posi rear grabs with a bang

[dieselbegreat]

My sticker says I have the factory G80 posi rear axle. When really getting on the fuel rounding a corner and after the rear starts to slide, or when pulling out of a snow bank with one side on dry ground, there is wheel slippage but then "bang" it feels like the axle locks and suddenly there is plenty of traction. Is this normal? If not, what is the problem and solution?

[84 Convert]

Sounds like good ole gov-lock operation to me. If pushed too hard they can grenade. They rely on wheelspin to operate a governor type mechanism to lock the diff, if I recall correctly. With big tires too much power and too much wheel speed BANG! and you're lookin' for a new one. Probably OK for a truck in stock form though.

Gregg

[C.K. Piquup]

I would always avoid hard throttling in both situations mentioned.Stock/non,locked/non,whatever.This is a good way to snap an axle,blow the diff,or twist a yoke.The Gov-lock does engage upon wheelspin,but it doesn`t take much.

[88 K30]

While I would not recommend abusing it, the Gov-Lok in the 10.5" FF 14-bolt is much stronger than the ones found in the semi-floating axles. I'm not sure if the 6.2 Subs came standard with the FF in '88 or not. If you have the FF 14-bolt, then I would not be too concerned. Even the 9.5" unit is probably strong enough, provided you don't abuse it. The carrier of the 10-bolt unit is the weakest and will come apart under heavy strain or repeated moderate strain. If I remember, it takes about a 100RPM difference between the two wheel speeds to engage the unit. At that point, it locks up providing the "bang".

[dieselbegreat]

Thanks for the responses. Hey, I'm happy to have a Gov-Locker that seems to be working correctly (as inferred from your responses) and know that I have torque to both wheels when I need it (like up to the axles in snow miles from paved road with the whole family when I gotta get through, like about a year ago upstate NY)! Makes me wanna keep it even more.