Hi,

My 1994 Samurai goes to 65KM on 4th gear then losses power when I shift to 5th gear (drops to 60K and neglect to speed up). Can anyone tell me whats wrong with it?

Tires are to big, or gears are too low.  Not enough Hp.

Tires are to big, or gears are too low.  Not enough Hp.

Do you mean gears may be too high? I couldn't really use 5th in my Sammy with my 32" tires until I put in lower gears. It would lose speed in 5th.  I also probably am low in HP with about 185K miles on my old Sammy. 

Quote from: BRD HNTR on May 31, 2011, 09:56:25 PM

Tires are to big, or gears are too low.  Not enough Hp.

Do you mean gears may be too high? I couldn't really use 5th in my Sammy with my 32" tires until I put in lower gears. It would lose speed in 5th.  I also probably am low in HP with about 185K miles on my old Sammy. 

Vexing question.  It is a numerically lower ratio 4.62 to 1  vs 5.13 to 1.  I should have said "gear ratio to low".  Lower ratio's produce higher output speeds (if you have the power to use them).  Low Gears usually mean gears meant for low speeds and more power created by turning a higher ratio.

In Sammy's changing the TC low range gears also change the high range a little.  You went from a 2:1 to 4:1 or 6:1 producing a lower output, but numerically higher gear ratio.
And Sammy's, with 40 hp., are low in HP with any miles, and can do remarkable things with what they have.

Agree, It is rather amazing with the very low HP what they can do! I've only had mine 18 months and a good portion of that time it was waiting on me to fix things on it. But I've been impressed the few times I've taken it out. Due to my large tires I went with the 6.5 gears and power no longer appears to an issue. (Although I think HP is like money so you can never have too much as long as you know how to use it.)  The problem I have now is not enough traction. I'm hoping my mini spool in the rear will fix most of the traction problem. In the next few months I plan to also pull the front end apart for preventive maintenance and at that point put in some type of locker in the front. Saw a couple units that were about $200 that still allow one tire to turn faster that the other so you can steer it normally. Still need to research which one is more reliable.

A limited slip will/should allow slippage for turning, with a limited amount of slippage when you need both tires turning.  They are harder to find and also cost more than a spool or lockers.  With the light weight of the sammy a locker is hard to get working right, in that they tend to stay locked most of the time, making turning much harder especially on hard rock.  If you end up installing one, use your sammy side gears, as they do not engage the plates as dramatically as the side gears for the locker, and they are slightly cheaper that way.  IMO selective lockers ARB, ETRAC are the way to go in front, and expensive.  Traction when you want it (usually, being selective it also has its moments/excuses).

What is it with people not having lockers that operate correctly?  I must buy the only ones that work how they are supposed to (or maybe all these other people aren't setting them up right, or reusing parts that are too worn to work correctly).  I installed my first lock right in a sidekick about 15 years ago.  Worked exactly like it was supposed to and continued to work fine until I sold the sidekick.  I now run lockers front and rear in my off road samurai....again, they work just like they are supposed to.  I also just installed a lock right in the rear of a samurai for a guy...works perfectly.
IMO, I would not waste money on a limited slip.  They are at least 2x as expensive as a locker and well, they slip, they don't lock.  If you lift one front tire off the ground (or if one tire has much less weight on it) while offroading, guess with one is going to spin....yep, the one in the air (or the one that has the least amount of weight on it).
If you run a locker in the front, take the tcase out of 4wd when making a turn...makes it much easier to turn (even if you are running power steering).
Twin sticks for the tcase is another nice mod.  They allow you to keep the tcase in low, but take it out of 4wd, so you still have the crawling ability of low range, but you don't have to be in 4wd, when 4wd is not needed.

Your description sounds similar to mine.  If you are the only one who can buy ones that work, they must be hard to get to work right.  If you have to take your ride out of 4wd to turn it must be staying locked, making it hard to turn especially on rock.  A locker in the rear behaves the same way, only you are not trying to turn it.  If one tire is constantly kicking backwards when you are turning, it is not disengaging.  IMO that is not how it should work.

I said "A limited slip will/should allow slippage for turning, with a limited amount of slippage when you need both tires turning."  When you lift one tire off the ground it should turn for a limited amount, then friction in the "Limited Slip Differential" will/should cause it to engage the other side.  You say they slip, "limited slip differential" implies they slip.

I said they cost more than a spool or lockers, you said 2X more.  I think we are saying the same thing, slightly different ways.

Your description sounds similar to mine.  If you are the only one who can buy ones that work, they must be hard to get to work right.  If you have to take your ride out of 4wd to turn it must be staying locked, making it hard to turn especially on rock.  A locker in the rear behaves the same way, only you are not trying to turn it.  If one tire is constantly kicking backwards when you are turning, it is not disengaging.  IMO that is not how it should work.

I said "A limited slip will/should allow slippage for turning, with a limited amount of slippage when you need both tires turning."  When you lift one tire off the ground it should turn for a limited amount, then friction in the "Limited Slip Differential" will/should cause it to engage the other side.  You say they slip, "limited slip differential" implies they slip.

I said they cost more than a spool or lockers, you said 2X more.  I think we are saying the same thing, slightly different ways.

I'm not the only one that can get lockers to work correctly.  But I hear a lot of people complaining that they "don't work right"....so it kinda seems like it.  So either they aren't setting them up correctly, or they don't understand how they are supposed to operate, would be my guess.
My front locker works fine.  When I am in 2wd, with the hubs locked, and make a turn, I can hear the front locker ratchet, just like it is supposed to...so it definitely doesn't stay locked all the time, like some people claim lockers do.  When in 4wd, it is kinda hard to tell if it is unlocking, since even without a locker, it will steer hard.  I just kick it into 2wd, when I make a turn and don't need the traction....works great.
I don't think the limited slip that they make for the trackicks/samurais operate in the way you describe.  There are some limited slip type diffs that actually act more like a locker and will "lock up" when one tire slips (I think "detroits" operate in this way).  But I think the limited slips they make for the zuks just use clutches and it is easy to "overpower" the clutches and it will spin the tire with the least amount of traction, while providing "some" power to the other tire.  Definitely not worth the money, if you want reliable traction, IMO.

Unusual as it seems, I have a Old Fire Truck (1962 PIRCSH) that has a
Detroit "Locker". It will even Shake the rig on hard turns on payment
as you hear the "Ratchets" Clicking. Or should I say Pounding as that rear
axle is huge in that big of truck.
Turn it on a park lawn at a show and it won't slip, eating up the grass!
I have even though of Exhibition Running it at the local Truck Pulls 2-wheel class!

CAPT