High Mileage G80 - Still Working Or Replacement?

[sabre364]

Curious on what owners on here have experienced as far as the g80 locker longevity.

 

Assume normal usage, but extensive locking in muddy trail/forest service roads. Something pretty typical, but not simply a pavement queen.

 

Since the g80 has been basically unchanged for a while, probably the best bet is to see how long it lasted on your gmt800s. I figure at about 100k the diff is getting close to blowing up...I know the dealers charge close to 2k for a new unit, but a local shop will do it for much less.

 

For those who have replaced it, did it leave you stranded?

[Mckenzie]

195,000 miles and it still locks up fine and doesn't give me any trobule

[ChevyTech77]

I've seen some higher mileage G80's get a little "loose", so to speak, and either not lock up good or at all. Usually all then need is an overhaul with new clutch/steel plates to work good as new. That service, while still pricey, usually runs about half as much as replacing the diff altogether. It all depends on how the diff looks overall when it's taken apart though, also.

[kmborland]

155k on my 95 with G80 sf14bolt. Locked good and hard at the smallest hint of wheel spin. No problems at all. I also had one in my 98 jimmy. 179k and it still locked (most of the time), I was hard on that truck but it still worked.

[Stevens03]

I've never had troubles with one. They've never failed me As mentioned above, ... maybe a little "loose" feeling but never failed.

[KMGZ400]

i have only 94k on mine right now and its had the shit beaten out of it... pavment burnouts and drifting, offroading, etc. still works perfect.

 

i dont think the G80's are shitty as many many people on this forum make them out to be, i know a lot of G80's with 150,000 miles plus with no problems.. IMO

[BlackZ71Silverado]

My last truck had a little over 200,000 miles when I got rid of it. The G80 worked as good as it did from day one off the dealer lot, no problems at all. I can also report that out of 15 GM trucks currently in my entire family, there was never an issue with the G80 not working properly.

[Willshire]

And if your G80 goes for a crap, just replace it with a detroit locker or trulocker for half the money of a G80 gov lock. IMO

[Nanotech Environmental]

The G80 on my 06 never worked properly out of the box;

 

It would spin,clunk,spin,clunk etc. in the snow/ice & sometimes wouldn't lockup at all. It progressively got worse until I took it in to the dealer under warranty at about 50,000km. They pulled it apart and said the discs? were out of spec and the clearance was too high (IIRC). Whatever they did to fix it, now it works too well and often locks up on dry pavement when turning left and sometimes right. Not so good for getting the best tire wear & can be annoying at times.

[jro909]

120k mine works great...kicks like a ****in donkey though when it engages..i think it comes down to how it is treated and maintained, if woulden't be around this long if it was junk from the get go...if that were the case the 6.5 diesel would still be breathing