I've attached a picture of the ARB differential cover on my 98 Sport. I believe I have a Dana 35. There was no compressor when I bought it, but I'm thinking this is for an air locker?? When I gave it some gas on gravel it appears that the diff is locked. From what I've read, I don't want the diff locked when driving on road, but I'm not sure how I would unlock this, if it is locked. I'm also getting some noise from the rear end and wonder if it's related. Any guidance would be appreciated.

 

That is an ARB diff cover...and does not mean there is an ARB differential inside...are there any air lines going into the pumpkin or any switches that indicate they control an air locker ?

 

There are no air lines but there is an old switch near the stearing wheel that leads to nowhere. I was thinking that it could have led to a compressor at some point. The diff does appear to be locked and that's what led me to believe there is a locker in there. Would someone really buy a diff cover like that just for looks?

 

Yes...and for the fact that is is a big improvement over a stock sheet metal cover...

Open it up and see.....only way to know for sure.

A switch would be for engaging & disengaging,. not for an air compressor.....

 

That makes sense. When I open it up, and if I find a locker, is there a way to disengage it? Or, is there a test I can conduct to verify if the diff is actually locked? If it's not locked I'm good to go.

 

If it is a selectable locker, it will by default be disengaged

 

I'm just going to dig inside and see what I find.

 

There are a few lockers that have a "competition" version. It's backwards from normal. It's locked until you apply air to unlock it.

I doubt that's the case here. More likely it's a different locker inside. Could be a lunchbox locker, limited slip in good shape, a Lincoln locker, or something like that.

Only way to know for sure is to pop the cover off.