed to allow you to go through turns, w/out messing things up. I actually feel catapulted through turns now. I also just regeared, this weekend in fact. Ford does make 3.90, 4.10, & 4.30, just have to know that its Ford Racing. Since you have the 2wd, you have the 8.8 rear end I assume. Luckily all mustangs have the 8.8, therefore all R&P's for the stangs, will fit in the F150. As a matter of fact, my R&P was Ford Racing and had Mustangs pictured all over it. Now my R&P would have been covered by ford had I had them install it (too much money). The Auburn is covered limited warranty, regardless of who installs. Just a few alternatives in case you cant get the elocker to work.

Paxford

Vanoford, cool truck you got there. I was looking at Ford Racing ring and pinion sets before my initial post thinking, this is exactly what I am looking for. Then I came across a few posts suggesting that Ford OEM parts will not void warranty while Ford Racing parts may. I guess it depends on the dealer. I think your on to something though - I bet if I pay them to install it, even if it is Ford Racing parts, the dealer will not void the 5 yr. drivetrain portion of my warranty, which is what I am concerned about keeping.

Ford is now putting the 9.75 rear end in the F150 and not the 8.8 that's in the stangs, not sure when they switched over. I will definitely keep Ford Racing in mind next time I talk with the dealer.

I still haven't heard back from the shop foreman at the dealer on whether the elocker rear end can be wired to my 2wd, if and when I do I will post.

Paxford

Talked with the shop foreman at the dealer, very helpful. Here's the options-

1. 4.10 elocker 9.75 rear end can be installed on 2wd and wired in cab very easily. Just like how txhorntoad hooked it to a battery, you would do the same and also wire in a switch in cab. JUST DON'T TURN IT ON WHILE ON DRY PAVEMENT - OFFROADING ONLY! Hooking it up to a 4wd button is not an option. Put simply, the 4wd button and all its functions are run through the computer, and 2wd's computers aren't prepared for this. $550 for the elocker parts, but what about install? It doesn't matter who does the install, in fact it might be better for someone other than the dealer to do it. The foreman felt he would not be concerned if the gears where changed to 4.10 unless he knew the truck/did the work.

The elocker rear end is not going to be part of the powertrain warranty, but it shouldn't void other parts that are OEM unless of course it can be traced as the cause the failure of those OEM parts. He found this scenario to be very unlikely.

2. Go with another product, be it Auburn, Detroit, Ford Racing, etc. depending on what I am trying to accomplish. No need for the dealer to install.

Bottom line, I am not going to get warranty coverage for the part I am replacing unless I replace it with the same part, or pretty close to the one I started with. But just about everything else should still be covered. So who really likes their 9.75 rear end with 4.10 gears and some type of locker/LS? Suggestions?