Early urq center diff locks - acuator rod procedure

[QSHIPQ at aol.com]

After a 7 years of Steamboat, statistical anomoly finally grabbed my blue urq
once on year 7 and once on year 8.  As is my Michael Andretti way, I decided
it wasn't me, and went after the reason for the center diff light out on both
incidents as a starting point...  Hey guys, I think I have found my out.

Looking to change my center diff over to the later style front mount (vs
bowden cable), I decided my fine repair facility wasn't content with just
MacGuyvering the fork actuator rod, I went after swapping the whole rod in
the trans.  In doing so, I found some interesting differences.

First, the rods are up/back interchangeable with ANY 016 locking center diff,
btdt on both my 83 urq trans and my 84 urq trans and a variety of 5kq
transes.  Second, wrt the >83 (all) vs the 84> (all), the early style rod
uses a (default) disable return spring.  Which means, if one was running
with a lot of boost pressure, once the vacuum charge got low enough (or the
bowden cable bad enough), the front diff auto disables.  This is no
lightweight spring either, I'm guess something in the neighborhood of
10-12lbs of pull.  It mounts under the boot protecting the rod on the ouside
of the trans.

84> 016 (all) center lockers removed the auto-disable spring and used just
the vacuum actuator to work the fork.  Much less effort to move from locked
to unlocked position.   Internally the fork and dog clutches are identical.

Ok back to the rod procedure.  I've swappped the rod on 5 transmissions
outside the car, impossible to do with trans in-situ, btdt (yes I even
removed the subframe...).  The good news for you pre 84 boys is that the
spring itself is removable with transmission in situ.   2 ways to go at it.
Easiest is to buy a new rod boot at the dealer and trash the one on the car,
then wire cut the spring away.  The problem with that is sliding a new boot
on requires a lot of grease and finess to get it over the rod end (bttt).
The other option is to move the boot as far forward as you can, and snip the
spring away a bit at a time (best chance of success, and downright won't cost
you a cent).

IMO, all early style quattros should remove the auto return spring, and stop
going after the vacuum as the problem.   All folks doing a clutch job on
early urq/4kq should consider putting in the late style rod and actuator
(since bowden cable not only sucks, it's NLA).   Now those 2 bank hits seem
much less ego bruising....

Absolved in Chicago, Steamboat bound

HTH
Scott Justusson
'83 urq with new actuator rod, spring removed.