G80 locker spring mod

chevyburnout1

Fixing it till it breaks
Aug 25, 2008
2,368
1
38
Berthoud, CO
Is this really a thing to make the G80 work better? Mine have worked pretty well over the years, but it's super annoying when you have a nice drift going in the rain and it stops working.

True story :thumb: The spring is pretty easy to twist up. I actually think it helped mine last as weird as that sounds. Always engaging regardless. You can see where the leg of the spring rests on the governor shaft. Just take it and rotate it through around through the spider gears a few twists :D

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GM-Chevy-85-10-Bolt-Eaton-G80-Gov-_1.jpg
 
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Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
Staff member
Oct 21, 2009
21,759
5,933
113
Phoenix Az
Its a good idea to check the gear teeth on your spider gear and the gov shaft to make sure they aint missing anything first though. if that has issues, winding that spring up wont help much lol
 

torqued2dmax

Member
Mar 26, 2017
646
1
18
Brookville, PA
True story :thumb: The spring is pretty easy to twist up. I actually think it helped mine last as weird as that sounds. Always engaging regardless. You can see where the leg of the spring rests on the governor shaft. Just take it and rotate it through around through the spider gears a few twists :D

_1.jpg
GM-Chevy-85-10-Bolt-Eaton-G80-Gov-_1.jpg
Amazing what a little spring can do , thank you for that bit of advice , it will save many people $ by not needing to go gear drive and helping to keep them from blowing up there unit doing burn outs when the G80 engages and disengages randomly !
 

gmduramax

Shits broke
Jun 12, 2008
4,082
252
83
Nor cal
True story :thumb: The spring is pretty easy to twist up. I actually think it helped mine last as weird as that sounds. Always engaging regardless. You can see where the leg of the spring rests on the governor shaft. Just take it and rotate it through around through the spider gears a few twists :D

_1.jpg
GM-Chevy-85-10-Bolt-Eaton-G80-Gov-_1.jpg

This can be done in the truck?
 

gmduramax

Shits broke
Jun 12, 2008
4,082
252
83
Nor cal
I’ll give this a try tonight. I know my G80 still works but not as good as it used to, but that’s probably for other reasons :roflmao:
 

PureHybrid

Isuzu Shakes IT
Feb 15, 2012
3,517
501
113
Central OH
How exactly does a person bottle RTV?

OH, you mean Silicone RTV :roflmao:

You know, Walmart sells that kind of stuff. Open 24hrs :D
 

gmduramax

Shits broke
Jun 12, 2008
4,082
252
83
Nor cal
Alright I got everything I needed and went to tackle this. So you want to remove the c clip that's keeping the spring in place, slide the spring out and then spin it around a few times and push it back into place and put the c clip back in. Do not be lazy and try and loop the leg of the spring around because it can break.

So how would one replace the spring if they were lazy and broke the leg of the spring off, Asking for a friend :banging:
 

2004LB7

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 15, 2010
7,138
2,229
113
Norcal
I've heard of a few people cutting the little weight off so it doesn't disengage at higher mph. Does removing the spring do the same thing?
 

Chevy1925

don't know sh!t about IFS
Staff member
Oct 21, 2009
21,759
5,933
113
Phoenix Az
I would be careful with that locker at higher speeds like around 40-50mph. There is a delay when it hits and if you are on something slick running at speed, one tire starts to zing up in speed, WHAM, locker hits and can send you sideways.

This isn’t like a typical Detroit mechanical where it’s always locked until turning. These are always unlocked till a tire slips. You also increase the risk of blowing the gear or fly weight apart.

You want the rocker weight to stay put, not cut it out. Taking it out defeats the ability of the locker being able to work. The fly weights flip out when one tire spins, the weights then grab that rocker, stops the turning of the side gear and engages the ramps into the clutches.

This is why they are called “gov bombs”. The smaller older rear ends couldn’t take the abuse and when the fly weights hit to lock, shit went kaboom. I believe they also engaged at higher speeds than these newer ones so keep this in mind, turning the spring tighter increases the risk of blowing the locker up substantially