So sunday afternoon i took my truck out in to the bush with a few buddies. I did get stuck and when i was trying to get out only one of my back tires was spinning and only one front tire. The drivers side front was kinda jerking around but not spinning. Is this normal for both front and back? Also, since the drivers side is on dry ground, should it not catch and give me traction, is that not how limited slip works? Thank you for any and all advice.

Here is a picture, though it probably won't help answer the question, but I thought it would be cool to post it.

 

What you experienced is normal. The limited slip diff is not a locker. Sometimes it will catch posi sometimes it wont. You can trick the truck sometimes by applying the e brake a little bit.

 

I've observed that which ever wheel has less traction, is the one that will spin. what you saw is normal. I know it sounds stupid but thats how it works. I think the theory is that your wheels shouldn't be spinning so, it's really designed to prevent your wheels from hopping when you steer and one has to rotate more than the other. A rear end that locks is what would have gotten you out of that hole. In the newest generation, I saw it on the 2010s, your 4 wheel drive switch is in the same place, but if you pull it out, if clicks out towards you and this locks the front diff. Again this would have set you free.

 

Yeah that's called an open differential.

I've heard the factory limited slip isn't so hot to begin with.

 

the reason it doesnt spin on the side that has the most traction is pretty much so it doesnt put to much stress on the axle, u joints, driveshaft...etc and break anything...thats what i was told by the transmission shop that put my air locker in my old f150 anyway

 

Umm.. no.

It's like Ftruck05 said. Factory LS is barely a step above an open diff. If you had a Detroit TrueTrac in there then it would have caught the spin after about a quarter-turn and then evenly applied power to both wheels.

 

double

 

This is how I (and probably many others here) have learnt that hours and hours of clean up is not worth the few minutes of fun. Unfortunately, now your truck might stink like burning mud from the exhaust and you'll worry about water in your diffs and your wheel speed sensors might trigger ABS faults, not to mention if you bagged it for a long time you might have overheated your tranny-fluid requiring a flush and I'm sure many other things that people might ad. Personally, I found it much much easier to jump in a buddies five hundred dollar bush truck... however some people will disagree and say its worth the fun. not to scare you, your probably fine, but you do have a nice truck and you don't want to start pumping money into repair jobs for a few minutes of playing.

 

Thanks for the advice. I was a little confused as to what limited slip was and how it worked. Thanks to bloodvette i do agree with you partially, I did my old truck in that way, but finding my way in that hole was a bit of an accident i was on my way out and slipped in. Normally I drive around any holes like this. For those i usually take my ATV out.