Mine would ratchet and would spin and sometimes lock from day one. I say wheel it easy one and see how it does.
I need to rebuild the front axle and i was going to pull the diff and check it out.
He told me it pulled hard to one side in 4wd so i bet the locker isnt locking for whatever reason.
I need to order a rebuild kit, honestly i was thinking of tg eliminators since the only real problem i had with my last toy front axle was killing upper trunnions every so often, but havent decided yet