Can anybody tell me what kind of unit my car has stock? Eaton, Auburn, other? It is a 1992 Trans Am RPO G80. Please don't tell me that G80 has anything to do with Eaton GovLok. It looks nothing like a Grenade Lock.

 

Anybody know who GM bought their units from in '92?

 

Mostly Eaton. The gov-lock only came in trucks, and IIRC it's a different RPO-G81.

 

I do know that ALOT of the units from the 80's were Auburns from the ones I have seen, not really sure about cars as 'new' as the 90's

 

Most of the units in the 7.5/7.625 10 bolts were Auburn units.

 

In fact, GM continued to use the Auburn unit all the way through 1997. In 98 they switched to the Torsen unit. The only 3rd gens I've ever seen the dreaded Gov-Loc come stock in were the earlier years, such as 83,84,85. I've got a 91, GTA 10 bolt under mine, and it has the Auburn unit. I'm pretty sure the Auburns were the only units used after the switch to 28 spline axles in 1990.

 

Thanks for the info. I assumed it was an Auburn unit after I took it out, but wasn't sure. It didn't look anything like a Gov-Lok, but since the RPO was G80 and the Gov-Lok is also known as a G80, I thought there may be a connection. My particular unit has 120k on it and it looks like it is in GREAT condition. I'm glad I didn't have to buy a new posi. I'm running out of cash! LOL. Wish I had a Zexel Torsen, though.

 

Yeah, you're right on the G80 designation. In the years that they used the POS Gov-Loc, it was also listed under that option code. As long as they're not majorly abused, the Auburns seem to last a pretty long time. That GTA I got mine out of probably had somewhere around 150K on it, and I've put roughly another 20-30K on it. So far, so good. Of course if you put a really badass motor in your car, they get fried pretty quick, but at stock power levels, they're not bad. Just make sure to put a full tube of the limited slip additive in there when you refill it with new gear lube. Speaking of Torsens, I've got one of those sitting on the shelf to replace the Auburn when it finally does bite the dust! If you check ebay often, you can usually grab a Torsen for $100 or less. That's about what I paid for mine off there. Just make sure you get the right series because they were available in both 2 series (3.08-down) and 3 series (3.23-up).